eLaw Summer Institute

Well, we're done with finals at last! This past week we had three of them: CyberLaw, Internet Regulation, and Consumer Protection. A lot of people have headed home already, me being one of them (I'm actually sitting in the Dublin airport right now). Though I am excited to get back to the U.S. and televised Red Sox games (I'm a simple man, what can I say?), I am certainly going to miss Cork, its laid-back attitude, and all of the friends I've made from Ireland, Canada, France, and of course the U.S. It was like the World Cup of law school-- and we all won (or tied, whatever makes that metaphor really pop.) Anyway, it was a good program overall and I would probably recommend it to anyone. If you or someone you know is considering it for next year, feel free to email your questions to me at nharris@piercelaw.edu. I know I've failed to deliver on this promise in the past, but I do honestly plan on posting some more pictures from Cork/ELSI within the next week or so.

From Ireland,
Harris-- OUT!

Hey - Alan here again.

While Nathan seems to be doing a great job of letting you know about the night-life and general "to do" around Ireland, I'm going to take a moment and go over the classes you take while over here.

The eLaw Summer program consists of six classes:
1) EU Legal and Political Overview
2) Comparative Intellectual Property in the Information Age
3) Comparative eCommerce Law
4) Current Issues in Cyberlaw
5) Protecting the Information Age Consumer
6) Internet Regulation

As of today, we're done with three of the six, and have started the Cyberlaw class. Each of the classes have been really good - we have been taught by an equal balance of both US (Pierce Law) and Irish (UCC) professors, which leads to a very balanced view of the subject.

The EU and Irish side of things are very interesting - after you learn exactly how the Irish parliament (the Oireachtas [pronounced oh-ROCK-tas]) passes laws and runs the government with the aid of the Prime Minister (the Taoiseach [pronounce TEA-shuck), you start to understand how similar, yet completely different things are compared to the United States.

The intellectual property found in Ireland, and regulated by the EU is very similar to the IP found in the United States, so if you've taken any classes that deal with copyrights, trademarks or patents, you're going to do fairly well. However, learning how Ireland has to balance their own wishes for intellectual property with European Union directives is really what makes Comparative Intellectual Property as interesting as it is.

Comparative eCommerce law has given us, once again, a clear view of the similarities and differences between Ireland and the US with regards to digital signatures, electronic contracts, liability for electronic matters, and all things about commerce and electronics - and not just on the Internet, either.

The test we took this past Tuesday was, as Nathan mentioned, was exactly what everyone expected. These classes are not easy - but the professors have been very understanding and accommodating to the fact that, for most of us, its our first time in Ireland, and may be staying out later or sleeping less than we would at home. :)

That's all for now - we're planning on visiting the Jameson Whiskey Distillery today, but we're driving there in a rented car and none of us have ever driven on the left hand side of the road before. We're also hitting up the Dingle peninsula and the Ring of Kerry, so we'll have quite a few pictures to put up as well!

Just got back from our first exam this afternoon, it was an hour long test on the history and political structure of the European Union and the Republic of Ireland. It also covered the Irish Constitution, the court system, and how that court system interprets that Constitution. It was kind of amazing how similar the issues dealt with by the Irish and E.U. courts were to some of the cases we read in U.S. Constitutional Law back at Pierce, be they social (for example, the right to privacy) or commercial (the E.U., being a free-trade zone, analyzes competition between members much as our federal system interprets the Commerce clause.)

Anyway, the test. Everyone I saw after leaving the room seemed pretty satisfied with how they did, so we'll see. One thing is for sure, nothing beats learning Irish and European law from Irish and European professors. Ordinarily, I'd try to incorporate the phrase "straight from the horse's mouth" here, but for all I know that is a grave insult in Irish culture, so I'll just leave it alone. There is talk of heading to the pub and tossing back a pint or two tonight to celebrate the test being over, a plan to which I am not opposed.

Good night from Eire. Within the next day or two I'll write about the trip a bunch of us took on Sunday to Cobh, last stop of the Titanic and home to an enormous cathedral. (Spoiler Alert: It was awesome!)

Well, we are officially one quarter of the way done with ELSI classes. Our first week here ended with a Cork courthouse tour on Friday, ably led by UCC lecturer Gerard Murphy. As part of the tour we were able to sit in the courtroom and watch barristers questioning one of the parties in a case. One interesting difference between our U.S. court system and the Irish system is that Irish judges don't wait for one of the barristers to raise an objection; the judge we watched, unprompted, scolded the party numerous times for trying to enter hearsay into evidence via his testimony. Afterwards, we gathered on the courthouse steps for a group photo.

Hello! Just to bring everyone up to speed, I'm Alan Slone - the other voice on the blog, along with Nathan. Sorry I haven't posted much yet - my experience getting here to Cork wasn't quite as pleasant as Nate's, so I'll post about that later. For now, I'm going to answer some questions about what exactly the costs of living in this country has been so far, and what costs less, more, or the same.

The Euro
So far, the Euro has been fairly easy to deal with; if you've done any international travel, (even if you've only gone to Canada on a weekend), you're not going to have much trouble with the Euro. All change under 5 Euro is in coins, and the bills get larger in size the larger the value, along with being different colors. The system is completely different than the dollar, but you'll get used to it quickly.

