School of Law and Politics welcomes USA students to pre-law summer school

While many schools embrace the downtime over the summer, the School of Law and Politics opened its doors this July to a group of American students, who travelled to Cardiff for a summer of study.

In partnership with Learn International, 24 students from the University of Florida (UF) have spent 5 weeks in the capital, with their lecturer Dr Matthew C Jones and co-Head of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education, Professor Julie Price, experiencing what it’s like to be part of a law clinic at the school. In the USA, law is generally only available at postgraduate level, so the summer school was a unique opportunity for students to gain a taste of law in the real world.

The students, who Jones describes as “impressive and proactive”, go through an application process while in the USA and spaces for the scheme are filled very quickly.

While in Cardiff, the programme of study includes a writing for international affairs module where students are tasked with writing position and conference papers based on a policy brief, excursions to Big Pit and the Wye valley, and carrying out work for the School’s environmental law clinic. They also experienced a period of volunteering at legal charity, Support Through Court, and writing about law and justice for online magazine, the Justice Gap.

In addition to their legal experiences, Jones was keen to promote Wales to his students after completing a master’s course at Cardiff University in 2015 himself.

He said, “I wanted to introduce my students to the culture, language and all of Wales that so inspired me. The Welsh element is just as important to me as the experiential learning is. My aim is that they return to the states with deeper sensitivities for both.”

Students Giuliana and Nithisha have thoroughly enjoyed being in Cardiff during the summer. Giuliana said, “I have loved my time in Cardiff. I enjoy the convenience of being able to walk everywhere, and surprisingly, I even love the weather—it’s exactly my favourite kind. The most rewarding part of this experience has been the amount I’ve learned and the amazing people I’ve met along the way.”

Giuliana’s classmate Nithisha echoed her sentiment by saying, “I've had the wonderful opportunity to connect with members of Welsh Parliament and intern at Support Through Court at the Cardiff Civil and Family Justice Centre. I find Cardiff beautiful, and the people here have been so welcoming to us. My favourite part has been bonding with the other students and making connections with people I otherwise wouldn't have been able to meet.”

Reflecting on the summer school, Professor Price said, “It has been a pleasure to open our law clinic doors to our University of Florida student visitors. Having seen the civil law in action by helping litigants in person and writing news stories about social justice issues more widely for the Justice Gap, they will have gained valuable employability skills. It will no doubt enhance their applications for a place on a JD (Juris Doctor) law programme when they return home to the U.S.”