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Guatemala

Guatemala Courses

Comparative Law Perspectives — two (2) units, graded

This course offers students a unique bilingual, inter-cultural, and inter-disciplinary approach to the study of comparative law in the Americas. Students will be introduced through a series of hot topics to some of Latin America’s pressing issues that require engagement with transnational or international actors, norms, and legal institutions. These topics will include the regulation of the environment in the context of trade, comparative perspective on commercial norms to accommodate foreign investment in the region, and issues of transitional justice and post-conflict democratization in the region.

Commercial Law for Foreign Investors in Guatemala — two (2) units, graded

This course will use the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to examine the legal framework regulating foreign investment in Central America and Mexico. With ratification of CAFTA-DR, Guatemala opened its doors not only to trade but also to foreign investment, including from U.S. companies looking to do business in Guatemala. While the CAFTA-DR includes norms that govern the relationship between foreign investors and Member States, the domestic laws of each Member State continue to provide the central regulatory structure that governs relations among the parties, including in the areas of commerce, intellectual property, labor and the environment. This introductory course examines the principal commercial norms that apply to foreign investors in Guatemala, with special emphasis on the law of contracts. The course will examine the comparable norms applicable under NAFTA, and will also discuss how CAFTA's ratification has promoted rule of law reforms in Guatemala in the areas of commerce, intellectual property, labor and the environment.

Comparative Criminal Procedure in the Americas — two (2) units, graded

  • Language — Taught in English
  • Schedule — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Faculty — Prof. Emily Garcia Uhrig

This course will examine Latin America's transition from inquisitorial to adversarial system of criminal justice, with a specific focus on the right to counsel and the right to trial. We will engage in comparative study and analysis of these rights as currently configured in Latin America and the analogous constitutional rights that exist in the United States' criminal justice system. We will consider the historical, political, and cultural influences behind both similarities and differences. Through out our study and discussion, we wil assess these rights on both theoretical and practical (real world) levels, placing particular emphasis on teh circumstances of Guatemala.

Legal Spanish for U.S. Lawyers

  • Schedule — Spanish Immersion with Spanish School — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, or Monday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Schedule — Class — Tuesday and Thursday from 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Faculty — Prof. Luis Mogollón, Prof. Raquel Aldana and Spanish Language Instructors

This course will prepare students with basic Spanish proficiency to represent Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. legal system or to work in Spanish on transnational matters involving Latin America. It will combine one-on-one Spanish immersion instruction with a structured classroom component. The Spanish immersion component will introduce and build on each student's legal Spanish vocabulary in areas of law likely to require lawyering in Spanish or in areas identified as priorities by the student. The structured classroom component will allow students to practice skills in Spanish, such as client interviewing, intake, and client counseling, through simulations and group exercises.

Our Partner

University of Denver, Strum College of Law

Our Affiliate

Gonzaga University School of Law

Questions?

Contact Pauline Rodriguez, Summer Abroad Programs, Graduate & International Programs
Pacific McGeorge School of Law
3200 Fifth Ave.
Sacramento, CA  95817
Email | 916.739.7021