Study in Rome Summer 2025

Legal Research
Professor Rachel H. Smith
1 Credit; 2 Weeks
In first year Legal Research and writing, students are introduced to foundational legal research sources and methods.  In this class, students will build on that knowledge to learn how effectively and efficiently conduct state and federal legal research in a variety of free, fee-based, print and online sources.  Students will gain an understanding of legislative, judicial, and administrative sources of legal information.  Students will learn how to develop and execute research strategies to answer practical and scholarly legal questions. Grades will be based on short exercises completed outside of class during the semester and a final research project.

International Litigation in U.S. Courts 
Professor Robert Ruescher
2 Credits; 4 Weeks
The course will explore selected procedural issues arising out of transnational transactions and events that are litigated in U.S. courts. The topics that will be examined include jurisdictional issues involving foreign nationals; service of process abroad; discovery abroad; recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in the United States, and of United States judgments abroad; forum non conveniens dismissals; and parallel proceedings. Because of the overlap between this course and “International Litigation & Dispute Resolution,” students who take one of these courses may not also take the other. Grades will be based on a final examination.

Professional Responsibility: Global Context
Professor Eric Shannon
3 Credits; 4 Weeks
This course addresses the history, goals, structure, values and responsibilities of the legal profession and its members in the United States and the European Union. While it focuses on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the course takes a comparative approach to issues such as the lawyer’s responsibilities in civil and criminal matters, confidentiality and privilege, representation of entities, and the lawyer’s duties to improve the administration and availability of justice. Special attention will be paid to issues that arise in multijurisdictional practices and the distinctions between common law and civil legal systems. Grades will be based on written and oral in-class exercises, and a final examination. This course satisfies the Professional Responsibility Requirement.

Law & Literature
Professor Rosa Castello
1 credit; 2 weeks
Students in this course will read works of literature by such authors as Aeschylus, William Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, Charlotte Bronte and Virginia Woolf to study various topics including the moral and ethical dimensions of law, law's connection to the fate of individuals, and the connections among law, authority and humanity, using principles of traditional, modern and post-modern literary criticism. Short weekly nongraded responses are required. Grades are based upon attendance, participation in class discussions, and either three short papers or one long research paper.  Students may use course to complete Scholarly Writing Requirement (SWR).

Poverty Across Borders: Legal Responses to Poverty and Inequality 
Professor Ann Goldweber
2 credits; 2 weeks
This seminar explores the causes of poverty and governmental responses through a comparative examination of poverty in the United States and Italy.  We will study how each country: legally defines and measures poverty; perceives people living in poverty; develops laws to address poverty; and responds to the inequality associated with living in poverty.  Topics will include: the legal definition of poverty; governmental public benefits programs; housing; homelessness; and access to justice and the courts.

Professor Rachel H. Smith
In addition to serving as the Vice Dean for Student Success, Rachel H. Smith teaches Legal Writing, Legal Research, and Law & Literature. 

Rachel is the author of two legal writing books: The Handbook for the New Legal Writer (with Jill Barton) and The Legal Writing Survival Guide. Both books aim to demystify the process of legal writing and serve as a source of encouragement for beginning and more experienced legal writers. Rachel has presented at national and regional legal writing conferences on topics including teaching with positivity, using popular non-fiction in the legal writing classroom, and the pedagogy of using examples. In 2009, Rachel received a grant from the Association of Legal Writing Directors to prepare a series of legal writing podcasts called “Perk Up Your Pens.”

Before coming to St. John’s, Rachel was a founding member of the Legal Communication and Research Skills faculty at the University of Miami School of Law. In addition to teaching the first-year legal writing course, she developed a popular course on Advanced Techniques in Written Persuasion. Before that, she was part of the Legal Analysis Research and Writing Faulty at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was twice awarded the Legal Writing Teacher of the Year Award.

Rachel received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. After graduation, she worked as a litigator in the San Francisco office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP where she worked on a variety of intellectual property disputes for toy, tech, and casino gaming companies. 

Professor Robert A. Ruescher
Professor Ruescher is a Professor of Legal Writing and Director of the law school's LL.M. in U.S. Legal Studies Program. He currently teaches Applied Legal Analysis, Civil Prodedure, Introduction to Law, and U.S. Legal Analysis and Writing for foreign trained lawyers. Before joining the law faculty in 2001, Professor Ruescher taught first-year writing, introductory research, and various upper-class writing courses at New York Law School. He also helped develop and administer that school's Writing Program courses and served as Assistant Director of the Program in 1999-2000. In addition, he has practiced banking, corporate, and securities law at several law firms, principally Moses & Singer in Manhattan.

Professor Ruescher presently serves as faculty advisor to the St. John's Law Review and Director of the law school's U.S. Legal Studies Program.  He has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching, most recently for First-Year Professor of the Year (2012-2013) and Professor of the Year (2013-2014).  He is a co-author of The Lawyer's Craft (Anderson Publishing Co. 2001), a first-year legal writing text.

Professor Ann L. Goldweber
Professor Ann Goldweber is Director of Clinical Legal Education and Director of the Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic. The Clinic represents low-income Queens older residents in predatory lending, foreclosure defense, mortgage loan modifications, deed theft, foreclosure rescue scams, home improvement contractor fraud and debt collection cases.  Clinic students also provide community outreach and education at senior centers throughout Queens and have been invited by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide its General Counsel with information about our cases and consumer issues affecting our client community.

