LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
Today, we welcome a guest post by Eleanor Cox, a member of the University of Georgia School of Law class of 2026. Cox is the eleventh Georgia Law student to participate in a semester-long international externship and the third recipient of a grant from the Halle Foundation to support her externship in Germany. The semester-long externships overseas initiative is an extension of the Center’s existing Global Externships Overseas and is offered jointly between the Center and the law school’s Clinical and Experiential Program. Cox’s post describes her experience as a legal extern with Bodenheimer, a German law firm specializing in international arbitration. Cox was based in Bodenheimer’s Berlin office, where she worked under Georgia Law alumnus Dr. Christof Siefarth (LL.M., ’86). Dr. Siefarth, who is also a member of the Dean Rusk International Law Center’s Advisory Council, is a Partner at Bodenheimer.
“Do it afraid.” That simple reminder became my mantra during my semester abroad. It is an acknowledgement that discovery rarely feels comfortable at the start. Stepping into a new country, a new legal system, and a new professional culture required me to move forward even when I felt unsteady. But the very discomfort I feared became the gateway to the most meaningful growth I have experienced. During the fall 2025 semester, I externed at BODENHEIMER Law Firm in Berlin—a firm specializing in international dispute resolution with offices also in Cologne, and, soon, the UAE.
Living in Berlin
Berlin is a place that refuses to simplify itself. Its history is felt in every neighborhood, yet its present is defined by internationalism and constant reinvention. I met a woman who was nine years old when the wall fell, and she learned that the world had changed only when her family from the East knocked on her family’s front door for the first time. I also met a Syrian student working to adjust to the new language, culture, and that in-between feeling of starting over. Encounters like these reminded me that, as the most populated city in the European Union, Berlin cannot be described as one thing. It is one place that is also all places.
What I will miss most is the sense of community Berliners create without even trying: my morning conversations with a bakery owner on the way to the S-Bahn station, watching the city rush outside the second the sun appears, my favorite neighborhood dog Leo religiously greeting me at a local coffee shop, and never knowing whether a parade would materialize around the corner. It is both unpredictable and deeply human. One of my favorite things about Berlin is living in a city that constantly asks you to discover yourself and expand. It stretches you in small ways, like in the languages you hear, the people you meet, and the art tucked in quiet corners of the city.
Substantive Work and Office Culture
At BODENHEIMER, I worked on cross-border legal matters ranging from construction to inheritance. The international nature of the work required me to expand both my legal thinking and cultural awareness. I worked on matters involving different jurisdictions, which meant relying on machine-translated documents and learning the procedural rules of various arbitral institutions. Unsure of how much work would be available due to my limited German-language skills, I was surprised by how much opportunity being a native English speaker provided. I was able to assist in the drafting of statements of claim, attend case management conferences, and research cross-border enforcement.
With colleagues from four different continents, some of the most valuable learning happened outside of my actual assignments. Long lunches turned into lively conversations about world politics, personal histories, cultural differences, and the small absurdities that make international work so rich. These moments helped me understand the human side of international practice and reminded me how central curiosity is to this area.
Lessons to Carry Forward
The most challenging part of the placement was the constant unfamiliarity. But that challenge became the most rewarding part, too. Every day, I proved to myself, in small ways, that I could adapt and grow through trial and error. I learned to celebrate being unfamiliar rather than feel embarrassed by it. That shift in mindset is something I will carry with me.
Looking back, my semester in Berlin helped me see myself differently, personally and professionally. I became more confident, more flexible, and more willing to step into the unknown. What first felt foreign and intimidating slowly became more familiar. Living and working abroad showed me that the moments that feel uncomfortable are often the ones that push us forward the most. And for me, that made this experience not just educational, but truly transformative.
This week, the German Consul General in Atlanta, Melanie Moltmann, delivered a lecture at the University of Georgia School of Law entitled: “Germany’s Bilateral Relations with Georgia and the United States.” This event was the most recent installment of the Center’s ongoing Consular Series, which presents students, staff, and faculty with global perspectives on international trade, cooperation, development, and policy.
Moltmann spoke with students about her diplomatic career, including her previous roles in Germany, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. She discussed the historic economic and cultural ties between the United States and Germany, as well as those between the state of Georgia and Germany. Moltmann assumed her current position in Atlanta in September 2021, overseeing a consular district that includes Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. She was joined by Josephine Hertzberg, who is currently completing a legal internship at the German Consulate General in Atlanta.
