In March, 2011, after a week of training in Salzburg, Austria, I will travel to the University of Belgorod in Southwestern Russia to teach law students, and perhaps business students, about American business law.
The trip is under the auspice of the non-profit organization Center for International Legal Studies based in Salzburg, Austria. My role is to convey to university students, training to be Russian lawyers, fundamental elements of our legal system which I hope would percolate into the fabric of Russian business and law.
I am under no illusion that my modest effort will save the world. However, I believe that cumulatively, if we expose the best in Western business law to emerging former Soviet Bloc economies, we will move towards better communication and more peaceful co-existence. An integrated worldwide business community, with understandable communication among countries, companies and business people, I believe can create part of the basis for a more peaceful, and successful world.
I am launching this blog for two reasons:
- First and foremost, to solicit a broad base of information. What is it that someone with my intentions should be teaching would-be Russian lawyers? What is most needed? What is most important? What is fundamental? What is counterproductive and should be avoided? What can in fact be successfully understood and integrated into existing Russian business law?
- My second purpose is to share with colleagues, clients, friends and fellow teachers the problems, successes and (no doubt) failures of this undertaking, in the hopes that it will be both interesting and ultimately edifying.