Legal educationBrazil / Panama

Last updated 21 Nov 11

Latin American Law

• Model for borrowing

• Gain perspective

• Discover truths

• Impose / power

Value of knowing other legal systems

Montoya

Legal Education Reform in LatAm

• Legal education in LatAm– Structure

• Mostly public institutions / undergraduate program • Fixed curriculum / old texts / often night classes• Part-time professors (90%) / limited research (20%)

– Methods• Deductive (like Europe) / not inductive (like US)• Scholastic / authoritarian teacher / emphasis on

memorization

– Outcomes • Little problem-solving, social awareness• Few practical skills / interdisciplinary awareness• Lawyers not prepared to participate in legal reforms

• Reforms to legal education in LatAm– Brazil: Fundación Getulio Vargas

• Founded 2000 / Rio and Sao Paolo campuses • Reforms: Concept of law / teaching-research / methods• Professors promoted for scholarship (reform agenda) • Students learn problem-solving / upper-level electives

– Colombia: Los Andes• Founded 1968 / major reforms 1995-97• US-style campus / problem-solving / full-time faculty• Curriculum: context, law basics, specialization

– Results at “reform” schools • More courses: 39-64 / still mostly theory• Still few electives (<20%), practical skills (<25%),

interdisciplinary (<15%)Univ Torcuato Di Tella … acceptance in Argentina

Jim Rodden

Week in the life …Weekdays

• 6:15am – Wake Up (get ready and breakfast)

• 7:00am – catch the public transportation (takes hours to get in downtown when you don’t live around there)

• 8:00am – start working (internship at law firm)

• 11:30am – lunch time

• 1:30pm – Back to work (law firm)

• 6:00pm – stop working

• 6:30pm – class starts

• 9:15pm - end of class

• 10:30pm – arrive home / free time (shower, eat, read, get ready for next day)

• 11:00pm to 2:30am (exams week) – Studying

Weekends - studying School schedule Monday thru Friday (one 3-credit class / day)Mornings – 7:30 to 10:30 Afternoons – 1:00 to 3:00Evening – 6:30 to 9:15

Exams week Two exams per semester + oral presentation or seminar paper (according to the professor)

Panamanian law schools

University of Panama School of Law270-340 students55% M / 45% F

Autonomous University of Chiriquí

ISAE University School of Law

Latina University of Panama School of Law

Public/private – oversight authorityJoel De Leon Quintero

Panama law curriculum

1L 2L 3L 4L 5L

• Political Science

• Introduction to Law

• Roman Law• Civil Law• Human

Rights• Principles of

Economics • Principles of

Sociology

• General Criminal Law

• Principles of Public Int’l Law

• Public Financial Law

• Constitutional Law

• Commercial Law

• Contracts • Criminology

• Adm Law • Special Criminal Law

• Public Int’l Law

• General and Civil Proced

• Economic Law• Political Economy

• Procedure Law

• Advanced Adm Law

• Const Proced Law

• Ecological Law

• Mining Law• Commercial

Transactions• Advanced

Civil Law• Advanced

Procedure• Labor Law• Labor

Procedure

• Family Law • Criminal Procedure

• Evidence • Legal Practice • Banking Law• Maritime Law

Law BasicsPublic LawPrivate LawSocial LawInter-disciplinary

Admission/tuition/courses/gradingJoel De Leon Quintero

US Legal Education

Undergraduate (BA / BS)• Four years• Multiple disciplines

Law school (JD)• Three years• Fixed 1L curriculum• UL requirements• UL electives • Profs: FT / adjuncts • 45,000 graduates

Law school (LLM)• One-two years• Specialization

Bar exam • ABA-approved LS• MPRE / MSE /

essay• Reciprocity

University (MA / PhD)• One-four years• Inter-disciplinary

Law firm

In-house

Prosecutor

Judge

Law Prof

Government

Defender

Litigator

Advisor

Transaction

Mediator

Regulator

… attorney could tell the client what the problem is, how he was going to solve it, and what it would cost, without any client input or pushback …

Jim Rodden

Brazil Legal Education

Law school (LL.B.)• FIve years after HS• Fixed curriculum• Some non-law courses• Legal practicum• Profs: FT / adjuncts • 64,000 graduates

Law school (LLM)• 65% of LLBs• Specialization

Bar exam • OAB exam • 15-20% LLBs pass• 455,000 admitted

Int’l practice / studies• Non-Brazil

consultants• Offices in NY,

London

Law firm

In-house

Prosecutor

Judge

Law Prof

Government

Defender

Litigator

Advisor

Transaction

Mediator

Regulator Juliana Barbosa

End