As part of its annual China Program, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) hosted 10 government lawyers (Delegates) from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the U.S. for three (3) weeks. The Delegates arrived in San Jose on May 19 for a week-long orientation that introduced them to the American legal system. A welcome dinner on May 20 held at the Fairmont Hotel was attended by the region’s leading attorneys, judges, politicians and special guests to introduce the China Program to members of the legal community.
Following their orientation, the Delegates traveled to the homes of IATL Fellows in various cities across the U.S. where they lived for two weeks, experiencing the life of an American trial lawyer with the Fellows and their families. After two weeks in residence, the Delegates reconvened in San Jose to share their experiences before returning to Beijing.
The program was funded by the Academy and its Fellows. To date, more than 150 Chinese lawyers have participated in the program and returned to the PRC to serve in prominent positions in the Chinese government.
This marks the second year the Delegates’ orientation has been hosted in San Jose by McManis Faulkner and partner James McManis, an IATL Fellow since 2001 and the Academy’s Secretary of International Relations and China Program Chair. For the first 16 years of the Program, the Delegates traveled to Honolulu for orientation.