LL.M. student organizes dual program on World Bank sanctions, careers

UNIVERISTY PARK, Pa. -- Rayhan Asat and Tamara Kraljic, legal professionals in the Anti-Corruption and Internal Investigations department of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, recently delivered a two-part panel at Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs. The event was organized by LL.M. student Muaitaer Abulaiti in response to interest by her classmates about job opportunities in international fields.

The first panel provided an overview of the legal framework and major international enforcement trends in the anti-corruption arena, with a particular focus on the sanctioning regime used by the World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). The presentation covered some of the basics about the World Bank/MDB sanctioning system, from the World Bank’s jurisdiction and its definition of “sanctionable practices”—which include fraud and corruption—to the bank’s investigation process and two-tiered adjudicatory system. The presenters also discussed and provided specific examples of the increased cooperation among MDBs as well as between MDBs and national enforcement authorities.   

The second panel focused on providing hands-on career advice, specifically targeted toward international students wishing to stay in the U.S. Through sharing their personal experience, Asat and Kraljic—both of whom are foreign-trained attorneys who obtained an LL.M. degree in the U.S.—gave concrete examples of how international students should market themselves by putting forward their language skills and international perspective. They specifically emphasized the importance of understanding cross-cultural intricacies in the international business arena, which LL.M. students could offer to their prospective employers. 

They suggested that LL.M. students broaden their searches to employers other than large law firms and include consulting, litigation management, and accounting firms, for example. They urged students to make the most of Penn State’s proximity to major hubs such as New York City and Washington, D.C., to attend legal conferences and other networking events before the end of the semester. Finally, they encouraged students to take on researcher positions with their professors and form strong friendships with their fellow LL.M. and J.D. students.