For more than a decade, White & Case has collaborated with the Kingdom of Bhutan to establish the country's first—and only—law school, Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law). In November 2022 JSW Law held its inaugural graduation ceremony, awarding law degrees to a class of 25 students who began their studies in 2017. For Bhutan, a new democracy, these and future graduates trained in the country's laws and legal tradition will be essential in strengthening the rule of law.

Advancing legal education globally

Our collaboration on this project began in 2008 when Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck invited White & Case Chair Hugh Verrier to visit the country. This visit set in motion our pro bono relationship, which came to include legal education programs that support the country's judiciary and government lawyers, the establishment of Bhutan's first law library (now housed at JSW Law) and steady work over several years on the law school itself, focused on issues such as admissions, recruiting, curriculum, staffing, accreditation and fundraising.

The law school's first class of students began their studies at a temporary campus in Taba, a neighborhood in Bhutan's capital, Thimphu. They transitioned to remote learning during the pandemic and were able to complete their law degree at the permanent JSW Law campus, which opened in spring 2022 in the mountains above Paro, Bhutan. Attendees at their historic graduation, held on the permanent campus, included King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, JSW Law's President Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, Verrier and other foreign and high-level government guests.

The 25 law graduates receive a blessing at dawn to kick off the graduation ceremony.

Building real-world legal skills

To equip graduates with practical legal skills, all JSW Law students spend their final semester as legal interns in government, the nonprofit sector or private practice. Two members of JSW Law's graduating class, Tika Ram Basnet and Jigme Namgyel, interned at our Washington, DC, office in spring 2022.

Basnet, whose internship focused on data privacy and cybersecurity laws, says the experience gave him a solid foundation for a future in which he hopes to "work as a lawyer, entrepreneur and tech expert, helping social enterprises and more ambitiously helping the country address various legal questions as it builds important digital infrastructure." Basnet has already founded a tech startup called Weblaya with a social enterprise model and, in his spare time, works with social enterprises such as Bhutan Blossoms to restructure and incorporate their businesses.

Namgyel, who was embedded with the Global Citizenship team, says he is "grateful for the meaningful relationship the law school shares with White & Case, and for the wonderful opportunity to learn and grow so much at the internship." Namgyel is working on establishing a foreign direct investment company, Terra Himalaya, which will partner with farmers to encourage regenerative agricultural practices and community groups that seek to protect forests in rural Bhutan to produce EU-certified organic essential oils for export to Europe.

"Being part of JSW Law's first graduating class is as humbling as it is terrifying," says Namgyel. "We are graduating as Bhutan is undergoing deliberate and rapid transformation across all sectors, and I am excited about the work my friends and classmates will be doing and the deeply impactful roles we hope to all play."

White & Case will continue to support Bhutan, including through ongoing advice to JSW Law, on pro bono projects, such as climate-related work, and by sending lawyers to lecture and teach at the law school.

Other legal education highlights

Training future arbitration lawyers
White & Case hosted arbitration students in a unique cross-office event, called the Vis Colloquium, in support of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The Firm's Vis Colloquium was held in ten of our offices and attended virtually and in person by 600 participants from 30 countries. The event featured international arbitration practitioners and academics who presented tips on researching the Vis Moot Problem and offered advice on written and oral advocacy.

"The Vis competition develops written and oral advocacy skills that will serve students well in their legal careers and also provides invaluable opportunities for students to network with legal practitioners," says Kirsten Odynski, a partner in our Paris office. "The Colloquium is an opportunity for our many Vis alumni to share their experiences and expertise with participating teams."

Alternative dispute resolution training in Sri Lanka
In collaboration with the Commercial Law Development Program of the United States Department of Commerce, lawyers from our Washington, DC, office led arbitration workshops for 100+ regional practitioners in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The training included an overview of international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, strategies on the written and oral phases of arbitration proceedings, approaches to taking evidence and enforcing or challenging the arbitral award. We also conducted a related panel on investment arbitration for 100+ local government officials, practitioners and industry leaders, along with the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka.

Business law and ethics seminars for students in Laos
In collaboration with BABSEACLE, a justice education organization operating in Asia, we provided an online Business Law and Ethics seminar series for students from five law campuses in Laos. Seventeen partners and associates from five offices across Asia-Pacific delivered seven monthly sessions (two to three hours each) aimed at developing students' legal skills and giving them a different perspective on a range of business law issues. Topics included client-centric advice, an overview of business law, rule of law, conflicts of interest, and acting in the best interest of your client and in a manner that promotes international human rights standards.

Photo by © JSW Law
Bhutanese law students attend the inaugural graduation ceremony.

Photo by © JSW Law
The 25 law graduates receive a blessing at dawn to kick off the graduation ceremony.