On Monday, May 20, 2024, 16 first-year law students from Pepperdine Caruso School
of Law, Regent University School of Law, and the University of South Carolina School
of Law began a summer internship program hosted by Pepperdine’s Sudreau Global Justice Institute throughout Africa. These students will travel to Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana to gain
vital firsthand experience in the international criminal justice system. Over the
course of nine weeks, they will live and work in their respective countries clerking
with Supreme Court justices. Some will also partner with human rights organizations
such as the Human Trafficking Institute in Uganda. These experiences will not only
deepen their understanding of global legal practices, but also foster unique opportunities
to work directly with prominent judicial figures.
“Not many law students—let alone law students that recently completed their first
year of law school—can say that they had the privilege of clerking for a Supreme Court
justice. It is a truly remarkable opportunity for Pepperdine law students to learn
from some of the very brightest legal minds in these countries,” shares Seth Bamburg
(JD ’17), associate director of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute. “Much more than
simply a notable line on a résumé, it is a transformational experience to live in
a country and culture different from one’s own and engage daily with world leaders
at the highest level of the legal profession.”
The institute’s summer internship program is designed for students who are passionate
about service, legal aid, and international justice. The trip will culminate with
students from the three different countries convening in Uganda and facilitating a
plea bargaining prison project alongside lawyers from the US, Ugandan advocates, and
Ugandan law students. Taking place in Uganda’s largest prison, Luzira Prison, this
project will provide legal representation to clients who have been waiting in pre-trial
detention to speak to an attorney, in some cases for months or even years, and will
be the first time that any of the students have represented clients. While a Ugandan
attorney will always be present supervising as the official attorney of record, the
students will take ownership of the entire representation process.
President Jim Gash (JD ’93), formerly the dean of students at Caruso School of Law,
will attend the inaugural day of the prison project as a distinguished guest. Since
granting permission for the first Pepperdine law students to clerk for the Supreme
Court of Uganda in 2008, President Gash has been deeply involved in the country’s
legal landscape. He played a pivotal role in drafting plea bargaining guidelines for
the Ugandan judiciary, training justice stakeholders, and integrating plea bargaining
into the Ugandan criminal justice system. Additionally, he spearheaded and guided
the prison project’s initiatives for several years.
“There is no doubt that our students contribute value through their internships while
also receiving so much through the experience,” Bamburg says. “We are always struck
by how many times we hear the phrase ‘life-changing’ from the students’ perspective
and know this unique and humbling opportunity is making a difference in people’s lives.”
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