Are you looking for law school experiences that could influence the rest of your life, or trying to find those that could lead to lifelong memories?
Well, if you are debating between what opportunities to participate in during your law school journey, I would strongly urge you consider signing up for an exchange.
During my summer placement in 1L, one of my coworkers, a practicing lawyer, told me studying in Barbados for a semester was one of her best law school experiences. Particularly because she could attend classes for part of the day and then go to the beach for the rest of the day or on weekends.
She encouraged me to take some time to study in another country and by the end of the summer, I was convinced. I followed her suggestion and was courageous enough to apply for an exchange.
Spending a semester abroad was one of the best decisions I made while in law school. While in Europe, I had the privilege of living, learning, and meeting more people in a new place.
Looking back, as a 3L just having returned from studying abroad, I couldn’t be happier that I took the leap of applying to study at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
I chose France for three main reasons. First, to learn more about my heritage; second, to increase my knowledge of French legal jargon; and third, to get the opportunity to live in a new place. After my semester in Paris, I left having gained this and so much more.
As a law student of Jamaican and French origins, it was important for me to experience living in France. Although I had previously been to France in high school for a month-long language swap, I felt I should return and live there for a longer period and I knew 4 months of living in France would be the perfect opportunity to do this.
My time in Paris was great for practicing my French and for improving my knowledge of French legal jargon. While studying at Panthéon Sorbonne, I studied domestic French law, EU law, and international law in French.
Without pursuing some of my studies internationally, I likely would not have had this exposure to these legal systems, and I value the practical knowledge that I gained in these fields. As it relates to domestic law, the Codes are very important for resolving cases while jurisprudence can be used to help interpret the Code but is not nearly as decisive to cases as in common law jurisdictions.
In addition to learning about completely different legal systems, the teaching methods also differed from those I was used to. In France, lectures were necessary for getting most of the information you would need to succeed in examinations because professors often did not assign any readings. There, examinations were also based heavily on memorizing the law and provisions from the Codes or from other statutory documents as opposed to my experience in a Canadian law school where we also commonly apply the law to potential cases. Lastly, exams are often worth 100% and oral exams are common in France, but where the course has a written exam exchange students at Panthéon Sorbonne could be permitted to do oral exams instead upon request.
Living in Europe is an extraordinary experience because you can travel and explore a large part of the world easily. I was instantly interested in learning more about all that French culture had to offer, including the history, the cuisine, the cafés, fashion, and football.
While there, I went to Germany, Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom, and Hungary. Alongside trying various dishes from these countries, I also attempted to prepare some at home. Football culture is pervasive in France, and I knew I had to go to at least 1 football game, I actually but ended up going to 2 football games for under 10 euros total because the games were great, affordable, and the energy from the crowd was captivating.
I encourage you to challenge yourself to learn new areas of the law and if you know another language to try legal studies in that language. I also suggest you expose yourself to new cultures and different legal systems. Doing this will only better prepare you to work with others and to better understand your clients and peers.
Studying in another country is an expensive adventure, and especially so if your school does not have many funding opportunities to facilitate this endeavour. I recommend researching funding opportunities early and applying to all those available to you. You should also begin slowly saving as soon as you consider applying.
The experience you will get from going abroad is irreplaceable and it is not guaranteed that you will have a similar opportunity to participate in a short-term placement in another place in the future.
Exchanges are not always easy, especially when it comes to exams and overcoming any learning curves, however, with a little hard work and in collaborating with your new peers, these adversities would be like those that you’ve already overcome at your home universities. So, do not let these challenges deter you.
Take the chance and apply for an exchange, you won’t regret it. Instead, you will come back having learnt more than you could have imagined and will feel better prepared to enter the workforce.
About the author
Sapphira Thompson-Bled (she/her) is from Brampton, ON., Canada and is a third-year JD student in the English Common Law Program. Sapphira is the uOttawa English Common Law OBA Student Representative. She is interested in criminal, family, corporate, and international law.
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