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Summer International Trade Externship

4 credit hours (3 clinical, 1 academic), Summer

During this 8-week program, Pace students work twenty-one hours per week at the Institute of International Commercial Law (IICL) at Pace Law School. Students are required to complete at least one piece of substantial legal work on an international commercial law topic of their choosing, under the supervision of the Institute, and will also have the opportunity to participate in program development and Institute activities. Students are also required to participate in a bi-weekly academic seminar at the Institute, where special attention is given to international commercial law and international arbitration topics. With approval, students can work their twenty-one hours per week in a law firm or corporation specializing in international trade law (or split their time between the Institute and a firm). Permission of the Institute is required.

Student Externs Summer 2011


Lucie Olejnikova

Lucie is the Reference and Electronic Services Librarian at the Pace Law Library.  Lucie is from Prague, the Czech Republic, and came to the United States to play basketball and to study criminal justice.  After obtaining her B.S. in Criminal Justice and Paralegal Degree, she worked in a small size Buffalo civil litigation law firm. She then earned her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from the State University of New York in Buffalo where she worked as a reference librarian in the U.B. Law Library before joining Pace in 2008. She is an active volunteer in the Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries.  Lucie is also a rising 3L evening student at Pace Law School with concentration in International Public and Private Law. Lucie joined the Institute through the International Trade Externship in the summer of 2011 when she attended the UNCITRAL Working Group III 23rd session as a member of Pace Institute’s delegation and began her work related to the CISG and ODR as a research assistant. Other experience:

  • Captain of the International Criminal Moot Court Team (2010-2011) – as a student (we won the best Prosecution Brief and second best Defense brief)
  • Teaching and providing instructions in legal research at Pace Law School – as a librarian
  • Podcasts, blog, twitter, FB for the library – as a librarian
  • International Commercial Law Research Guide: http://libraryguides.law.pace.edu/icl (continually updated)


Jessica Steffens

Jessica is currently a 3L pursuing a JD and an International Law Certificate at Pace Law School.  Jessica’s prior legal experience includes working as an extern to the General Counsel for the Dannon Company, Incorporated.  Prior to law school, Jessica served as a foreign affairs officer at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C. from 2001-2008.  She is also a graduate of the School of International Service at American University, Washington, DC.

 


Stephanie Venezia

Stephanie is a 3L law student at Pace Law School. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy (Honors), with a minor in Philosophy from Marist College in 2009. She was also a Hansard Scholar at the London School of Economics during 2007, focusing on British Public Policy. Since her time at Pace, Stephanie has worked as a Summer Associate at Manhattan firm Phillipson and Uretsky LLP in white collar crime and securities law. Stephanie participated in the London Law Program where she interned at Ashurst LLP in their Communications, Technology and Media Department. She began her work at the Institute through the Summer 2011 International Trade Externship, where she attended the 23rd Session of the Online Dispute Resolution Working Group III Conference of UNCITRAL in New York City.


David Huang

David Huang, MD serves as an attending physician in the department of Emergency Medicine at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Manhattan.  He also serves as the Senior Medical Director in the Specialty Care Business Unit, Anti-infectives Deparmtnet at Pfizer Inc. Dr. Huang received his M.D. at the University of Texas at Houston Medical School, and B.A. at Trinity University. He is currently pursuing his J.D. at Pace Law School and he has an interest in Health Care Law and International Sales Law.

For information regarding the International Trade Externship offered in the Fall and Spring semesters with Professor Valiquette, please click here.

Past Projects with IACCM:

Sustainability Clauses:

The IACCM (www.iaccm.com) and the IICL are partnering on a project to conduct research regarding sustainability and stabilization clauses in international commercial contracts. The kinds of clauses examined will include those that address social issues, human rights, labor practices, and the environment, including those that set minimum standards for these areas and those that seek to limit the impact of future laws in order to protect the profitability of investment projects. This project will examine the current practice and usage of these clauses, explore different clause variations, investigate the impact of various clause forms, ascertain academic and industry opinions about said clauses, and make recommendations on the optimal language for these clauses in various types of contracts.

