One is called Energy Law: Emerging Markets. Now, I suppose it is fair to say that, at least to U.S. standards, I come from a country that may be regarded as emerging. OK, a lot of you who have lived there in the last 8 years would dispute that to some degree but I hope we have made some progress (again, it depends on the basis to which we compare). Anyway, an interesting feature of this class is the professor who teaches it. He is an of-counsel (i.e. a working pensioner in U.S. terms) at a tiny law firm. Also, he speaks somewhat slowly. Normally this would be a good thing, since a lot of us don't speak English as a first language and this makes the guy more understandable. But he speeks reeeally sloooow. Some of you may know a certain attorney in the Frankfurt office of Freshfields, who is about the same age (approx. 65), speaks really slowly and lost a considerable portion of his hair (probably due to the case we had involving a certain arbitration and its challenge). This is one fact I cannot put aside. This resemblance is quite distracting. Anyway, the class is more or less a historic study of how former communist command economis have been transformed into something else. When I took the class, I thought to myself, I might as well tell these folks what life is like in such a country. I wouldn't have thought that most of the people who actually took this course came from such countries and apparently the teaching process has been reversed. We teach the professor of some things he missed while he was practicing in Russia in the 1990s.
Another class I took is Oil & Gas Law. Seems obvious to take when I try to major in energy law around here. What I didn't know was that this class is solely and completely about Texan law. No international or even interstate elements of any kind. Well, I came here to study some real American law, so I guess I'll have to settle with that. The professor is a really funny person. He's not so young anymore but is as energetic as no other.
First thing he said after introducing himself:
"Oil and gas law was not biult on rationality. It was built on the notion of MORE OIL!"
Another example of his realistic approach:
"Law is all made up. All you need is a set of words and you can solve any problem."
He has a pretty innovative teaching method: comics. He draws little comics while he explains cases and makes the class really interactive. Today, for instance, we were arbitrarily divided into three groups: "strict fathers", "black letter lawyers" and "nurturing parents". The purpose was to look at some issues from these standpoints, like what happens if some drills an oil well and drains oil from his neighbor's land.
A constant line he drops every other minute, that is when he finishes a block:
"Questions? Comments? Outrage?"In any event, the best way to describe his way of speaking: Denny Crane!
Well, the main difference probably is the prof has no trace of arrogance in him.
1 comment:
Danny Crane!
I love it! :)
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