TJSL May 2013 graduate Ronald Lin will be doing an internship in China this summer at an international law firm named AllBright, based in Shanghai.
"Last summer, I had the tremendous privilege and opportunity to attend Thomas Jefferson's Summer Study Abroad Program in Hangzhou, China,” said Lin. “Having never been to China and curious to see what a legal career in an international setting would entail, what transpired during my trip was life-changing to say the least. I had a remarkable experience during the course of this program-- from the courses I took at Zhejiang University to the weekend trips to Shanghai and Beijing and the overall experience of living and studying abroad in a foreign country. Any initial doubts or reservations I had about pursuing a career in a foreign country were quelled. AllBright was one of the first places Professor Susan Tiefenbrun took us to visit on our first weekend trip to Shanghai and I immediately liked what I saw. It is one of the largest international law firms in China and the only one that is headquartered in Shanghai's financial center. I knew then that a potential internship position within that firm would be an extraordinary opportunity."
During his visit to AllBright, Lin was able to make key contacts within the firm, with whom he kept in touch with long after the study abroad program. “These contacts along with the guidance and tremendous support of Professor Tiefenbrun made this internship opportunity a reality” Lin said. “The fact that I was able to secure this internship position is a testament to our school's excellent study abroad programs in both Nice and China, to the unwavering support and mentorship of our professors and faculty and, perhaps most importantly, to the high caliber of legal education that TJSL provides its students which makes them so sought after not only nationally, but in an international setting."
Lin would like to practice business/corporate law in an international setting. One of his endeavors is to possibly pursue an LL.M. degree in international taxation somewhere down the road.
"In today's age, we are living increasingly in a global society where the actions of any one nation can dramatically affect the outcome of our own,” Lin said. “With China poised to as an up-and-coming superpower and an important ally of the United States, I sincerely believe that this position will give me the unique opportunity to gain valuable experience working on an international level while learning from a country whose economic success is so incredibly intertwined with our own. I am and will always be a proud American and if I am able to acquire valuable experience while working abroad and later on down the road, use that experience to potentially benefit the United States and the greater good in any way possible, then I wholeheartedly welcome that opportunity with open arms."
