Law Times

PAGE 12 FOCUS OctOber 20, 2008 • Law times LLM program launched for foreign law students A BY DARYL-LYNN CARLSON For Law Times inaugural year of Osgoode Hall Law School's LLM in business for international students. Nwagha hails from Nigeria kunna Nwagha believes the world will be her oys- ter after she finishes the where she has been a practising solicitor since graduating law studies there in 2002. She is one of 17 students at- tending the new program that was introduced to recognize the global reach of the practice of law. "Globalization is a big issue right now and the legal profes- sional hasn't escaped that," says Nwagha. "You can't get very far without some insight into the processes and the workings of other legal systems beyond the one with which you're familiar." Although other schools offer similar post-graduate programs, Nwagha says she chose the Os- goode program because it offers an optional internship for up to one year at the end of the 12 months of studies. "I thought that'd be a very good opportunity to get to see what things actually are like in practice," she says. Elaine Bright, assistant di- rector, academic programs at Osgoode professional develop- ment, says as far as she knows, the school is the only program of its kind to offer an internship. "It's both an advantage to the law firms and the students," says Bright. "For example, we have a lawyer from Columbia whose par- ents own an investment bank so when he goes home the law firm will have some good contacts." She says the school is seek- it can accommodate up to 30 international students. in July, the program was billed as a unique combination of spe- cialized, course-based program- ming with English as a second language support. It is customized for students who hold a degree in law from an accredited institution outside Canada and have both a mini- mum B average and proof of English language proficiency. "It reflects the growing inter- nationalization of the practice of law," says Bright. "The banks, we can see in the When it officially launched countries for lawyers who under- stand international business." The program was spearheaded ing more firms to participate as the program gains popularity; news at the moment the extent financial transactions are inter- national. In Canada, the mining industry is very international. Toronto has more mining com- panies based here than anywhere in the world," she says. "There's also need in other by Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Patrick Monahan. Its plan- ners began by travelling to China six times over the past three years to meet with lawyers at major firms in Shanghai and Beijing. "They were having trouble finding lawyers who understand the needs of clients from the West," says Bright. Additional trips were made to countries throughout South America. "The vision is these students will go back and practise law in their countries of origin and will understand the practice of law in North America." During their studies, students will learn the ins and outs of business law in the United States, Canada, the European Union, China, India, Africa, South America, and other countries and regions that play a key role in the international economy. Participants will glean an un- derstanding of the expectations of Western clients and how law firms do business. Studies will focus on interpreting and understanding the legal ramifications of interna- tional trade agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, The World Trade Organiza- tion regulations, the North Ameri- can Free Trade Agreement, and the regulation of trade and competi- tion in the European Union. Case studies are used to illus- trate international business trans- actions, contract negotiations, financing and payment issues, international dispute resolution, and the legal implications of e- business — all emerging and rel- evant matters necessary to know when advising clients who are doing business globally. Students are also benefiting George N. Addy and William L. Vanveen This looseleaf service provides: the full text of the the Competition Tribunal Act digested with amendments NEW Competition Tribunal Rules new information bulletin on ss. 15 & 16 of the Competition Act, fully digested with all amendments incorporated the Competition Bureau Fee and Service Standards Handbook recently added technical backgrounders from the Competition Bureau on the acquisition of Organon BioSciences N.V. by Schering-Plough Corp. 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Internships after graduation will include remuneration at a rate of up to $2,000 a month or more. Plans are also underway by precisely what she will do with her LLM. She wants to be a top business lawyer but also facili- tate the creation of wealth for developing countries Nigeria. She says for example there's need for infrastructure in Ni- geria that is increasingly be- ing funded by international investment funds. Nwagha says she will remain open to opportunities until she finishes her LLM studies. "Dean Monahan told us the expectation of faculty at Os- goode is when students leave, they become leaders in what- ever field they choose to work in," she says. LT Osgoode to augment its studies for international students and to partner with universities abroad, the school announced during the launch of the new LLM. 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