After her lecture, Moltmann and Hertzberg had a lunch in the Center’s Louis B. Sohn Library with several Georgia Law students who have connections with Germany: Alexis Bartholomew (J.D. ’26), who completed a semester-long Global Externship Overseas (GEO) in fall 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany; Megan Greeley Bradford (J.D. ’26), who completed a summer 2025 GEO in Cologne, Germany; Pace Cassell (J.D. ’26), who completed a semester-long GEO in spring 2025 in Hamburg, Germany with the support of a grant from the Halle Foundation; and Daniel Köhl (LL.M. ’26), a current LL.M. student originally from Germany.
In the post, LeClercq analyzes the International Court of Justice’s proceedings connected to the International Labour Organization’s request for an advisory opinion on whether the right to strike is protected under Convention No. 87. She focuses on how non-binding ILO principles interact with binding conventions, and what that distinction could mean for interpreting Convention No. 87 in international law and in related policy contexts.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
University of Georgia School of Law Professor Christopher Bruner was featured on Law360 regarding the evolving global footprint of large US law firms. The article titled “How BigLaw Is Redrawing Its Global Map For 2026” was written by Ryan Boysen and published 12/10/25.
Bruner is the Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law at the University of Georgia School of Law and serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center.
University of Georgia School of Law student Isaac Clement (J.D. ’27) was selected to participate in The Hague Academy of International Law‘s Private International Law summer course. This initiative will take place at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.
Over the course of three weeks in the summer, Clement and others from around the world will engage in advanced study of international private law, international arbitration, and cross-border commercial transactions. These courses and lectures are taught by academics, practitioners, and diplomats from leading institutions around the world.
From The Academy’s website:
The Academy is a centre for teaching and research in public and private international law, with the aim of furthering the scientific study of the legal aspects of international relations. The United Nations General Assembly regularly expresses its appreciation “to the Hague Academy of International Law for the valuable contribution it continues to make to the Programme of Assistance, which has enabled candidates under the International Law Fellowship Programme to attend and participate in the Fellowship Programme in conjunction with courses at the Academy” and notes “the contributions of the Hague Academy to the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law, and calls upon Member States and interested organizations to give favourable consideration to the appeal of the Academy for a continuation of support and a possible increase in their financial contributions, to enable the Academy to carry out its activities, particularly those relating to the Summer and Winter Courses, regional courses and programmes of the Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International relations.”
Tax sovereignty is gaining significant attention in international tax policy. The concept traditionally refers to a government’s authority to design and enforce its own tax laws, without infringement. Policymakers are increasingly invoking the principle to broaden their country’s assertions of taxing rights (e.g., on offshore profits) and to withdraw from international agreements that they deem unfavorable. While tax sovereignty has been widely debated in legal scholarship, its parameters are not clearly established. These tensions have emerged in recent negotiations on issues like the global minimum tax and the legitimacy of tax havens, highlighting the need to better conceptualize the principle. This Article explores the origins of the tax sovereignty principle and its proliferation in the current international tax discourse. It develops a doctrinal account of tax sovereignty that illuminates the obligations and limitations embedded within the concept. The Article argues that tax sovereignty operates as a legally bounded doctrine rather than an unrestricted claim of fiscal autonomy, especially if a sovereign’s policies create negative externalities to others.
In addition to presenting his own work, Harpaz served as a commentator for the presentation “Is Rule of Law Decline Rewarded in Trade? Lessons from the European Union” by Janka Deli of Stanford Law School and was a panelist for a discussion titled “Preparing for a Career in Academia.”
Harpaz joined the University of Georgia School of Law as an assistant professor in summer 2024 and teaches classes in federal income tax and business taxation. Harpaz’s scholarly focus lies in international taxation, with an emphasis on the intersection of taxation and digitalization. He explores the tax challenges of the digital economy and the ways to adapt 20th-century tax laws to modern business practices.
In November, University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq traveled to Atlanta with a group of students as the culmination of their semester-long exploration of international trade.
