The Second Week of the 2013 Nice Program by Professor Susan Tiefenbrun
July 9, 2013
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
This is the end of the second week of the Nice Study Abroad Program in International Law. It is hard to believe that it is more than half over. We have 44 American students from 7 different law schools, 21 students from the University of Nice Law School, most of whom are French but some from Poland, Holland, Italy, and Morocco. The American students are integrating fully inside and outside the classroom with the students from Europe and North Africa!
Last Friday we all went to the French court and observed a trial involving tax evasion, which was particularly interesting to us because Professor Richard Winchester, who is a specialist in international tax law, was able to give us insights into the intricacies of the French tax law system. We marveled at the lawyers and judges in robes, the articulate defense by the defendant’s lawyer, a university of Nice tax law professor, and the theatrical nature of the trial. On Monday we had a fun French class taught by Professor Susan Tiefenbrun, who stressed the importance of good French pronunciation…form over substance…and the art of sounding oh so French!
On Tuesday we had a fascinating presentation by our distinguished guest lecturer from Shanghai, Dr. Chen Ke, who spoke to us about the legal complexities of a Chinese nuclear power plant financing project that his international law firm in China has been working on for years! Dr. Chen Ke is a great supporter of our China Study Abroad Program, and it was wonderful to see him here in Nice. He speaks fluent Chinese, English, German, and some French as well. On Wednesday we all visited the Nice Bar Association and enjoyed a royal welcome by Madame Marie-Christine Mouchon. She is the President of the Nice Bar Association. She spoke to us about what the Bar Association does, how a foreigner can practice law in France, and what type of disciplinary actions the Nice Bar Association handles. She is the second woman President of the Nice Bar Association since its inception hundreds of years ago! We all ate lovely French cookies and pastries (macaroons), drank juice or coffee, and heard from the Chief Justice of the High Court of Amiens, Francoise Alienot-Thienot, who helped me organize this important visit to the office of the “batonnier” (President of the Nice French Bar Association).
On Saturday former Dean Rudy Hasl arrived in Nice. On Sunday Professor Randy Grossman, Justice Richard Goldstone, our one and only Lisa Ferreira, and Professor Barry Sullivan from the American Bar Association all arrived en masse in Nice! On Monday we heard a mesmerizing talk by Professor Randy Grossman about how to become a sports agent and the differences between being a sports agent in the U.S. and in Europe. He also taught for the day in Professor Alex Kreit’s class on International and Comparative Drug Control Laws, talking about drugs and sports. Justice Richard Goldstone taught in Professor Susan Tiefenbrun’s International Human Rights class, focusing on the politics of international justice. His presentation was inspiring and very informative. Justice Goldstone was appointed by Nelson Mandela to be the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia as well as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In the Nice Program in the recent past we have hosted Ted Meron, now President of the Appellate Division of these two tribunals, Louise Arbour, the second Prosecutor of these two tribunals, and Professor David Scheffer, the then U.S. Ambassador who signed the International Criminal Court Rome Statute, which was later “unsigned” during the Bush Administration. This week we will hear a lecture by Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, the famous French Prosecutor who sentenced Carlos the Jackal to prison and who consults with President Obama on anti-terrorism tactics.
The afternoons in Nice are filled with fun, sun, swimming at the beach, walking in Old Nice, eating great French food, and making lots of new friends. Students in the Program travel to places far and near like London, Rome, Barcelona, and Pamplona for the running of the bulls, Prague, Paris, Madrid. Others, like me, prefer to stay in Nice and take long walks by the seaside, visit the Fondation Maeght Museum in St. Paul de Vence, or visit the markets in the old port of Antibes where Jackie and Aristotle Onassis kept their yachts. Antibes is amazing. So tune in for more next week. Nice is very, very nice!
Regards,
Professor Susan Tiefenbrun
Director, Nice Study Abroad Program
Photo 1 of 4:
Bottom row, right to left: Jeremy Schneider (TJSL Student), Lisa Ferreira (Director of Student Services), Professor Susan Tiefenbrun, ABA Inspector Mr. Barry Sullivan and Justice Richard Goldstone (Who is teaching 3 classes of the International Human Rights course);
Top row, right to left: Richard Andrews (TJSL Student), Lou Fardet (French Student), Professor Randy Grossman (Guest Lecturer), Professor Alex Kreit, former Dean Rudy Hasl, Professors Ben Templin and Richard Winchester. (Photo by TJSL Student Sol Sung)