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Students Tackle Challenges in International Law as Salzburg Cutler Fellows

Participants in the Salzburg Culter Fellows Program
(left to right) Hope Metcalf, Omar Shehabi ’20 LLM, Kamini Persaud ’21, Isabel Echarte ’21, and Josh Zoffer ’20

Students from Yale Law School were selected to join their peers from 13 other leading U.S. law schools in Washington, D.C. to explore the future of public and private international law at the eighth annual Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program.

The two-day program saw top law students engage with prominent legal professionals, public servants, and leaders in the fields of international law and public service. Representing Yale Law School were Josh Zoffer ’20, Omar Shehabi ’20 LLM, Kamini Persaud ’21, and Isabel Echarte ’21. They were joined by faculty representative Hope Metcalf, Clinical Lecturer in Law; Research Scholar in Law; and Executive Director, Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights.

Speakers this year included Judge Diane P. Wood, Chief United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for The Seventh Circuit; Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organization of American States (OAS); John B. Bellinger, III, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP and former Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State and National Security Council; and Stephen J. Hadley, Principal of RiceHadleyGates LLC, former United States National Security Advisor.

Fellows received individual critique on their student papers from faculty of the participating law schools, as well as further advice on how to seek publication in journals. This year’s papers covered diverse topics, ranging from domestic violence, to LGBTQ rights activism, to international environment criminal law and investment and sovereign lending in Africa.

Speaking to this year’s participants, Stephen L. Salyer, President and CEO of Salzburg Global Seminar, said, “It has been a pleasure to see the hard work you have put in and the fast friendships you have made here, and we look forward to continuing these connections through our Cutler and Salzburg Global Fellowship.”

Omar Shehabi, a student from Yale Law School, said: “The Cutler Fellows program was a fantastic experience and I got some amazing feedback on my paper to help me improve it with the alterations that we’ve made. The readers are truly invested and provided lots of notes and comments to us during our discussions.”

Established in 2012, the Cutler Fellows Program honors the legacy of Lloyd N. Cutler, the White House General Counsel to U.S. Presidents Carter and Clinton and the Chairman of the Board of Salzburg Global Seminar. The annual program collaborates with 14 U.S. law schools.