Class of 2018
Saudi Arabia
Ms. Alharbi earned her bachelor’s of law in Islamic Law from Umm Al-Qura University in 2015. She is particularly interested in the Intellectual Property concentration, which is not common in Saudi Arabia. Ms. Alharbi is also passionate about human rights and justice initiatives. She was drawn to the University of Minnesota Law School because of its incredible course selection and the wonderful Intellectual Property faculty. Upon completing her LL.M., Ms. Alharbi hopes to become a professor at a leading institution in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia
Mr. Allahim earned a B.S. of Law and a Master’s of Law from Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After he graduated from his Master’s program, Mr. Allahim worked as a lawyer and volunteered much of his time as a law counselor for the Human Rights Commission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2010, Mr. Allahim received an appointment to the bench and served as a judge to the Administrative Court until 2015 when he stepped-down from the bench to continue his education.
Saudi Arabia
Mr. Almulhim received his bachelor’s of law in Islamic Law from Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University in Saudi Arabia in 2015. During his undergraduate experience, Mr. Almulhim worked for a law firm in Saudi Arabia. After graduating, he began working for the Institute of Public Administration, where he served as a teaching assistant in the Administrative Law Department. He is looking forward to further studying administrative and comparative law while at the University of Minnesota Law School.
Turkey
Ms. Arik received her law degree from Istanbul University, School of Law LL.B. in 2004. After law school, she worked at several law firms. Her practice focused primarily on business transactions, restructuring, contracts, international trade law, and family law. Ms. Arik was elected as Member of City Council Inegol, Bursa for the MHP Party in 2014. She is particularly interested in continuing to study and learn more about business transactions and international trade law.
Liberia
After receiving a degree in economics from the African Methodist Episcopal University in Monrovia, Liberia, Mr. Bartekwa received his LL.B. from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia Capital Bye-pass. He is the head of a small community-based group called ‘Action for Community and Human Development.’ The group is involved in educating community-dwellers about the Liberian Constitution. Mr. Bartekwa and his team translate the constitution into local Liberian languages to aid people in their understanding of their civil responsibilities. He is interested in furthering his understanding of compliance and organizational ethics.
Congo
Mr. Bentumo completed a Bachelor Degree in Public Law from the University of Kinshasa in 2005. He practiced business and human rights law until 2011 when Mr. Bentumo moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota Human Rights Institute. He currently works in Minneapolis.
Thailand
Mr. Boonsong received a degree in law in 2015 from Kaetsart University. During his time at Kaetsart University, he participated in Law Practice Seminars organized by the Lawyers Council of Thailand. Additionally, he served as a law tutor for the Kasetsart Law Academics Club. Mr. Boonsong is particularly interested in labor law.
Turkey
Ms. Caki received her Bachelor of Law from Fatih University in Istanbul. During her studies, she was a semi-finalist in a national moot court competition. A deep interest in human rights issues led her to an internship with Berk Rechtsanwalte in Frankfurt, Germany, where she observed criminal cases and researched European human rights laws.
China
Ms. Chen received her Bachelor of Law from Minjiang University in 2016. While in law school, she served as Campus Law Club Vice President and the Vice Director of the Student’s Association. In these positions, Ms. Chen organized debate competitions and law publications. After graduation, she began working as a full-time paralegal at Hunan Xianghe Law Firm. Ms. Chen is interested in business law.
Korea
Mr. Choi is a candidate for a Doctor of Laws (Ph.D.) at Yonsei University. He specializes in intellectual property law and his dissertation is titled, "A study on the International Expansion of Trade Secret Act - Focused on International Jurisdiction". Mr. Choi has since served as a research fellow at Yonsei Institute for Legal Studies. During his Master's coursework, Mr. Choi took two years to serve in the Korea Army as a Military Public Service Personnel. He would like to become a research assistant while he attends the University of Minnesota Law School.
Brazil
Mr. Duarte finished his Juris Doctor in 2017 from Newton Paiva University Center Law School. During his time in the University, he served as a member of the international law group and he was a member of the GEDINP Moot Court Competition team. Mr. Duarte served as a volunteer for the Center of Judicial Exercise of Newton Paiva University where aided the local community in pro bono projects. He is particularly interested in pursuing a civil litigation concentration.
China
Ms. Fang attended East China University of Political Science and Law where she received a Bachelor of Law with a focus in civil and commercial law in 2016. Her thesis focused on legal issues related to the third-party payment platform deposit content. Likewise, she conducted research on users and the usage of precipitation funds of third-party payment platform content. Ms. Fang has had several internships that have exposed her to litigation and the structure of large companies. She is interested in commercial law.
