Hi! Nicky here again to tell you all about my adventures during my Legal Studies Internship here in Madrid. While there probably aren’t enough words of praise to describe this experience, I’ll do my best to explain. However, before I start, I need to shout out a huge thank you to Paco and Helena, my internship coordinators, without whom I would have been completely lost.
My journey started at the bufete (law firm) de García Peña & Andújar. My supervisor there Eduardo García Peña was extremely accommodating and informative. I felt very professional sitting at my own desk everyday across from 3 of Spain’s best abogadas (women lawyers). Not only was the environment very friendly and comfortable, but I was made to feel that I could ask any question at any time. My favorite aspect of my time with GP&A was the fact that while I learned a ton studying different cases everyday, I also was able to make my own contributions. At least once a day I found myself acting as a translator for emails to clients, and often I was able to sit in on live meetings that required translating. It was also especially cool that I was able to participate on an active case and see it through to the end. I aided in the process of the jury selection and was called in to Eduardo’s office when the sentencia was read for the first time at the end of the trial. I truly felt part of the legal team at GP&A and gained invaluable knowledge during my time there.
The second stop on my Internship agenda was the Ministerio de Justicia de España (Spain’s Ministry of Justice). Among other things, there I learned that the role of a Fiscal (prosecutor) has the potential to extend far beyond the duties of a courtroom. I was able to spend some time with a Fiscal during her docket and in between trials, and there I witnessed the conduct and responsibilities that belong to a Fiscal as la Acusación (prosecution). Her responsibility was to represent the public interest and place the welfare of the society above all else, including the personal wishes of the victim. This is precisely why the Spanish legal system created the role of la Acusación Particular (a private attorney to represent the interests of the victim or victim’s family). Aside from my time with Conchita Miranda in the courtroom, I truly value the time I spent with Ángel Núñez Sánchez, a Fiscal that works within the Ministerio de Justicia drafting legislation. It was an incredibly enlightening and exclusive experience to read over his anteproyectos de ley (drafts of legislation) and then be able to ask him personally, as the author, questions about the documents. I was able to learn about the complicated process of how laws are enacted in Spain as well as get inside the head of the a person responsible for a phase in this long procedure. In addition, I also spent time with a Judicial Secretary, an advisor to the Secretary of State, and an Abogado del Estado (a lawyer who exclusively represents the interests of the State).
The final phase of my Internship brings me to the Audiencia Provincial where I spend my days with a Magistrate, el Magistrado Don Juan José López Ortega. It’s really amazing to be able to talk and reason with a Magistrate in order to better understand the decisions he’s faced with everyday. I feel truly honored to be able to get his perspective on cases before hand and then sit in his courtroom as he presides over the trial itself. Overall, I feel this Internship has allowed me to observe a courtroom from every angle. I can now say that I know and understand the perspective of almost every person sitting in a courtroom during a criminal procedure. This Internship, while also the most work, has been my favorite class this semester. I have learned more about el Derecho Español (Spanish law) from spending time in these legal environments than I did in any of my classes. In fact, this Internship prepared me to be a better student in all my other classes. One of my goals for studying abroad in Spain in a Legal Studies program was to gather enough information to be able to conduct a thorough comparison between the judicial cultures of Spain and the U.S. so that I could develop my own opinions. I can say confidently that this Internship experience assured the completion of that goal one hundred times over. To find out my actual opinions on the similarities and differences between the two legal systems, you’ll just have to read my final paper.
My journey started at the bufete (law firm) de García Peña & Andújar. My supervisor there Eduardo García Peña was extremely accommodating and informative. I felt very professional sitting at my own desk everyday across from 3 of Spain’s best abogadas (women lawyers). Not only was the environment very friendly and comfortable, but I was made to feel that I could ask any question at any time. My favorite aspect of my time with GP&A was the fact that while I learned a ton studying different cases everyday, I also was able to make my own contributions. At least once a day I found myself acting as a translator for emails to clients, and often I was able to sit in on live meetings that required translating. It was also especially cool that I was able to participate on an active case and see it through to the end. I aided in the process of the jury selection and was called in to Eduardo’s office when the sentencia was read for the first time at the end of the trial. I truly felt part of the legal team at GP&A and gained invaluable knowledge during my time there.
The second stop on my Internship agenda was the Ministerio de Justicia de España (Spain’s Ministry of Justice). Among other things, there I learned that the role of a Fiscal (prosecutor) has the potential to extend far beyond the duties of a courtroom. I was able to spend some time with a Fiscal during her docket and in between trials, and there I witnessed the conduct and responsibilities that belong to a Fiscal as la Acusación (prosecution). Her responsibility was to represent the public interest and place the welfare of the society above all else, including the personal wishes of the victim. This is precisely why the Spanish legal system created the role of la Acusación Particular (a private attorney to represent the interests of the victim or victim’s family). Aside from my time with Conchita Miranda in the courtroom, I truly value the time I spent with Ángel Núñez Sánchez, a Fiscal that works within the Ministerio de Justicia drafting legislation. It was an incredibly enlightening and exclusive experience to read over his anteproyectos de ley (drafts of legislation) and then be able to ask him personally, as the author, questions about the documents. I was able to learn about the complicated process of how laws are enacted in Spain as well as get inside the head of the a person responsible for a phase in this long procedure. In addition, I also spent time with a Judicial Secretary, an advisor to the Secretary of State, and an Abogado del Estado (a lawyer who exclusively represents the interests of the State).
The final phase of my Internship brings me to the Audiencia Provincial where I spend my days with a Magistrate, el Magistrado Don Juan José López Ortega. It’s really amazing to be able to talk and reason with a Magistrate in order to better understand the decisions he’s faced with everyday. I feel truly honored to be able to get his perspective on cases before hand and then sit in his courtroom as he presides over the trial itself. Overall, I feel this Internship has allowed me to observe a courtroom from every angle. I can now say that I know and understand the perspective of almost every person sitting in a courtroom during a criminal procedure. This Internship, while also the most work, has been my favorite class this semester. I have learned more about el Derecho Español (Spanish law) from spending time in these legal environments than I did in any of my classes. In fact, this Internship prepared me to be a better student in all my other classes. One of my goals for studying abroad in Spain in a Legal Studies program was to gather enough information to be able to conduct a thorough comparison between the judicial cultures of Spain and the U.S. so that I could develop my own opinions. I can say confidently that this Internship experience assured the completion of that goal one hundred times over. To find out my actual opinions on the similarities and differences between the two legal systems, you’ll just have to read my final paper.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario