Rule of Law: International Visitor Leadership Program comes to Louisville Law

Members of the international delegation outside of the University of Louisville School of Law.

As a member of the Bingham Fellows Class of 2019, one of the many great opportunities presented to me is chance to meet local leaders who are engaged in our community in a myriad of ways.

One recent example of the connections the Bingham Fellows has fostered came last week, when a group of international lawyers and judges visited the University of Louisville School of Law. Their visit was organized by the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program and was coordinated locally by the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Indiana. I learned about this visit from Xiao Yin Zhao, executive director of the World Affairs Council and a fellow member of Bingham Fellows. My thanks to her for including the School of Law in this visit!

Professor John Cross explains the differences between civil law and criminal law.

It was an interesting and lively discussion, especially when our visitors learned that many state judge are elected rather than appointed.

Another interesting topic was our school's ties to Justice Louis Brandeis. I was pleased to hear that several of our visitors were familiar with the justice and even referenced some of his opinions. It was a nice reminder that we are tied to a legal mind whose impact is known around the world.

The morning was a great example of the value of local connections and the role our law school can serve in educating students and the community alike.