Food
If you're thinking about attending the 2008 eLSI program, one question you'll have is how far the Euro will go to get you food. The long and short of it is: don't eat out if you are trying to stay on a budget. This sounds familiar, but unlike the States were there is plentiful and decent fast food everywhere, most places around Cork are actual restaurants, which means they're not cheap - the food will be good, but the prices will be much higher. You're best served by eating at your apartment - I was able to purchase approximately 4 days of food for 20 Euro, assuming I wasn't shopping at Marks and Spencer's (a higher-end grocery store).

Bars
Strangely, even though Ireland has many pubs where the locals hang out on a regular basis, the cost of drinks in Ireland are not cheaper than those you would find in any Concord bar. Sometimes, they can be a bit more expensive, depending on what you decide to get from the pipes. We've found the average for a pint of beer to be around 4 to 6 Euro, with mixed drinks being around 5 to 7 Euro.

Transport
There are two main types of car transport here in Cork - Taxis (more official) and Cabs (cost less). I, from my experience, would advise trying to find cabs once your in town, but you'll probably take a taxi from the airport. Once you find a good cabbie, you should take a number to get in touch with him, as having a good cab driver can be a real godsend if you find yourself out somewhere and needing to get to another place. Taxi stands aren't everywhere, and a cabbie will know you and be much more friendly, whereas you might not get a friendly taxi driver if you just call a general number. While most people I've interacted with here in Cork have been amazingly nice, there are those who are not so friendly, mostly from other countries.

That's all for now. We've only been here for 4 days now, so after we do some traveling/looking around this weekend, we'll post some pictures from there.

Well, classes have been underway for 3 days now and they are going great. So far we have been learning a lot about the history and structure of the European Union, as well as the way some of the intellectual property laws work over here. I was rather surprised at the extent to which the relationship between the E.U. and its member states is similar to the relationship between the U.S. federal government and our states.

Last night the University held a wine reception to welcome us to the school and the country. The President of the University, faculty, and local barristers were also there. In case you didn't realize, there are two types of lawyer in many civil law societies. When a person here has a problem he goes to a solicitor, who advises him and researches his problem. If the case eventually goes to trial, the solicitor then calls in the big guns: a barrister. The barrister is our equivalent of a trial lawyer and is sort of the rock star of the civil law scene. Another way they are like rock stars is that they wear wigs and dress all in black, just like the New York Dolls. Anyway, I didn't get to meet any barristers last night (they were wigless and thus hard to spot) but I'll get my opportunity when we visit the Cork District Court on Friday. I did get to meet a lot of the non-Pierce people in the program and a lot of the faculty. Afterwards, faculty and students went to a local wine bar, where some of the professors kindly footed the bill. Thanks professors!

Hello! Or as the Irish say, "hello!" (unless they're speaking Gaelic). I arrived in Cork minutes ago after an overnight flight from Boston to Dublin followed by a short hop from Dublin to Cork airport followed by a bus ride that, due to my misunderstanding of the distinctive Cork dialect spoken by the kindly driver, ended about a 10 minute walk too early for me and my heavy duffel bag. Oh well. My right shoulder could use the exercise.

Anyway, the apartment complex that Franklin Pierce students are staying in is kind of like a dorm but it is clean, reasonable spacious, and much closer to restaurants, bars, and the university than I had believed. Hmm-- looking back on that last sentence, I feel like maybe I should have led off with "university", it might have set a better tone for the blog. Well, it's too late now; I already typed it.

Since my experience thus far has mostly involved the airport and airplanes, it's all I can speak of for now. One example: you know how people in the United States disembark a plane row by row, waiting for the guy in the seat ahead of them as he wrestles with an oversized carry-on wedged in the overhead bin? Apparently, that's not how the Irish do it. As soon as the plane rolls to a stop there is a mad dash to the front of the plane. I am ALWAYS tempted to do that on the plane, so I love this new approach.

I'll write more tomorrow once I've gotten some sleep and some of the reading assignments done for my first day of the eLaw Summer Institute on Monday, and I'll also try to get some pictures of Cork. For now, I'll leave you with this picture, taken right out the window of our apartment living room slider to our veranda. The bells in the steeple were ringing as I snapped the picture-- I kid you not.

Passport Information
Ireland requires all visitors have a valid passport. Tourists are not required to obtain visas for stays less than 90 day, but may be asked to show onward/return ticket information. For further information, consult the Embassy of Ireland, 2234 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008. tel: 202.462.3939; email: www.irelandemb.org

Travel Information
You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements. Do not buy a one–way ticket, even if you are not sure when you want to return home. Most foreign countries require visitors to have a round–trip ticket before they are allowed to enter.

Other things to think about
* Ireland uses 220 power, not 110. Even if you take power convertible equipment (your computer for example) you will need a plug adapter. These can be purchased in a kit through Wal–Mart, Brookstones, and other large chain stores as well as at the airport.

* For general information on Ireland, I recommend you visit the official U.S. government website at www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3180.htm#travel. There is a wealth of information there that you will find interesting.