From 2018 to 2020, UC Law SF administered a subcontract from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We advised on the pros and cons of establishing an LLM program at one Uzbek law school, conducted a legal clinic assessment of two law school legal clinics, prepared curricula and conducted training of trainers (TOT) on clinical education, and delivered remote TOT courses on the common law legal system and on legislative drafting. Professors Linh Spencer and Yvonne Troya carried out the curricular and assessment work in Uzbekistan, while Professor Jessica Vapnek and Helga Turku JD ’12 delivered TOT courses to law professors and prosecutors by Zoom during the pandemic.

Under a grant from the SPC from 2019 to 2021, UC Law SF prepared an article on how to draft effective coastal fisheries and aquaculture legislation. In addition, led by Professor Jessica Vapnek, UC Law SF developed and prepared an asynchronous legislative drafting training course on the same topic. The training course, which targets fisheries policy and legal officers from Pacific Island countries and territories, aims to build capacity for effective coastal fisheries management. The modules cover legislative drafting and analysis techniques, including how to draft clearly and unambiguously, organize concepts logically, and turn policy into law. Alexandro Sauerwein JD ’20 worked on both the article and the online course materials, as did Peter Boaz JD ’12. In 2021 and 2022, Vapnek, Boaz, and Sauerwein administered the course to fisheries officers from countries across the Pacific. Meanwhile, several UC Law SF JD students – Brian Calavan, Kelilah Federman, Kelsey Galantich, Brandon Hupka, Margaret von Rotz, Julia Sanchez, and Tara Pierce provided research assistance or held virtual externships with the SPC (which is based in New Caledonia), both during and after the pandemic.

Since 2021, UC Law SF has been supporting the World Organization for Animal Health (formerly known as OIE), by preparing a methodology and the veterinary chapter of a study on how countries can evaluate their national legislative frameworks on antimicrobial resistance. Professor Jessica Vapnek spearheaded this effort, which was conducted under the auspices of the tripartite (three UN specialized agencies – the World Organization for Animal Health, World Health Organization, and UN Food and Agriculture Organization). In addition, UC Law SF JD student Kelsey Galantich completed an international externship at WOAH headquarters in Paris in 2019 and has worked both in Paris and Botswana for WOAH ever since.

From 2021 to 2023, under two subcontracts from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and US small business Millennium Partners, UC Law SF carried out quality control and backstopping of a local Ethiopian evaluation team from the University of Bahir Dar Law Faculty which assessed all 33 LLM programs throughout Ethiopia. The assessment, overseen by Professors Jessica Vapnek and Lois Schwartz, covered curriculum, teaching, placement, and staffing, among other topics. UC Law SF MSL student Meron Agonafer provided research support. Additionally, UC Law SF and affiliated faculty have reviewed textbooks on tax law (Professor Leo Martinez), labor law (Professor Miriam Cherry), and business law (Professor Abe Cable) prepared by the Ethiopian law faculties.

Evaluation of the Development Law Service

In 2022, UC Law SF conducted an external evaluation of FAO’s Development Law Service (LEGN). Professor Jessica Vapnek and her team administered surveys, carried out a desk review of documents and databases, led focus groups, and conducted individual interviews of international and national legal consultants, FAO legal and non-legal staff, FAO headquarters and non-headquarters staff, national government counterparts, and institutional partners. The objective of the evaluation was to assess LEGN’s achievements from 2018-21 in relation to achieving the goals of FAO’s Strategic Framework. Arturo Reyes JD ’19 supported this effort, as did UC Law SF JD students Jillian Guernsey and Jacklin Lee.   

UN Decade on Family Farming  

In 2020 and 2021, UC Law SF developed a methodology and prepared a publication examining legislative and regulatory frameworks for family farming, and then presented the results to parliamentarians convening in Rome. The resulting publication examines how legislation can best support policy processes aimed at advancing family farming and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. Peter Boaz JD ’15 worked on this activity and co-authored the publication, while UC Law SF JD students Sarah Casey, Jasmin Cohen, Carlisle Engelhardt, Chris Michail, Cameron Sousa, and MSL student Mikhail Yakovlev provided research support.

Legislation Guidelines

From 2019 to 2021, UC Law SF supported the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) by revising four publications on legislative drafting. First, we updated a pesticide legislation publication, which provides guidance to national policy and lawmakers seeking to update their national legal frameworks for pesticides. Second, we prepared draft guidelines on pesticide licensing legislation. The draft guidelines, prepared by Professor Jessica Vapnek and Alexandro Sauerwein JD ’20, will become official guidelines adopted by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) under the International Code of Conduct for the Management of Pesticides. Third, we updated a practitioner’s guide on how to prepare legislation under the auspices of technical assistance projects. The update included adding a new chapter on gender-sensitive legislative drafting. Finally, we provided inputs to draft regional guidelines on food safety legislation.       

From 2022 to 2024, UC Law SF is implementing a project funded by a $352,000 grant from the US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) entitled, “Expanding and Improving Practical Legal Education in Kosovo.” The project has three overall objectives: improving critical thinking skills among Kosovar law students and recent graduates; increasing Kosovar law faculty capacity to teach critical thinking skills; and producing a transformed and accredited curriculum that empowers Kosovar professors to apply new skills. This enduring exchange program consists of targeted assistance in three areas: (1) curriculum review, in general and on clinical legal education specifically; (2) training-of-trainers for Kosovar law professors; and (3) collaborative work with the Kosovar Accrediting Agency. The UC Law SF team is led by Professor Jessica Vapnek, along with multiple UC Law SF and affiliated faculty and students. Dean Gail Silverstein and Prof. Betsy Candler travelled to Kosovo in fall 2022, while the dean and two faculty members from the University of Pristina spent a week in San Francisco in 2023.

UC Law SF’s International Development Law Center was recently awarded a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana. The 15 month project is intended to foster a lasting exchange between the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) in Ghana and UC Law SF. In addition to supporting the Ghanaian law professors as they shift to a more analytical skills-based curriculum, UC Law SF professors will conduct short courses on human rights, data privacy, and other topics of interest to Ghanaian law professors and students. UC Law SF welcomed Professor Francisca Kusi-Appiah to San Francisco for training of trainers in 2023.