Since law students can’t go to Herstmonceux Castle in the U.K., the castle experience will come to them. The unique International Law Programs, a spring-term staple at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) for 19 years, will be delivered online starting May 1. In addition to studying with leading academics and practitioners in international business law and public international law, there will be virtual networking and career planning opportunities.

“Students will get the same academic experience that they would get at the BISC,” says Professor Nicolas Lamp, Academic Director of the International Law Programs. “We are offering the same courses with the same instructors – except through the conference platform Zoom.”

In addition to the high academic value of the programs, recognized annually through outstanding teaching evaluations, the programs in the U.K. give students the social experience and the professional advantage of being together with their teachers in a historic castle and meeting key legal officials while visiting international organizations in London and Europe. While some of that experience will not be possible this year, the Queen’s Law team, which also includes the Associate Director of the program, Professor Ardi Imseis, and the Program Director, Gillian Ready, is working hard to replicate as much of the usual castle experience as possible online.  

“To emulate the field trip experience, we will have a series of guest lectures via Zoom with speakers the students would normally meet during the field trip,” says Lamp. “We also are going to have career panels that will provide students with networking opportunities and career advice.”

These panels will feature Canadian lawyers working with foreign law firms, Queen’s Law grads working in international law and with the Canadian government, and Castle program grads who will explain how their Castle experiences have helped their careers.

“Going online, the range of alumni we can access is much broader,” says Lamp. “In the U.K., we have to essentially rely on alumni in Europe. Now, we will contact alumni who are here in Canada, in Europe and all over the world.”

One guest lecturer, a global health law expert, will speak on the role of such international institutions as the World Health Organization in a pandemic.

Even though the COVID-19 crisis closed campuses and borders around the world, it was important that Queen’s Law not lose its highly sought-after Castle program. “We pulled out all the stops to see what we could do to still offer the program,” says Lamp. “Students had come to rely on it for academic credit and were looking forward to it.” 

Having the experience teaching the last three weeks of his Contracts course using Zoom, Lamp knew it would work for the eight-week International Business Law and Public International Law programs.  

“We instructors can see the students and they see us” explains Lamp. “If students want to speak, they just write their name into the chat and I call on them. They can also indicate whether they want to answer a question and whether they would like to ask a question. In some ways, it’s even easier to steer the discussion when it’s happening online because you get that written feedback from the students in real time.”

Something else Lamp learned from “zooming” his Contracts class was how the online classes could be a positive “social” experience for students who are isolated from their friends and family. “On Zoom, the students do not only see the instructor, but they can also see and talk to their peers. That is rewarding for students who are by themselves and not able to hang out with their peers.”
 
As e-Castle students seeking international law careers engage online this May and June, they can gain the same head start in international law that their predecessors have had. “The broad overview of the field that our students will get from the International Law Programs will give them an excellent basis upon which to build a very impressive track record in international law by delving deeper into their favourite subjects in our on-campus upper-year curriculum,” says Lamp. “They’ll also have the opportunity to understand what they need to do to get a job at a law firm in Paris or at an international organization in Washington or Geneva because they will be able to speak to Canadians in these positions.”

The Coronavirus pandemic poses unprecedented challenges not just for national governments, but also for international institutions. “Our International Law Programs will allow our students to study the international legal response to the pandemic in real time,” says Lamp.  

Learn more about the International Law Programs and how to apply. Please note that, while applications are still being accepted for this year’s programs, the International Business Law Program now has a waiting list.

By Lisa Graham