Viviane Meunier (J.S.D. candidate, LL.M. 2006) France
Why did you come to Yale Law School?
To get the best exposure to the common law system in order to carry out
comparative studies.
What is one experience you have had
here that you did not expect?
Enjoying a high sense of community, how mutually supportive everyone is.
How much have you changed since you arrived at Yale Law School?
A lot, not only thanks to the high academic level and the different way of teaching, but also thanks to the impressive array of nationalities represented at the Law School. I learnt so much not only from the professors, but also from all the students.
Do you have any general comments about your experiences here?
During the LL.M. year, I had the opportunity to apply to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where I clerked for two judges for a year, which proved to be such an insightful experience. My experience here – first as an LL.M. now as a J.S.D. candidate – has simply changed my life, by giving to me the possibility to work internationally.
As an international student, how would you describe your experiences here?
I'm from France, where I was a practicing attorney in charge of cases brought before the Cour de cassation, the Supreme Court in civil law matters, and was also teaching. To come here has been extremely enriching because everything is so different. My European civil law background combined with my experience in the U.S., more particularly at Yale Law School, is most valuable.
What are you currently focusing your work on?
Public international law. My J.S.D. is a study of Environmental Impact Assessments, and, more broadly, how public international law is now shaped by environmental issues.
Benjamin Berger (J.S.D. candidate, LL.M. 2004)
Canada
Why did you come to Yale Law School?
I came to Yale Law School to pursue my LL.M. and, after that, my J.S.D. because it offered a singular opportunity for my graduate legal education. Nowhere else
did I see the same richness of academic
life combined with a commitment to keeping the graduate class small enough to create a strong sense of community and the opportunity for truly personal academic mentoring. In addition to this, of course, the individual faculty members at YLS are unparalleled. For me, the opportunity to work with my supervisor, Paul Kahn – as well as others such as Reva Siegel, Owen Fiss, Robert Post, John Langbein, Bo Burt, and Dan Kahan – was immeasurably important. I know that each graduate student comes to the school with tremendous excitement at the prospect of studying with true leaders in their respective fields. YLS is a beacon of humanistic, imaginative, and progressive legal scholarship around the world.
What is the one thing you would want every potential applicant to know?
The J.S.D. at Yale Law School is a tremendously demanding and enriching experience. The program gives you extraordinary access to the rich academic life of one of the finest institutions of legal scholarship in the world. You have the invaluable opportunity to work closely with academic leaders in your field and to make connections and build friendships with exciting young scholars from around the globe.
Do you have any general comments about your experiences here?
Coming to Yale Law School was one of the most important decisions that I have taken in my life. Being at this place has opened up academic possibilities far beyond what I previously could have imagined, has been critical to my development as a scholar, and has led to close connections with both faculty members and fellow students that will remain deeply influential in my future.
Can you describe an academic experience that has meant a lot to you?
In the summers of 2005 and 2006, I had the opportunity to participate in a small workshop organized by SIAS here and in Berlin. The workshop brought together 18 junior scholars from North America and Europe to engage in a sustained conversation on the topic of “The Political: Law, Culture and Theology.” The workshop leaders were the Law School’s Paul Kahn and Professor Ulrich Haltern from the University of Hanover. This was one of the most enriching academic experiences of my life, connecting me with fascinating scholars and friends from around Europe and North America, and pushing me to think in new and exciting ways about issues that have been – and remain – at the core of my academic concern.
Has a particular YLS faculty member had an impact on you?
I have been fortunate to have contact with so many outstanding and inspiring faculty members here at Yale. My supervisor, Paul Kahn, has had particular impact on me and on my academic work. He has taught me more than anyone about the importance to legal scholarship of thinking closely and deeply about the experience and meaning of living within the law. In his generosity of time and intellect he has helped me to refine and explore the questions that inspire my research. Throughout, he has been a model of humanistic legal scholarship motivated by genuine curiosity and boldness in asking hard questions of the way we find ourselves in our political and legal worlds.
As an international student, how would you describe your experiences here?
Being from Canada, I am aware, of course, of the many cultural similarities between the United States and my home country. But living and studying here has also shown me more clearly where the meaningful differences lie. Immersing in the legal and political culture of the United States has given me a better sense of my own country's legal traditions. Living here has also, of course, exposed me to the wonderful cultural, political, and academic richness that the United States has to offer.