15 students, including J.D., LL.M., and Graduate Certificate in International Law students, spent the semester examining potential trade and investment opportunities between the State of Georgia and the United Kingdom from an interdisciplinary perspective. They researched and wrote a paper examining key export and import sectors in Georgia and the United Kingdom, and then prepared a hypothetical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two. The students spent the day in Atlanta presenting to, and fielding technical questions from, three different audiences: representatives from the state of Georgia, transactional and international lawyers from Eversheds Sutherland, and foreign diplomats from the U.K. consulate.
Georgia Department of Economic Development
The group’s first stop of the day was hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the state’s sales and marketing arm, and had in attendance other state representatives.
At the GDEcD, Madina Bekisheva (GCIL student), Sutton Eady (J.D. ’27), Md. Asaduzzaman Jabin (GCIL student), and Jalyn Ross (J.D. ’27) worked together to present their portion of the hypothetical legal instrument. In their presentation, the group argued for greater collaboration and synergies between the state and the United Kingdom to attract, facilitate, and potentially grow trade. Their arguments centered on export and import data from similarly situated states and novel predictive models they had built demonstrating how enhanced collaborations with the United Kingdom could increase trade and job opportunities in Georgia. The students used the model to identify specific sectors in industry, renewable energy, commerce, and agriculture, among others, where Georgia’s economy and workers could benefit.
Eversheds Sutherland
The group’s second stop of the day was the Atlanta office of Eversheds Sutherland, a global law firm specializing in corporate, energy, litigation, tax, and real estate. This firm has a meaningful relationship with the UK, as it is where the Eversheds law firm originated prior to their 1988 merger with Sutherland. The firm’s global headquarters is located in London, and its historic ties to the country are evident in their presence throughout the British legal market. Students Leighlee Mahony (J.D. ’26) and N’Guessan “Clement” Kouame (LL.M. ’24, J.D. ’26) presented. Both students argued that enhanced trade and investment collaboration between Georgia and the United Kingdom could offer reciprocity in sectors, including legal services.
The students were hosted by Jenny Lambert, Partner, and attended by several practicing attorneys in transactional and international work. The students benefitted both from the lunch that Eversheds Sutherland generously provided, as well as in-depth and vigorous questioning by the firm’s attorneys.
British Consulate General Atlanta
The group’s third and final stop of the day was the British Consulate General Atlanta. Students Maya Roper (J.D. ’27), Victor Azure (LL.M. ’26), Wambui Kamau (LL.M. ’26), and Madina Bekisheva (GCIL student) presented the group’s data and modeling to U.K. diplomats and officials. The group again walked the audience through specific trade and industry sectors, with a special focus on battery production for electric vehicles, the Georgia aerospace industry’s advantage, and veterinary medicine.
Student Reflections
“Coming from a non-law background in Computer Science, I learned that successful trade and partnerships do not thrive on innovation alone. They must be shaped by policy and political realities, economic conditions, population needs, national interests, and stakeholder relationships. The Atlanta trip made this clear by showing how quickly trade negotiations can shift based on context, not on the brilliance of the technology or business itself.” – Md. Asaduzzaman Jabin (GCIL student)
“This course was a great blend of theory and practice, requiring intensive and insightful legal research to understand and gather the materials, as well as concise, precise, and clear drafting of the MoU. The most significant site visit for me was the visit to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. It was a great experience to compare our findings with the department’s work and its vision for improvement. It was also interesting to know that people at the GDDE were doubtful about the use of models for the prediction of growth or value from MoUs. It shows how sometimes new technology may face skepticism for its implementation and convince people to advance or improve their old methods.” – N’Guessan “Clement” Kouame (LL.M. ’24, J.D. ’26)
This symposium invited Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox scholars to present and discuss papers debating and discussing the role of natural rights in their theological and legal traditions. The papers will be published in the American Journal of Jurisprudence (Oxford University Press).
Chapman currently serves as the law school’s associate dean for faculty development and holds the Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Law. He writes and teaches about constitutional law, especially constitutional rights, and law and religion. Most recently, he is the author, with Michael W. McConnell, of Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Promotes Religious Pluralism and Protects Freedom of Conscience (OUP, 2023).
As the year draws to a close, we at the University of Georgia School of Law‘s Dean Rusk International Law Center are pleased to share our annual report, detailing a wide range of international activities and achievements that contributed to our #22 U.S. News ranking for international law programs in the United States in 2025. This year’s report highlights:
exchange of notes 