Jack Wray JD’19 traveled across the globe — 5,628 miles to be exact — to study law this summer. Wray participated in a Vanderbilt Law School study abroad opportunity in Venice, Italy, where he took four international law classes in six weeks.
In addition to the six-week program, Wray and his fiancé, Crista Coven, spent the week before and the week after exploring Europe. Wray completed courses on international commercial arbitration, transnational litigation, counter terrorism, and European Union Law.
“Learning international law was very beneficial to my education, because I learned about subjects that were literally and figuratively foreign to me,” he said. “I feel like the program gave me different perspective on the legal system of the U.S. and helped me contextualize the classes I take during the school year.”
Monday through Friday, Wray studied and tried local restaurants and cafes with his fellow Vanderbilt students. On the weekends, he and Coven took trips to Milan, Geneva, and Berlin. Before and after the program, they spent time in Ireland, Paris, and Munich.
Wray said he’d definitely encourage other students to seek out study abroad programs.
“It gives you an opportunity to explore the world while also furthering your legal education.”
About Willamette University College of Law
Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship and mentorship. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.