Riccardo Tremolada - SLI Participant in 2011
"The most interesting feature of the Summer Law Institute is that it actually allows outstanding students that show dedication and enthusiasm to access a vast and valuable networking"
If you are curious and not afraid of challenging your ideas, China is the place to be. In 2011 I had the chance to take part in the Summer Law Institute held at the Peking University School of Government in Beijing on Climate Change and Environmental Protection and Intellectual Property Rights and China. It was a terrific experience that allowed me to grow professionally and acquire a better understanding of this fast-moving economy.
The most interesting feature of the Summer Law Institute is that it actually allows outstanding students that show dedication and enthusiasm to access a vast and valuable networking. In fact, Beijing has been for me just the first stop of a rewarding and interesting journey. Right after the end of the Summer School I flew to Brussels to intern at the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO), which coordinates the advocacy activities of the main Fair Trade networks, developing lobbying strategies at European Union level. Moreover, during my last year of law school, whilst I was writing my final thesis, I had the unique chance to go to work as a Research Associate on projects implemented by professor Farah at Harvard Law School (Cambridge, USA). I pursued my research on current trends of Chinese law towards non-trade concerns and took part in a research project of the United Nations Development Program to assist and assess the accession of Belarus to the WTO.
Once I graduated I started working in a research EU Commission project whilst being seconded as a Teaching Assistant at Edge Hill University, Department of Law & Criminology (U.K.), and as an EU Commission Marie Curie Fellow at the Chinese Academy on Environmental Sciences (CRAES) in Beijing. During this year, my work focused on domestic and international energy regulation, energy investment law and intangible cultural heritage. These different and tremendous opportunities would not have been possible without the Summer School’s team support.
My recent experience as a Research Associate has provided me with the opportunity to continue to improve my legal writing and analytical skills as well as gain significant exposure to several areas of the law – regulatory matters within the energy sector, international investments, IP law, environmental protection and international economic law. In addition, I published some academic articles I wrote on international peer reviewed law journals. Looking back, the Summer School showed me many new opportunities from which my academic and professional training is greatly benefiting. In the current critical scenario, it is crucial to have an international background and to be able to operate in different contexts. I firmly believe that the Summer School provides students and young professionals with this opportunity.