China
Mr. Fu received his bachelor's degree in law from the Shanghai University of Political Science in China in 2014. He then attended Shanghai University of International Business and Economics where he studied international law and received a Master's Degree in Law in 2017. During graduate school, he assisted his tutor and another professor to complete two national level projects related to FTA. Additionally, he served as a law intern at the Jiangxi Gong Ren Law Firm where he sorted litigation materials and wrote documents to provide legal advice to members of the community. He is interested in international law and business law.
Germany
Mr. Fuhrmann currently attends Justus-Liebig-University GieBen. He currently anticipates that he will complete his degree from the University in September 2018. He has interned at several law firms in Germany where he has gained exposure to complex litigation and transactional deals. While he was an intern for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Munich, Germany, Mr. Fuhrmann researched and prepared a speech for M. Nauheim at the DAJV annual conference at Harvard Law School in Boston, MA.
Japan
Mr. Fukui received his Juris Doctor degree in 2011 from Tokyo University. He specialized in administration law and corporate law. He recently was employed by a corporation where he provided legal and compliance-related advice. He continuously advised employees and lines of business concerning business transactions, joint development, joint ventures, and contract drafted. Mr. Fukui is interested in business law.
Korea
Ms. Jang is currently enrolled in Koabels American Law Research Institute in Seoul, South Korea. Before enrolling at Koabels, Ms. Jang completed her Bachelor of Law with a focus in international law at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. She completed a thesis titled “Trends in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and South Korea’s Countermeasures to the Act.” Additionally, she spent time as a foreign exchange student at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Jang served as an intern to the Japanese National Diet where she participated in organizing reports related to the national security legislation and discussion of summaries. She is interested in administrative law.
Germany
Ms. Kappes received her law degree from Humboldt University in Berlin. Her published thesis was entitled, “Possibilities and Limits of Extending Collective Bargaining Agreements to Non-Unionists.” Since 2016 she has worked for Gleiss Lutz in Berlin, an international law firm where she researches issues in labor and employment law. She would like to deepen her knowledge of these topics by studying international business law.
Turkey
Mr. Kasapoglu completed the International Language Institute Intensive English Program in Washington D.C. in 2017. He has also completed an Intensive English Program from the University of Texas Pan-American in 2014. Mr. Kasapoglu received his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) from Istanbul University in 2015. He has had training as a law at law firms in Turkey and was a judicial clerk at the Istanbul Courthouse in 2015. He plans to complete the business law concentration.
Korea
Ms. Kim completed a Bachelor of Science, Chemistry from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) in 2001. She was admitted to the Korean Patent Bar in 2005. After she was admitted, Ms. Kim worked at several patent law firms in Korea where she focused on patent prosecution and litigation in chemistry field including electronic materials, catalysts, polymers, and pharmaceuticals. She is interested in continuing to study patent law.
USA, Cyprus
Ms. Komodromou currently attends the University of Reading pursuing a LL.B. Law degree. Before, she received her Graduation Certificate from Cyprus Apolyterion in 2014. She has clerked at law firms in Larnaca, Cyprus. She has served as a member of the Red Cross and as a student member of the International Association of Lawyers. She often visits family in Iowa and is currently interested in health law.
Norway
Mr. Marthinussen is currently pursuing a Masters of Law at the University of Bergen in Norway. During his studies he interned at Wiersholm Law Firm, focusing on transactional law. He is interested in furthering his knowledge of international business law.
Iran
Ms. Momtahen received her Master's in International Law in 2016 from Islamic Azad University. She worked as a consultant for several years in Iran before she moved to the United States and became a lab assistant at Normandale Community College. Ms. Momtahen is interested in civil litigation and family law.
Thailand
Ms. Muenbhavongsa is qualified to practice law in the Kingdom of Thailand according to the Lawyers Council of Thailand. She received her Bachelor of Law from Kasetsart University and attended the Institute of Legal Education of the Thai Bar Institute. She participated in law practice seminars organized by the Lawyers Council of Thailand and the Central Labor Court. Ms. Muenbhavongsa is interested in intellectual property law, international trade law and maritime law.
Cameroon
Mr. Ntouko Siewe received a Bachelor in Private Law from the University of Dschang in 2012 and a Master’s degree in Business and Company Law from University of Dschang in 2015. He wrote a thesis analyzing debt recovery. Mr. Ntouko Siewe spent much of his career as an attorney working on business law and debt recovery. However, his true passion is environmental and energy law. He would like to continue to study environmental and energy law while at the University of Minnesota Law School.
