Senior Lawyers Pro Bono Teaching
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to this program
CILS Benefactors Inc. provides
grants for teaching
materials to senior American lawyers who are taking up
pro bono teaching assignments in Eastern Europe
and the former republics of the Soviet Union.
Warsaw
/ Joan Bondareff
I just completed two weeks of teaching American law at the Univ. of Cardinal Stefan Wyzinski (UKSW) in Warsaw, Poland, and had a thoroughly wonderful experience.I just hope the students got as much out of it as I did.Following is a breakdown of the two weeks and teaching law at UKSW.I taught an Introduction to American Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence.I was the first American lawyer to teach at the law school at UKSW, and the first one to teach about American law.Because of this, I decided to give an introduction to American law, starting with the history of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.At the same time, I used current cases as the basis for daily discussions.The students were familiar with most of the issues I discussed –primarily from American movies and the press.
I
developed the text myself (copy attached) and used it and other materials as the
basis for the two week course.I gave a total of four three-hour
seminars/lectures with about 35 students attending.The lectures covered: (1)
history of the constitution and principle of separation of powers; (2) the
Congress; (3) the Presidency; and (4) the Supreme Court. I tried as much as
possible to have the students participate in the seminars –but it was somewhat
complicated by their lack of English speaking skills.However, some of the
students’ English was excellent and they spoke more than the others.
The
English comprehension of the students was quite good –a good thing because my
Polish is quite poor.While some could speak English better than others, all of
the students seemed to understand my English, and, as noted above, most took the
essay question and wrote excellent responses to the question posed.I had
Certificates of Completion printed ahead of time, as Jeff Matsen suggested, and
was able to sign and hand these out at the end of the course.I also had brought
a number of gifts, e.g., American flag pins and pens, which came in very
handy.(Gifts were welcome wherever we went.)The students surprised me, in turn,
by presenting me with a large picture book on Poland, which I took as a sign
that I had made a difference!As for me, I will remember them always.
I had two excellent hosts at UKSW, Assistant Professor Marek Jezewski, and another teacher/recent graduate, Ola Goluch.We became good friends during the two weeks.Prof. Goluch would pick us up every day and drive us to school.Prof. Jezewski made sure we had all the equipment we needed at the school.(I was accompanied by Herb Zucker, my partner, who also loved Poland and the folks at UKSW.). We also had a private meeting with the Dean who supported my teaching there.Dean Mik is interested in establishing a cultural exchange program with an American law school, and I told him I would assist him with this effort.We also took Marek and his girlfriend, another lawyer, out to dinner one evening, and did the same for Ola.I am sure I will stay in touch with Marek, Ola, and the Dean.I also believe they would welcome another guest lecturer from CILS, perhaps one more versed in business law. Teaching at UKSW was a unique and extremely gratifying experience.Being the first American teacher there was a distinct advantage, but hopefully I have paved the way for other CILS participants.
Budapest
/ Gilbert B. Lessenco
I
had a fabulous teaching adventure in Budapest, Hungary! My wife, Elaine, went
with me and participated in all activities with me. Following our stimulating
week in Salzburg, we were met at the train station by Andrea Robotka, the
administrator of the Erasmus Program at Eotvos Lorand University. She took us by
taxi to our flat, which was very comfortable. We had a large living room with
TV, a small bedroom and two large bedrooms, kitchen with table and chairs,
refrigerator, stove, and microwave, a powder room, and a full bath with washing
machine. The flat was well-heated, and had adequate hot water in the kitchen and
the tub. It was centrally located, only two stops to the university, and half a
block to busses, trams, and metro. We were able to travel all over the city.
They never ask for tickets on the bus or tram, but we took full advantage of the
many cultural advantages of Budapest, visiting museums, attending many concerts,
including the premier ballet of Gone with the Wind, and traveling outside the
city to see other parts of Hungary.
Eotvos
Lorand University was founded in 1635 and is highly respected. I had a modern
classroom, complete with computer for power-point. The university also provided
me with a very comfortable office, including a conference table, desk, and
computer. This came in handy, since our flat was not wired for internet use.
Andrea was very helpful in many ways, and copied materials for me. I had
prepared detailed outlines of a program on United States Business Law. These
outlines were for the students’ use for their reference, and to stimulate
discussion. The course covered contracts, torts, punitive damages, product
warnings, and alternative dispute resolution. I had been assigned to teach two
hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for four weeks. The students informed
me after the second session that their classes usually ran one and one-half
hours, so I adjusted to that schedule.
