Sarah Quinn

Georgia Law hosts delegation from North Africa and the Middle East through State Department-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program

Last month, the University of Georgia School of Law hosted a delegation of lawyers and judges from North African and Middle Eastern countries through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The half-day visit to Athens was part of a three-week regional project entitled “The U.S. Judicial System.” Thirteen individuals representing eight countries participated and learned about principles of the U.S. judicial and legal systems while deepening their understanding of federal and state judicial systems during their time in the U.S.

While at Georgia Law, the delegation met first with Lynne Moore Nelson, Executive Director of the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education (“ICJE”). Nelson described the role of the ICJE, its partnership model, and how it serves the state’s judicial branch. She provided examples of their training components for judges and court personnel, the goals of their work, and different opportunities for growth.

Professor Thomas “TJ” Striepe, Director of the Law Library, and Professor Brandy Ellis, Research Services Librarian, presented afterwards on practical applications of generative Artificial Intelligence (“genAI”) in U.S. legal education and in the legal system. They gave an overview of the law school’s approach to genAI instruction and use, as well as examples of how genAI has been used in courts and law firms in the U.S. recently. They concluded with a discussion of professional responsibility as it pertains to genAI usage in both law school and in the larger legal system.

Director of Georgia Law’s Dean Rusk International Law Center, Sarah Quinn, and Center Associate Director, Taher Benany, co-facilitated a synthesis discussion for the delegation, providing participants to reflect on transferrable judicial practices they observed, how they could build trust in their courts and legal communities, and other ways to implement lessons learned during their experience in the U.S. in their home countries.

Launched in 1940, the IVLP deepens ties between the United States and other nations through carefully designed professional visits to the United States based on U.S. foreign policy goals for current and emerging foreign leaders. Each year, approximately 4,000 IVLP participants from around the world are selected by U.S. embassies to engage professional counterparts across the United States. Through these encounters, they develop a deeper understanding of the political, economic, and cultural influences within U.S. society. IVLP participants also gain a firsthand experience of the United States, its people, and its culture. Current and emerging leaders represent government, politics, the media, education, nongovernmental organizations, the arts, public health, international security, business and trade, and other fields. Over 500 current and former heads of government and state, 1,600 cabinet officials, 1,000 Members of Parliament, 12 Nobel Laureates, and many other distinguished world leaders in the public and private sectors have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.

Special thanks to Hannah Kim, Program Coordinator – Georgia Council for International Visitors (GCIV), and Lindsay Weinmann, Administrative Specialist to the Dean Rusk International Law Center, for their logistical support of this visit.

Georgia Law hosts delegation from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) in Brazil

This month, the University of Georgia School of Law hosted a delegation from Rio de Janeiro State University (“UERJ”) in Brazil. The two-day visit explored a range of opportunities for institutional collaboration, including legal trainings and faculty exchanges. UERJ is a top-ranked public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and its law school is one of the oldest in Brazil.

The UERJ delegation included Mr. Henrique Couto da Nóbrega, UERJ’s Chief Legal Officer; Dr. Rose Melo Vencelau Meireles, Adjunct Professor of Civil Law at UERJ; and Ms. Hannah Coutinho, Division Chief and Financial Advisor for Mr. Nóbrega. The meeting was facilitated by Georgia Law alumnus and Rusk Council Advisory member Mr. Alexandre Jorge Fontes Laranjeira (LL.M. ’23). They met with Dean Usha R. Rodrigues, University Professor & M.E. Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law; Center staff Sarah Quinn, Taher Benany, Mandy Dixon, and Lindsay Weinmann; and Lynne Moore Nelson, Executive Director of the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education.

Center director Quinn featured in Global Atlanta article

Dean Rusk International Law Center director Sarah Quinn was recently featured in Global Atlanta regarding her new leadership position at the University of Georgia School of Law. The article titled “New Dean Rusk Center Director: How UGA Prepares Georgia’s Future International Lawyers” was written by Leigh Villegas.

In the article, Quinn discusses the Center’s focus on providing Georgia Law students with opportunities to globalize their legal education. She highlights the Center’s student-facing programming, including Global Governance Summer School, Global Externships Overseas, the NATO Externship, and semester-long exchanges with institutional partner O.P. Jindal Global University’s Jindal Global Law School. Explaining how the Center encourages all J.D. students to consider participating in these programs, Quinn states:

“We underscore to our students just how globalized the practice of law is— even [students] aspiring to work domestically can benefit from taking an international law course or gaining work experience abroad.”

Quinn provides information about the Center’s initiatives for foreign-educated law students and professionals, ranging from the 10-month Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree to the Visiting Researcher initiative. She notes that the Center’s events throughout the academic year, including the annual Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law conference, offer opportunities for participation, particularly from alumni/ae and from interested professionals.

The article can be accessed in its entirety here. Global Atlanta is one of the Center’s institutional partners.

Quinn was named the permanent director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center after leading the unit for seven months on an interim basis. Quinn, who joined the School of Law in 2019, previously served as the associate director for global practice preparation. She was instrumental in developing the school’s partnership with India’s Jindal Global University, establishing the Graduate Certificate in International Law and transitioning the Global Governance Summer School into a credit-bearing program. Prior to joining the law school, Quinn worked with the UGA Office of Global Engagement and the U.S. Peace Corps in addition to serving as a director for the American School Language Institute in Morocco. She earned her B.A., B.F.A. and M.I.P. from UGA and her ED.M. from Harvard University.