Nigeria
Mr. Obazeluwa received his Bachelor of Law from Ekiti State University in 2012 and then his Barrister at Law from Nigerian Law School in 2014. After receiving his Barrister at Law, he began working at several firms primarily focusing on commercial agreements and corporate law. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and Nigerian Young Lawyers Forum.
France
Mr. Reffay received his Bachelor of Laws from the University Jean Moulin Lyon III, followed by two master’s degrees in business law. His internships include working with the corporate law departments of the CMS Bureau Fracis Lefebvre Law Firm in Lyon and the Fidal Law Firm in Macon. He would like to learn more about business law, particularly mergers and acquisitions.
Brazil
Mr. Ruffolo received his Bachelor of Law degree from Cândido Mendes University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He interned in several law firms, working primarily with tax and business law. After graduating he became a partner at a law firm in Rio de Janeiro. He is now focused on drafting business transactions, mostly in the infrastructure sector. He is interested in continuing to study tax and business law.
China
Ms. Shen received Bachelor of Law in 2015 from East China University of Political Science and Law, and is pursuing her Master of Law from East China University of Political Science and Law. She has been noted as an outstanding legal assistant and has continued conducting research on ship finance leasing and institutional innovations project. Likewise, she has served as the Social Legal Aid Center of ECUPL associate team leader and as the Academic Department of International Law School associate director student member. Ms. Shen published an article titled “The Application of Actual Carrier under Voyage Charter Parties, Construction of International Maritime” through the Judicial Center and Theoretical Study of Maritime Trial in 2016. She is interested in insurance law and maritime law.
Norway
Ms. Stroem is currently pursuing a Masters of Law at the University of Bergen in Norway. This spring she completed an internship at Wiersholm, a law firm in Oslo. She also studied international business at Griffith University in Australia as an exchange student in 2012. Ms. Stroem is interested in practicing business law as a corporate lawyer.
Germany
Ms. Stueer received her law degree from Humboldt University in 2017. Before that, she studied psychology at Potsdam University. During her legal studies she interned with an international law firm in Berlin and spent a semester in Chile. She would like to pursue international law, eventually working for the government or an international NGO.
Taiwan
Ms. Tai received her Bachelor of Law from Chinese Culture University in 2010 and her Master of Technology Law from National Kaohsiung First University in 2015. Her dissertation was titled "A Study of the Current Statutes and Prospective of Patent Trolls in the USA." During graduate school, Ms. Tai served as a teaching assistant and received awards for her English presentation competition. Professionally, Ms. Tai has worked for aerospace companies, as well as the Ministry of Finance in Taiwan. She is interested in intellectual property and business law.
Vietnam
Ms. Tran received her law degree from Hanoi Law University with a focus on human rights. She also received an LL.M. degree in International and European Law from Tilburg University in the Netherlands. In addition to her interest in human rights, her internships in Vietnam have exposed her to the legal frameworks surrounding intellectual property issues and adoption.
France
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in law from Jean-Moulin University Lyon III, Ms. Trichard obtained several master’s degrees in law both in France and in Great Britain. She is specializing in international business law. Her internship experiences include working for Sodexo in Berlin and for the restructuring department of the CMS Francis Lefebvre law firm in Lyon.
China
Mr. Wang received his Master of Law in Maritime Law from the Law School of Dalian Maritime University in 2015. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in International Public Law from the Law School of Dalian Maritime University. Mr. Wang has been published several times with work primarily focusing on maritime law.
China
Mr. Wu received his Bachelor of Law from Fujian Normal University in 2017. During his time at the University, Mr. Wu had several internships that focused on business law and environmental law. His course project was a study on sustainable development in the Western China where he served as a team leader. He has also served as the Fujian Normal University Outreach Department Minister. He is interested in the business law concentration.
China
Ms. Wu received a B.A. in Law from Southwest University of Political Science and Law. Ms. Wu has served as a clerk at the Jimo Local People’s Court where she performed multiple court duties such processing warrants, subpoenas and petitions. She has also worked at law firms where she has worked on a range of issues including family law, torts, and government compensation. Additionally, Ms. Wu has worked for the Constitutional Conventions and Norms Project where she translated the project and aided Professor Yonghong He.
China
Ms. Xiong graduated from China University of Political Science and Law with a Bachelor of Law. Since graduation, Ms. Xiong has served as both a prosecuting attorney and an assistant lawyer in a business law firm. She wrote her dissertation on the WTO Treaties and analyzed methods used by the WTO dispute-settlement body in China rare earth cases. She is interested in Criminal law.
