From artificial intelligence and cross-border transactions to digital assets and pharmaceutical technology transfer, Syracuse University College of Law students explored some of the fastest-evolving areas of global legal practice during the College’s first week-long International Technology and Trade residency in Seoul, South Korea, this past summer.
Syracuse Law Students Explore Technology, Trade, And Global Legal Practice in Seoul
Developed and taught by Distinguished Lecturer Dan Traficonte, the residency combined classroom instruction with visits to leading law firms, businesses, academic institutions, and government offices, allowing students to learn directly from lawyers and other experts working at the intersection of technology, business, and international law.
“The residencies bring students right to where emerging areas of international law are being practiced and allow them the opportunity to hear directly from experts and make connections.”
Associate Dean for Academic Programs Shannon Gardner
Throughout the week, students examined how emerging legal and regulatory issues play out across industries and national borders. At DLA Piper, firm partners discussed cross-border mergers and acquisitions and project financing. During a visit to Kim & Chang, students met with alumni and foreign attorneys to explore legal challenges surrounding artificial intelligence.
Students also heard from a partner at Daeryun Law Firm about foreign direct investment in the technology sector, while the founding partner of Bay Pacific Associates, a financial investment and M&A business consultant, provided an overview of regulatory trends affecting digital assets.
A visit to Hanmi Pharmaceuticals took students inside the company’s research and development center before a presentation focused on technology-transfer issues in the global pharmaceutical industry. At Yonsei University, students connected with Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumnus Professor M. Jae Moon Ph.D.’98, who presented on the artificial intelligence policy landscape for technological innovation.
The residency also gave students an opportunity to examine Korea’s legal and governmental institutions firsthand. During a special tour of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, students learned about the sources of Korean law and the structure of the country’s government and met Representative Seo Young-kyo, Chair of the Judiciary Committee of South Korea.
For Jessica Fields L’27, the residency brought together several areas of law that interest her, including technology, artificial intelligence, and international markets. Fields, who is interested in practicing international arbitration and mediation, said the experience underscored the importance of understanding the international dimensions of clients’ legal and business concerns.
“You may have a client that has overseas assets or wants to do business overseas, and if you don’t have any basis or idea of how that may affect your client, you really can’t advise them,” Fields said. “Taking this residency gives you a basis for understanding how those interactions can happen.”
Jessica Fields L’27
Although the residency took place in Korea, the issues students encountered extended far beyond one country’s borders. “Even though we were in Korea, we talked a lot about the EU, China, and Russia and what they are doing that affects Korea and the United States,” Fields said. “It was a very global conversation as their companies are global.”
Stephanie Larkin L’27 similarly came away from the residency with a broader understanding of the possibilities available to law graduates.
“This residency encouraged me to think much more broadly about my legal career in the sense that, while my career trajectory is more or less set, there are other options out there should my plans or circumstances change,” Larkin said. “I was also surprised how useful and desirable a U.S. law degree can be in other countries.”
Stephanie Larkin L’27
The Korea residency builds on Syracuse Law’s longstanding commitment to international experiential learning. The College’s LondonEx externship program is now in its 47th year, and more recent international residencies have taken students to Geneva, Switzerland, to study international tax law; Strasbourg, France, for international and European Union human rights law; London, United Kingdom, for comparative trial advocacy; and Warsaw, Poland, for transnational lawyering in the European Union.
The program also reflects Syracuse Law’s curricular focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property. Students have many classroom and hands-on opportunities in these areas that prepare them for careers in intellectual property, technology transfer, and related fields.
A third strength helped make Korea a natural location for the new residency: Syracuse Law’s extensive alumni network in the country. Korea is home to the largest concentration of Syracuse Law alumni outside the United States, including graduates working in technology and international trade at companies and law firms. The active Korean Law Alumni Association provided numerous connections within the Korean legal community and helped the College deliver both a strong educational program and significant cultural experiences for students.
The location also offered a particular advantage for some students enrolled in Syracuse Law’s JDinteractive hybrid online J.D. program. For JDi students living in the Asia-Pacific region, traveling to Korea was easier and shorter than traveling to Syracuse, creating an international experiential learning opportunity that was especially accessible to students based in that part of the world.
For Traficonte, one of the residency’s most important lessons was the breadth of opportunities that a legal education can provide.
“The residency opened students’ eyes to how many opportunities are available with a J.D.,” Traficonte said. “Even if they practice in the U.S., being aware of the global legal market is something that is important for all lawyers.”