Scholars from the Southwest University of Political Science & Law in Chongqing received an introduction to the American legal system this week at the University of Houston Law Center.
Aug. 8, 2019 — University of Houston Law Center clinical professors met with six Chinese graduate and doctoral students to discuss legal education in the U.S. and human rights law on Wednesday.
“They’re interested in coming here for their education on human rights and how it intersects with immigration law,” said Vy Van Ky, an attorney with the Houston-based immigration firm Liu & Associates PLLC, which coordinated the visit. “We have hosted a group the last two or three years or so. They come into our firm several days out of the week and we go through the process of law and law school.”
The students attend Southwest University of Political Science and Law in the Chongqing municipality of China, where they study at the Human Rights Institute.
“Every nation must face the realities of human rights needs,” said Peng Liu, a visiting doctoral student. “We must open our minds and see the world and communicate with each other to find the common sense to solve these problems.”
Associate Professor of Clinical Practice Janet Heppard led a tour of the Law Center and facilitated a discussion about the various clinics operated on campus. She told students they do not have to be lawyers to make impactful differences.
“See why it’s important, whether or not you’re an attorney, that there are things you can do in your own country and that you can do in your own communities to help people,” Heppard said.
Legal Clinic Supervisor Josephine Sorgwe spoke extensively about U.S. immigration law and the Law Center’s Immigration Clinic.
“I think it’s incredibly important for us to be able to always look at another human being and recognize their humanity,” she said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why immigration is so important, because at the heart of it, it is doing that: recognizing the humanity in another person.”