China
Ms. Xu earned her Bachelor of Law from East China University of Science and Technology. While at the University, she participated as a student research assistant and wrote a thesis on ‘Online Shopping Food Safety Supervision System.’ Since graduation, she has worked at several law firms and focuses on property law, contract drafting, and business law. She serves as a volunteer at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.
China
Ms. Xu completed her B.A. in Economic Law from Southwest University of Political Science and Law. Since graduating, Ms. Xu has worked at Zhonghao Law, one of the biggest law firms in southwest China, practicing in corporate finance and bankruptcy. Additionally, she interned as a law clerk at Third Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing. She also interned as a journalist at a provincial newspaper office and worked for her university's official newspaper. She has pressed a couple of nonlegal reports. She assumed a leadership position at Enactus and won a "Best Oralist" award in moot court and debate competition.
China
Ms. Yao received an LL.B. in Economic Law from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. She has worked at large firms focusing on civil and commercial cases. Additionally, she served as an intern court clerk at the Shanghai Honkou District People’s Court. Ms. Yao is a key member and trainer of the Shanghai Debate Team. With the debate team, she has won more than three competitions.
China
Mr. Yin received his Bachelor of Law from Shenzhen University. He has served as an intern at the Second Court of Futian City Court where he assisted the judge in delivering and checking legal instruments and conducted court summon and announcements. Mr. Yin has served as the Vice President of Press Department of the Youth League Committee of Law School where he wrote press releases for lectures and activities and interviewing professors. He is interested in securities law and business law.
Korea
Mr. Yoo received an American Law Specialty from Koabels American Law Research Institute in 2017. Before attending Koabels, Mr. Yoo received a bachelor of advertising from Kosin University and an M.B.A. of Finance from Hanyang University. Mr. Yoo enjoys and has spent much of his career working on investment strategies and retail development marketing managing. He plans to study business and property law.
China
Ms. Yuan served as a judge in the Intermediate People’s Court in Datong City. She tried and saw over many complex civil issues. Prior to accepting a position on the court, Ms. Yuan served as a lawyer. She has received awards in International Law Moot Court and passed the National Judicial Examination.
Taiwan
Ms. Zeng received a Bachelor of Law from National Chengchi University in 2008. While at the University, she was part of the NCU Law Department Student Association. She continued her education at the National Taiwan University where she received her Master’s of Law. While working on completing her Master’s of Law in 2012, she wrote her thesis, “A Study on New Subject Matter of Design Patent Protection—Focusing on Partial Design Activities.” Additionally, she was a member of the NTU Graduate Student Association. Ms. Zeng has served as legal counsel in several law firms and companies where she primarily focuses on intellectual property issues.
China
Mr. Zhang received his Bachelor of Law degree from Southwest University of Political Science and Law in 2015. His coursework focused primarily on international law and he wrote a thesis that focused on the dispute of Chinese rare earth in the WTO. After he received his degree from Southwest University, Mr. Zhang attended Mission College and the University of California, Davis where is was in an Intensive English Program. Additionally, he served as a China Local Court Intern at the China People’s Court where he performed clerk duties such as documenting trial records.
China
Mr. Zhao received his Bachelor of Law from Capital Medical University where he focused on health law. During this time, he served as a research assistant to Professor Liu Xuanlin’s social science funding project and wrote about problems of rural doctor’s elder security. Mr. Zhao is the President of Aurora Borealis Chorus and the Minister of Arts Department, Student Union of School of Health Management and Education. He has won several Moot Court competition awards.
China
Ms. Zhao received a Bachelor of Law in 2014 from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics where she focused on international economic law. In 2017, she received a Master of Law degree focusing in international law from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. Ms. Zhao has served as a student editor for the Journal of International Trade Law of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics where she advertised the journal and proof-read articles that were submitted. She is interested in the business law concentration.
China
Ms. Zhu received her Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Economics in 2014 from Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance. While at university, she served as the vice president of the Law School Student Council, the vice chairman of the Financial Law Association, and the Chief Judge of the Criminal Procedure Law Moot Court of Law School. Additionally, she has conducted research of the Viability of Non-litigation Activities in a Law Firm. Her area of interest is financial and business law. After graduation, she worked as a legal counsel for three years in two companies in Shanghai, and she decided to study in Minnesota to better understand the U.S culture and improve her legal skills. Her goal is become a financial lawyer in China.