“They’re business lawyers, and they’re coming here to learn American business law.”
The Trojan Network Scotten could be describing Attilio Mazzilli LL.M. ’07, a native of Milan and a partner at Carnelutti Studio Legale, one of Italy’s oldest corporate law firms. “I was working for a firm in Italy for six or seven years, doing M&A and private equity transactions,” Mazzilli says. “I wanted to improve my English and get in touch with international students, increase my network of colleagues, and try to approach the law from the perspective of different countries.” Mazzilli says the many connections he made while he was at USC Gould later enabled him to attract work from U.S. firms. “USC is one of most important universities in the U.S. for business and business law,” he says. “And L.A. is the best city in world.” As the LL.M. program has grown, both the foreign lawyers and J.D. students have sought new ways to network and collaborate. One way in which they interact is through the J.D./
LL.M. Partnership Program, created by the law school’s International Law and Relations Organization (ILRO). Established in 2010, the program matches J.D. and LL.M. students, pairs of whom meet outside of school to socialize, network or practice their language skills. Paul Moura ’12, who recently relocated to London as part of a telecommunications and intellectual property law research project at the London School of Economics, served in the ILRO and participated in the partnership program. He says getting to know the LL.M. students helped the international students better acclimate to the U.S. and enabled all the students to network and continue their relationships after graduation. “I was sometimes surprised to hear about how legal practice is done outside of the U.S.,” he says. “I think there are both strengths and weaknesses to our own system, and getting an outside perspective allows us to better improve how we operate.” Mario Fratto ’12 recently returned from Milan, Italy, where he spent a semester studying law at Bocconi University as part of USC
above, top left: Laurie Choi ’13, Deema Abini ’14 and Dorna Moini ’12 at the King Abdullah I mosque in Amman, Jordan, on a trip with the USC Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project. above, bottom left: Tokyo, as shot by Alyson Parker ’09 above, right: Mariachis play in Queretaro, Mexico. Photo by Fabiola Mayora LL.M. ’13
Fall 2012 | Winter 2013
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