In addition to her work directing and creating the Law School's clinics, Professor Goldweber currently teaches Poverty Law and a first year Lawyering course.  She was awarded the 2019-2020 Dean's Award for Outstanding Teaching for both the Clinic and Poverty Law. She has also taught negotiations, interviewing, and pre-trial and trial advocacy skills at the Law School.  She taught contract law to law students in Paris, France, and at the Judges' Institute in China.

Prior to joining the law faculty, Professor Goldweber was a partner at the firm of Goldweber Lauriello and Epstein L.L.P. and practiced in the areas of environmental law, employment discrimination, and family law. She started her career as a legal services attorney where she developed and ran a civil legal services program for low-income clients in rural Wisconsin. She then served for twelve years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office enforcing environmental laws in state and federal courts.

Professor Eric Shannon
As Associate Dean of Students, Professor Eric Shannon is primarily responsible for the academic, intellectual, psychological, and personal aspects of student life at the Law School. Eric has also taught courses in both the J.D. and LL.M. programs at St. John’s as an adjunct professor. Before initially joining St. John’s as a career development counselor in 2018, Eric worked for several years as a litigator at an international corporate law firm. He is a graduate of Cornell University, Fordham’s Graduate School of Education, and NYU School of Law. Before obtaining his J.D., he spent two years in the Teach for America corps as a high school biology teacher.

Professor Rosa Castello
Rosa Castello is Associate Dean for Assessment and Accreditation and Professor of Legal Writing. She currently teaches Legal Writing I & II, Legal Research, and other upper-level writing courses. Professor Castello is the co-faculty advisor for the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development and faculty advisor for the Commercial Division Online Law Report.

Professor Castello has presented at several national and regional legal academia conferences on topics including integrating skills and doctrine and assessment and law school culture. Her scholarship focuses on legal writing pedagogy and assessment.

Professor Castello was in private practice as a litigation associate at the New York office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and taught legal writing for one year as an adjunct professor at New York Law School. She is a 2006 summa cum laude graduate of St. John's School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. After law school, she was a clerk for the Honorable William C. Connor of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and for the Honorable Walter K. Stapleton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Tentative Schedule

May 26 – June 6 (Monday through Friday)

•    9:00 am – 10:50am/11:40 am Professional Responsibility: Global Context
•    11:00 am - 1:00 pm Legal Research
•    11:00 am - 1:00 pm Law & Literature
•    11:50 am – 1:00 pm International Litigation in U.S. Courts

June 9 – June 20 (Monday through Friday)

•    9:00 am – 10:25 am Professional Responsibility: Global Context
•    10:35 am – 12:20 pm International Litigation in U.S. Courts
•    10:35 am – 1:00 pm Poverty Across Borders: Legal Responses to Poverty and Inequality

The Rome St. John’s campus is fully accessible to students with disabilities. Please be aware that many places in Italy and in the city of Rome may not have similar accommodations. The following information is available on the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Italy website:

ACCESSIBILITY: While in Italy, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from in the United States. Many find Italy’s narrow cobbled streets and storied monuments charming; they can, however, be a challenge for physically impaired travelers. Many Italian sidewalks lack ramps, and some Italian streets lack sidewalks altogether or, as in Venice, feature stairs and narrow pedestrian bridges. While some major sights and hotels have put time and planning into ensuring accessibility, there are others that lack ramps, elevators, or handicap-accessible bathrooms. Advance planning can go a long way in making a difference in accommodation for disabled travelers. Inform airlines and hotels of your disability when making reservations as some time may be needed to prepare accommodation. Call ahead to restaurants, museums, and other facilities to find out if they are wheelchair accessible. Most, but not all, train stations in Italy have accommodations for those traveling in wheelchairs. With advance notice, personal assistance can be provided to a disabled person traveling through a particular station. More information is available at Trenitalia's website addressing disabled travelers. For those who wish to rent cars, hand-controlled vehicles are available in Italy from major car rental companies. You should contact the car rental company well in advance of your trip in order to reserve the vehicle. Remember that Italy functions on 220-volt current. To recharge an electric wheelchair motor, you may need a transformer to change the 230V supply voltage and 50Hz. as well as an adapter to adjust the plug to fit Italian electrical sockets.

According to the EU regulation, to introduce animals in Italy from third countries, among which the United States, it is mandatory to obtain a European Community veterinary certificate for each pet that will be introduced in the Member States. For more information, please visit the Pet Travel FAQs (to Italy and to the U.S.) via the  U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Italy website.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

If changes in the course offerings or other significant aspects of the Program occur prior to the commencement of the Program, those changes will be communicated promptly by email and registrants who have paid a deposit or registered for the Program will be given an opportunity to withdraw, with a refund provided for any Program costs paid, less the non-refundable $500 deposit.

Students who wish to cancel their participation in the Rome Program for any other reason after registering must notify the Program Director Dean Eric W. Shannon ([email protected]) before April 1, 2025. In such cases, the student will receive a full refund, less the non-refundable $500 deposit.

Students who submit notice of cancellation after April 1, 2025, may receive a partial refund. The Program Director will make a decision on any partial refunds depending on the timing of, and reason for, the cancellation on a case by case basis.

In addition, St. John’s School of Law reserves the right to modify, amend, or cancel the Rome Program because of insufficient enrollment. St. John’s will make every effort to make any amendment/cancellation decisions by April 1, 2025. In the unlikely event the Program has to be cancelled prior to its commencement or during the course of the Program, students will receive communication immediately by email and notice of cancellation will be posted on this website. If the Program has to be cancelled for any reason, we will make every effort to assist students in finding a similar alternative program if the student sends the Program Director a written request within seven business days of the notice of cancellation

2025 Rome Summer Study Abroad Application

The deadline to apply is Friday, February 28, 2025 at 12pm Noon. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.