What are you currently focusing your work on?
My work is currently focused on constitutional law and theory applied to the interaction of the Canadian constitutional rule of law and religious cultures.
Nartnirun Junngam (J.S.D. candidate, LL.M. 2006)
Thailand
1. Why did you come to Yale Law School?
Under the auspices of a full scholarship from the Royal Thai Government, I came to YLS to pursue my LL.M. and J.S.D. degrees. The Law School’s emphasis on encouraging students to remain aware of public rather than private interest is what initially attracted me to the program. Comparing its unique approach to that of other law schools, it is clear that here at YLS students have the freedom to design their own course of study to suit their individual background and their professional goals. I believe that its unmatched resources, together with professors’ unparalleled guidance and commitment, will allow me to perform my research successfully. After the completion of my degrees, the education and training I will have received from YLS will be, ultimately, reinvested in future generations of law students in my home country of Thailand.
2. Describe one experience you have had here that you did not expect.
I was impressed by the close relationships I have been able to develop among other students, professors, and staff members. YLS is one of the few law schools in the world where close relationships among colleagues is considered to be a complimentary and vital part of a formal legal education. This characteristic is well illustrated by Dean Koh’s words: “accomplishment alone without humanity is tragic, and excellence alone without humanity is worthless.”
3. Comment about your experiences at Yale Law School.
The word “nostalgia” as it pertains to my home country has ceased to exist in my personal lexicon since arriving at YLS. The intellectual stimulation provided by YLS courses and workshops, as well as the opportunities to meet new people at social events held by the university and the Law School, keep me very busy during the semester. What I lack, if anything, has been fulfilled by the many academic and social activities here.
4. What is the one thing you would want every potential applicant to know?
The J.S.D. program at YLS allows you to pursue your own intrinsic academic interests, an aspect that is especially conducive to the intellectual development of each individual student. Professors here are very open and willing to help you develop your own ideas. Your thoughts will be taken seriously. In addition, the academic support provided by the program helps EFL students overcome the language barrier and develop their abilities to present ideas clearly in their scholarly work.
5. Has a particular faculty member had an impact on you?
Working closely with my LL.M. advisor and J.S.D. supervisor, Professor Michael Reisman, has been a great impact on me. Professor Reisman has been a profound and positive influence on my attitude toward international law, scholarly work, and professorship. He continues to broaden my understanding of the dynamic concept of international law as a process of authoritative decisions. Not only does his approach change the way I conceive of international law, it also enables me to apprise the sorts of professional solutions proposed by other international lawyers. As an affable yet academically tough supervisor, he engenders in me a strong intention to be a committed mentor to my own future students, likewise giving them the chance to pursue their own intellectual and professional goals. He is my role model!
6. What are you currently focusing your work on?
I am currently writing my J.S.D. dissertation on international investment law. In particular, I focus on the applicability of the most-favored-nation clause to contemporary international investment law.
Jose Sebastian Elias (J.S.D. candidate, LL.M. 2007)
Argentina
Why did you come to Yale Law School?
Not only was Yale always my first priority due to its more theoretically-oriented approach, but it also offered me the best, most flexible financial aid package. Honestly, without such generous help, it would have been close to impossible to pursue an L.L.M. in the U.S., due to the extremely critical financial situation Argentina’s gone through the last seven years. From the beginning of the application process, I was convinced that, should the opportunity arise, I'd come to Yale. I knew some people who had studied at Yale, and their references were quite compelling.
What is one experience you have had here that you did not expect?
I didn't expect people to know me by name. There’s an incredible sense of community that arises, I think, from the small size of the school. Some people would regard it a relative disadvantage. I think it’s quite the opposite. The chance of interacting with people (faculty and fellow students) in a meaningful way is much higher this way, and it truly makes for an unbelievable experience. I've had the opportunity to meet people who I now consider true friends.
How much have you changed since you arrived at Yale Law School?
If I had to pick one thing about me that has changed since I've been here, it'd be how I think about legal, philosophical, and social matters now. Being exposed to such an incredibly rich and varied academic community really had an impact on my capacity to see things from different perspectives, while retaining my own particular frame of ideas.
