The Halle Foundation

Dean Rusk International Law Center participates in event at the Halle Foundation in Atlanta

Last week, the University of Georgia School of Law’s Dean Rusk International Law Center facilitated a dinner reception celebrating global education and the philanthropic generosity of The Halle Foundation, supporting American-German educational exchange. This year’s celebration was the largest UGA gathering to date, bringing together more than 50 students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of The Halle Foundation’s leadership team.

The mission of The Halle Foundation is to promote understanding, knowledge, and friendship between the people of Germany, as seen in its European context, and those of the United States. In furtherance of this mission, the Foundation supports, primarily through grantmaking, initiatives, and activities with a preference to organizations and institutions operating within, or with some discernable connection to, the state of Georgia. UGA has several international mobility initiatives, including Georgia Law’s semester-long Global Externships Overseas (GEO) initiative, that are beneficiaries of The Halle Foundation.

The evening program began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Eike Jordan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Halle Foundation and Dr. Martin Kagel, Associate Provost for Global Engagement, UGA Office of Global Engagement. Then, faculty and administrators at UGA who oversee initiatives benefitting from the Halle Foundation’s support spoke about the impact that their grants have on students. Speakers included: Dr. Jan Uelzmann, Co-Director of Film, Art, and Cultural History in Berlin program; Andrew H. Potter, Director of the Office of Experiential Learning and Leadership Team member of the Innovation Distritct; and Taher Benany, Associate Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center. Dr. Yana Cornish, Director of Global Education, provided closing remarks.

Then, UGA students shared reflections about what their time abroad in Germany meant to them academically, professionally, and personally. Georgia Law students Eleanor Cox (J.D. ’26) and William Stowers (J.D. ’27) spoke about their experiences as legal externs at Bodenheimer’s offices in Cologne and Berlin, Germany through the semester-long GEO initiative, jointly administered by the Center and the DC Semester in Practice‘s Professor Jessica L. Heywood. Both Cox and Stowers are recipients of funding from The Halle Foundation, awarded to the law school in summer 2024 to support six students over three years participate in semester-long externships in Germany.

Special thanks to Lindsay Weinmann, Administrative Specialist for the Dean Rusk International Law Center, who organized the logistics for this event.

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Applications are open for fall 2027 and spring 2028 semester-long Global Externships Overseas (GEOs). All current 1Ls and 2Ls are invited to submit an application by March 1. For more information and the application, please email: ruskintlaw@uga.edu

Dean Rusk International Law Center receives grant from The Halle Foundation

The University of Georgia School of Law’s Dean Rusk International Law Center has received a grant from The Halle Foundation to support six law students in semester-long externships in Germany over the next three years.

“Germany is a country where our students are showing increasing interest,” according to Dean Rusk International Law Center Director Sarah Quinn. “Since 2022, three UGA Law students have participated in for-credit, semester-long externships with German law firms. This new partnership with The Halle Foundation will enable more students to immerse themselves in the heart of Europe and grow their international and legal skill sets, giving them the tools to succeed in the globalized practice of law” she said.

Reflecting on her externship with the German law firm Bodenheimer in fall 2022, alumna Emily Crowell (J.D. ’23) stated:

My externship…absolutely enhanced my legal education. I gained a much more holistic perspective on international arbitration, was exposed to laws from many different European countries, and worked alongside lawyers from different backgrounds and countries. Further, the attorneys at Bodenheimer allowed me to join teams involved in ongoing arbitrations and gave me substantive projects. The practical experience I gained at Bodenheimer was one of my most useful and enjoyable experiences of law school.

Alumna Meredith Williams (J.D. ’24), who externed with the German firm Weickmann in fall 2023, had a similarly transformative experience during her time abroad:

The opportunity to network and meet attorneys who work abroad is invaluable. I learned a lot about German and EU trademark law as well as had the opportunity to provide insight into the American system. Learning how to interact with international attorneys and international law in this way is certainly not something I would be able to do if I remained in Athens. Finally, Dr. Udo Herberth (LL.M. ’96) is not only an excellent mentor who has plentiful exciting work but is a great person to know.

More about Williams’ experience with Weickmann can be found here.

Based in Atlanta, The Halle Foundation seeks to promote understanding, knowledge and friendship between the people of Germany and the United States.

For more information or to set up an advising appointment, please email: ruskintlaw@uga.edu