Although
I had been in communication with Eotvos Lorand since the summer of 2006,
decisions were not finalized on the course until February 2007. Since the
students had to register for spring courses in November 2006, many were
committed to other courses or other obligations. I was given a roster of nine
students to expect. Only four students came to the first session, one of whom
dropped out. However, the course grew by word-of-mouth, with eight students
completing the course. Two of the students told me that they were cutting other
classes to attend. A third student told me that he chose to attend the class
instead of attending preparation classes for his examination in civil law.
The
students made it clear from the first session that they wanted to learn how to
analyze cases and deal with precedents. Their usual method of study was to
memorize Hungarian statutes. From the end of the second session, all but two of
the students were totally engaged and participating. The two who did not talk in
class were embarrassed by their English, but did talk to us before and after
class. My wife attended every session, and the students related to her well. She
asked questions if she did not understand something, since she assumed that the
students would not understand if she did not. I spent a substantial amount of
time presenting cases from my own legal experiences. In this manner, I could
stimulate discussion on the strategies used. I also presented cases from my
teaching at Johns Hopkins University. Here I told the class the facts and the
results, and asked if there were any facts missing that would help them to reach
a decision on whether they agreed or disagreed with the outcome of the case,
Student
participation was superb. I found that they were interested in subjects not
covered by my outlines. We had full discussions on consumer protection laws and
anti-trust issues. I learned a lot about the law as it is practiced in Hungary.
The students expressed an interest in current events impacting the United
States, such as the death penalty, abortion, evolution, gay marriage, and gun
control. No mention was made of Iraq. There was much more give and take than I
had been led to believe in Salzburg. To encourage this active participation, I
tried to point out that there were no wrong answers, and would gently modify
some of their answers. From time to time I used the Socratic method, but never
to embarrass the students. I gave a final take-home examination based on product
recall. All of the students turned in papers and some very thoroughly
researched, which I didn’t expect. They all got good grades, and certificates
of participation, which they were pleased to receive.
Adam
Fuglinsky, who attended the session in Salzburg, was extremely helpful and
became our good friend. He attended the course once each week, when his schedule
permitted. Adam told us that most of the professors have private practices, and
come to the university only when they have scheduled classes. Adam listened
rather than participating, but his enthusiasm was evident, and that helped the
mood of the classroom. Adam reported that the students enjoyed the class and
welcomed my wife’s participation. Adam introduced us to his parents, who also
became our friends, and we spent time with them, visiting other parts of
Hungary, having dinner with them, and even visiting their flat. In
sum, this was a marvelous experience, one I hope to repeat. The highlights were
the students, of whom we became quite fond, and Adam and his parents, whose
friendship we treasure.
I
was assigned by CILS to lecture at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech
Republic. After attending the CILS orientation in Salzburg, my wife and I
traveled by car to Olomouc, arriving October 26, 2008. Our stay ended November
8, 2008. Olomouc is
located in Moravia, a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the
Czech Republic. For centuries Olomouc has been an Archbishopric, and today is a
town of approximately 100,000 people. By train, it is approximately 2˝ hours
southeast of Prague. The city dates from before the mid-twelfth century, and
offers an authentic example of a central european historical city. The
historical center is made up of an upper square and lower square dating from the
1400’s. The town hall has an astrological clock, very similar to that found in
Prague. Many of the european cities built memorial columns following the plagues
of the middle ages, and Olomouc’s Holy Trinity Column is the largest such
dedicated structure in Europe. In addition to Palacký University, Olomouc has a
number of cultural organizations, trade and industrial firms and is the
headquarters of the Army of the Czech Republic. The University is the second
oldest in the Czech Republic with its beginnings dating back to the Jesuits in
the 1500’s. There are approximately 17,000 students. The law school is
referred to as the Law Faculty (Právnická Fakulta).
My
basic class was made up of 150 students spanning first year to fourth year. The
University had decided to give credit for the lectures, which likely inspired
the large number of students. Attendance was mandatory. One of the brighter
students gave me further insight into the students’ motivation. He said it was
the first time in his educational history he had the opportunity to listen to a
native English speaker. I gave a written test at the end of the lectures and am
expected to grade and give pass/fail grades to the students. I will be working
on grading those tests through the rest of November and December. The students
seemed bright and enthusiastic. Most were women. There were only a handful of
“usual suspects” who volunteered answers and asked questions. Most students,
however, did not speak in class or ask questions.