What is the one thing you would want every potential applicant to know?
Every applicant should be aware that coming to YLS is much more than just getting your academic degree: it is about being engaged with a vibrant academic community, learning from the different perspectives each individual brings to it, and making friends you wouldn't have expected. While such social relations are likely to turn into an incredible valuable professional network, the best thing is that you don't see it that way; it all just comes so naturally, and the rest is just an unnoticed – but very important – advantage.
Has a particular YLS faculty member had an impact on you?
It’s really hard to pick only one professor who has had an impact on me. I'd have to say: Owen Fiss, who’s an incredible mentor besides all that can be said about his truly impressive scholarly career; Bruce Ackerman, whose original thinking leaves more intellectual seeds than meets the eye at first; and George Priest, who’s been incredibly supportive of my doctoral project. It’s really the whole faculty that, once you take one of the many opportunities to interact with them, leaves a lasting impression on you.
What are you currently focusing your work on?
My current work is focused on the constitutional protection of property rights and the doctrine of economic emergency, and their many interrelations. I'm interested in understanding the institutional and, by derivation, economic, effects that the repetitive resort to the doctrine brings about in a political system. Ultimately, I intend to propose an alternative approach to constitutional adjudication of constitutional property disputes involving emergency conditions that may overcome the many shortcomings that traditional, ultra-deferential approaches, have. My research uses the cases of Argentina, and a comparison with the U.S., as the basis of the project.
Nicole Roughan (J.S.D. candidate, LL.M. 2007)
New Zealand
Why did you come to Yale Law School?
I came to Yale Law School because I want to be an academic, and I was convinced that YLS would offer the most stimulating environment for foreign law students to develop their own ideas and have the chance to explore those ideas with faculty and each other. I also wanted to take the opportunity to go to a school which was small and intimate enough that I could really get to know my peers and teachers – and where I would be forced to interact and discuss my work rather than just being anonymous.
What is one experience you have had here that you did not expect?
I was surprised to find that the faculty members are so accessible and happy to engage with the graduate students, even those who are not taking their courses.
How much have you changed since you arrived at Yale Law School?
I have become a lot more comfortable talking about my work with others, and learning from their feedback. Yale Law School is no place to be shy about your ideas, and I've found the environment here to be incredibly supportive of students who want to try out new ideas or present new critiques.
What is the one thing you would want every potential applicant to know?
I would want applicants to know that in the J.S.D. program it is crucial to find people to discuss you ideas with. Your supervisory committee is an obvious place to go for advice, inspiration, and feedback, but if you can work to build relationships with your fellow students, the other graduate students, and also the JDs, you'll find you'll have a whole community willing and very able to help you think through your work.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My experience at Yale, particularly as an LL.M. student last year, was the most difficult academic experience I've had, and it was therefore the most rewarding. The experience of working closely with incredible faculty members, and receiving both their encouragement and their criticisms, is however only part of the story. I learned just as much from talking with other students, and I have made friendships here that I know will continue wherever we all end up. Not only will I leave Yale with great new friends, but I'll leave with great new friends who I can also call upon to read my drafts, comment on my publications, and invite me to conferences, knowing that I hope to do the same for them.
Has a particular faculty member had an impact on you?
My supervisor, Jules Coleman, has probably had the biggest impact on my work, not only because he continually sets me straight on complex matters in jurisprudence, but because he has a particularly generous approach to engaging with other scholars. Jules interprets the work of others in a way that makes their arguments even better than they argued for themselves, even when he goes on to disagree strongly. Through his teaching and his mentoring he encourages young scholars to do the same – to be generous in our interaction with others’ thoughts, and to make sure that the contributions we make to scholarly debates are carefully and meticulously thought out. To have someone like that giving feedback on my doctoral work is the chance of a lifetime.
As an international student, how would you describe your experiences here?
I have been surprised at how challenging my experience in the United States has been. As a native English speaker, I did not expect to have difficulty making myself understood, but right throughout my time at Yale I have had to make an extra effort to communicate. People here speak to each other much more directly, both academically and socially, and the style of academic writing and argument is vastly different.
What are you currently focusing your work on?
I am currently working on my dissertation, a topic in legal philosophy that looks at relationships between authorities, and the grounds for one authority excluding, tolerating, or deferring to another authority.