ADR Clauses:

The IACCM (www.iaccm.com) and the IICL have also partnered to conduct research on escalation (step) dispute resolution clauses used in international commercial contracts. Escalation clauses provide for disputes, arising out of said contracts, to be resolved through a sequence of steps, which are specified within the clause. The types of clauses examined will contain two or more steps comprised of any or all of the following: negotiation, mediation, arbitration or/and litigation. This project will analyze the contemporary usage of escalation clauses, investigate existing variations on these clauses, evaluate the impact of using one variation over another, explore the role the industry-type plays in affecting the application and success of such clauses, dissect the opinions of both professionals and academics with regard to these clauses, and provide recommendations on ideal language and structure templates for assorted but distinct industries engaging in these types of contracts. <Report and Powerpoint Presentation>

About IACCM (www.iaccm.com):

Some quick facts:

  • Founded in 1999, with support from IBM, British Telecom, Marconi Communications, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, Lucent Technologies.
  • 2000: Introduced the world's first global professional certification program.
  • 2001: Announced web-based skills assessment and organizational benchmarking tool
  • 2003: Developed the first on-line learning syllabus and commercial contracting 'body of knowledge'
  • 2004: Introduced Corporate Member program, attracting more than 120 international companies and organizations
  • 2005: First Academic Forum
  • 2006: Created on-line 'communities of interest' to support targeted communications and dynamic research
  • 2007: Issued Capability Maturity Model to allow robust assessments of organization and process performance

IACCM Objectives:

  • IACCM provides the services and knowledge required to enable organizational and professional excellence in contracting and commercial management
  • Define and promote the role of contracts and negotiation professionals in industry and commerce.
  • Enhance the skills and knowledge of members by enabling information exchange and ensuring the availability of appropriate, structured education and training.
  • Enhance employment opportunities for members and attract and facilitate the entry of new recruits to the profession.
  • Sponsor and support the development of working groups and research projects, which benefit individual members and their organizations.

IACCM Today

With members from more than 90 countries and over 1,600 corporations, the association is leading the way in responding to the demands of global networked markets. Our membership is drawn from many industries and is made up of contract and commercial managers, negotiators, attorneys and supply chain professionals. More than 120 companies have now established Corporate Memberships, gaining enhanced services that support their performance and understanding of market trends.

IACCM has formed regional member networks for each major geographical area, and has volunteers around the globe acting as local contacts. Our working groups address the challenges of change and we undertake on-demand research addressing the burning issues that confront our members. For example, we have conducted extensive surveys on measurements, adding value, risk management, functional organization, education and training needs, and required skills, plus many specialist topics such as trends in global sourcing, negotiation, global pricing, Most Favored Customer clauses, the evolution of warranty terms and handling liability limits.

Registered as a "not for profit" organization, the association is managed by a small staff of dedicated employees, overseen by an elected Board of Directors. The Board is made up of senior executives from major international corporations, and includes executives from Europe, Asia and North America. Current and past Board members have been drawn from companies such as Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, BNSF, BT, Centrica, Cisco, Chevron, Dell, Fujitsu Services Limited, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, Lucent, MassMutual, Office Depot, Rockwell, Roche, Siemens Business Services, W.W. Grainger, TPI, and Wachovia. Board members also come from the academic world, such as Copenhagen Business School, Manchester Business School, and North Carolina State University.

Through our worldwide presence and networked technology, IACCM members gain access to the thought leadership and practical tools that are essential for competitiveness in today's fiercely contested global markets. We provide insight to the leading-edge contracting and commercial skills, policies, procedures and methods that are fundamental to managing enterprise and individual risks. This insight equips professionals and their leaders to implement best practice governance of contractual commitments and trading relationships.

By joining, you gain access to:

  • Original Research: fast, accurate, authoritative, affordable
  • Performance Benchmarks: organizational, procedural and individual assessments of effectiveness, contribution and improvement opportunities
  • Functional and Professional Development: global access to skills, subject matter experts, networked communities, learning materials, skills assessment and certification
  • Strategic Analysis and Insight: premium advisory and analytical services for executive audiences aspiring to competitive differentiation and organizational excellence
  • Project and Management Services: methodologies, assessments of tools and services, recruitment support

For further information, see www.iaccm.com