The director of Academic Quality and vice-dean of the Faculty of Law and Business (FCJE-UFRO), Dr. Raúl Allard Soto, and the director of the Law School, Dr. Pamela Mendoza Alonzo, represented the Faculty of Law and Business during their visit at American University Washington College of Law (AU-WCL).

International interdisciplinary links and the diversity that defines both institutions were the main topics of conversation with the maximum authorities of the North American university. On this occasion, the dean, Camille Nelson, ratified their intentions to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the academic year at FCJE-UFRO at the beginning of 2019 and, at the same time, took decisive steps towards an agreement that consolidates relations between both institutions and the implementation of concrete activities and projects.

In this respect, Dr. Allard said: “The idea is that Dr. Valeska Geldres, the dean of the Faculty of Law and Business at the Universidad de La Frontera, also visits the North American university during the second semester in order to agree on the final terms of the agreement.”

Besides the encounter with the maximum authorities, they had multiple meetings with the outstanding Chilean lawyer – agent for Chile in The Hague – Claudio Grossman, dean emeritus at AU-WCL, who led the university during 21 years and completed his term in 2016.

At the same time, the doctors Allard and Mendoza exchanged ideas in meetings with different members of the academic staff, such as the directors of the program AUWCL, Padideh Ala’I (International Legal Studies), Melanija Radnovic (Student Mobility), Macarena Sáez (Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law) and Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón (LL.M. in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law), and the directors Meghan Walter (Admissions Office) and Susan Bennett (Law Clinic).

On this occasion, the Faculty of Law and Business at the UFRO also started its CALI (Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) membership. CALI is a consortium of mostly US law schools that brings leading institutions in methodology of modern teaching together, according to the requirements for future professionals, and carries out annual congresses for educators in the field of Law. This year´s congress was organized by AU-WCL with topics such as ICTs, innovation and gender equity.

In this respect, the FCJE-UFRO and the representatives of Loyola Law School, Cornell Law School, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Duke University School of Law, University of Colorado Law School, etc., spoke about the incorporation of ICTs in law teaching and the future scenarios of legal services and counseling in the North American hemisphere.

Dr. Mendoza also emphasized the importance for the Law School of being part of this group and the possibility of a future agreement with AUWCL: “Our CALI membership is the result of excellent relations with the Library of the National Congress of Chile, which established our contact with them. On the other hand, if we strengthen our links with AUWCL it will permit our Law students and graduates to have concrete possibilities for carrying out a semester or their postgraduate studies in the mentioned establishment, among other benefits.”

Written by: Karen Campos
Faculty of Law and Business