Summer Program in Guatemala

Cathedral in Antigua

Pacific McGeorge school of law is partnering with Seattle University School of Law and University of Denver, Sturm College of Law to offer the innovative 2012 Inter-American Summer Program in Guatemala.

Entering its third year of implementation, the Inter-American Guatemala Summer program received permanent ABA accreditation in December 2010.

The 2012 Inter-American Summer Program in Guatemala will run from May 26 through June 16, 2012.

Registration for University of Denver, Sturm College of Law students
Registration for Seattle University School of Law students. Seattle students should send all application materials to Junsen A. Ohno at the address is on the registration page.
Registration for Pacific McGeorge School of Law and students from other law schools

Deadlines and Deposits

Deposits may be paid using our online payment system.

Feb. 15: Applications for Classroom Program and Externship due along with deposit ($250). Late applications will be considered for the Classroom Program and the Externship on a space-available basis.

March 1: Applicants will be notified of acceptance to the Classroom Program and Externship. Application Fees are applied to the applicant Mandatory Program Fees if you are admitted, or are fully refunded if enrollment is denied.

March 15: Non-Refundable Externship Deposit ($500) due. Externship spots are competitive. Once selected, to secure your spot in an Externship a non-refundable $500 deposit is required. Application Fees are refunded if you cancel prior to this date.

April 15: Unit Fees and Program Fees are due. Extensions may be granted if financial aid funds are delayed. If an applicant withdraws from enrollment prior to the first date of the program (May 26) but after April 15, the applicant will be refunded Unit Fees, but will forfeit application fees, deposits, and mandatory program fees. Failure to meet the payment deadlines specified results in automatic forfeiture of your place in the program as well as forfeiture of fees and deposits paid. The student will also forfeit any program fee paid for an accompanying person.

All Fees will be returned if the program is cancelled.

The program

Study-abroad programs offered by U.S. law schools, including those that take place in Latin America, commonly teach courses in English that could have been offered in the United States. By contrast, the Inter-American Summer program in Guatemala is a truly bilingual and inter-cultural approach to legal education, which will offer substantive law classes about Latin America taught in Spanish as well as bilingual externship placements. It will also allow students the opportunity to study with Latin American students and to take courses taught by Guatemalan law professors. Program participants will gain professional legal and inter-cultural competence to practice law in Latin America or to work with Latino issues and clients in the United States.

To encourage participation from as many students and recent law graduates, the Inter-American Program is designed to accommodate the learning objectives and needs of participants with varying degrees of Spanish proficiency. Beginning-to-intermediate Spanish speakers may enroll in a combined Spanish Immersion-Legal Spanish course with a substantive law course taught in English. Intermediate to fluent Spanish speakers may combine the Spanish Immersion-Legal Spanish course with a substantive law course taught in Spanish or may enroll in two substantive law courses taught in Spanish. Only students with a high level of Spanish proficiency may enroll in the externship. A description of the courses are included in the list of courses.

The agencies and organizations in which externships will be offered work in the fields of environmental justice, commerce and trade, human rights, economic development, immigration and labor relations. A description of these and other bilingual placements are included on the International Bilingual Placements page. Students interested in pursuing other placement opportunities in Guatemala or in other Latin American countries should contact Professor Raquel Aldana, the program director, to receive program approval.

Pacific McGeorge has entered into an agreement with Rafael Landívar University, a leading Jesuit-run institution in Guatemala that is known for its social justice mission and its offerings of law courses in the field of human rights. The agreement allows for exchanges of professors and students. Students from Rafael Landívar University and other Latin American universities may attend classes in this program alongside the American law students, thus providing a unique opportunity to learn firsthand about the legal systems of Latin America.

Enrollment in the Guatemala summer program is expected to be about 30 students and will be limited to no more than 45 students.

In 2011, 33 students enrolled in the program, including 13 from Pacific McGeorge School of law, four from the Seattle University School of Law, four from the Univeristy of Denver, Sturm College of Law and 11 from Guatemala. In 2012, we expect about 10 non-U.S. students to enroll.

Not all facilities are easily accessed by persons with mobility disabilities.

Katie Oldham, a participant from 2009 had this to say about this program:

"The Inter-American Program was an exciting and rewarding experience that has opened many doors for me. From this experience, I have gained an understanding of what it is like to practice law internationally, and I am far more confident in my Spanish skills. This is a truly unique opportunity that will benefit students interested in many different practice areas."

Read what other students had to say about the Inter-American Program.

The U.S. State Department website lists current travel advisories for Guatemala here.

The City of Antigua

Street in Antigua

La Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or La Antigua) is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish Mudejar-influenced Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches.

It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. La Antigua Guatemala means "Old Guatemala" and, it was the third capital of Guatemala.

Antigua is a growing tourist destination in Guatemala as it is close to Guatemala City, but it is much calmer and smaller, with more tourist oriented activities.

For more information about the city, take a look at the official Guatemala tourist website.