International partnership offers on-campus law course for Ukrainian lawyers
An international partnership established earlier this year between the Ukrainian Global University, or UGU, and Berkeley Law has enabled 100 practicing Ukrainian lawyers to take Berkeley Law’s Fundamentals of Corporate Finance course for free.
According to a press release from Berkeley Law, the current session of the course began on June 6 and will run asynchronously with a recommended schedule of 10 weeks, although students have one year to complete the course requirements and earn a certificate. on line. The course, which otherwise costs $1,000, will be free for Ukrainian lawyers.
“The larger goal (of the partnership) was to provide access to education,” said Adam Sterling, assistant dean of executive education for Berkeley Law. “Due to the invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war, we have been informed that a number of Ukrainian lawyers and their work have been disrupted.”
Sterling worked with UGU from April to discuss various course offerings before settling on the Fundamentals of Corporate Finance course as the established schedule allowed students to start as early as possible. .
Sterling said the course’s asynchronous learning style would allow students to self-pace and participate however they choose.
The course covers a range of topics in corporate finance, according to Berkeley law professor Robert Bartlett, who is one of the professors teaching the course. Bartlett said the course’s focus on finance and business is atypical for a legal education, but important nonetheless for corporate lawyers.
“It’s a subject that’s really an investment in their personal human capital, and it’s the perfect way to think about doing your own professional development,” Bartlett said. “You want to focus on how you can grow as a lawyer, and that’s one way for transactional lawyers to grow.”
Bartlett added that Ukraine’s economy is currently facing severe headwinds, and the professor predicts there will be a great need for transactional lawyers “when the dispute ends.”
Sterling said the course provides lawyers with an introduction to corporate finance and specifically how businesses grow and grow – knowledge that will be beneficial for lawyers practicing in the private sector.
Sterling credits UGU’s efforts to connect professionals with educational opportunities that allow those who have been disrupted to work on their careers flexibly. Bartlett added that the course and the partnership offer support from a professional development perspective in addition to fundraising and relief efforts to help Ukraine.
“We’ve been told some are trying to focus on their careers and development, and we can be of help there,” Sterling said. “If we are able to provide access to education for those disrupted by global conflict, I am proud of that.”
Contact Ananya Rupanagunta at [email protected]and follow them on Twitter at @arupanagunta.
