In April of this year, Lori Charvat, a CEP law lecturer in Iasi, Romania, accompanied two CEP law students - one from Romania and one from Estonia - to attend the annual conference of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). These students were the winners of an essay contest. The contest, announced through e-mail, invited CEP law students throughout the region to write a 7 - 10 page essay on the Function of the Rule of Law in Building a Democratic Society. Members of the Yale Journal of International Law judged the papers and selected Catalin Cosovanu of Romania and Ardi Roosimaa of Estonia as the winning essayists. This trip was funded by travel grants from the Romanian and Estonian Open Society Foundations, a grant from a charitable trust, private donations, the American Society of International Law, and the Waldorf Astoria.

The focal point of the journey to New York was the ASIL conference, which was held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, April 3-9. Lawyers and law students from across the United States and from over 40 countries attended the conference, which addressed the Changing Structure of the World Order. Madeleine Albright, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, gave the key-note speech. Seminars covering a wide range of topics from international human rights to multinational corporate financing were conducted. The ASIL conference was an opportunity for CEP students to meet American law students of international law, as well as diplomats from the European Union, and international law practitioners

In addition to participating in the ASIL conference, the students had the chance to visit many New York landmarks, such as the New York Stock Exchange, the United Nations, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and more. Catalin and Ardi toured the law schools of New York University and Yale, where they also attended classes and met with admission counselors. While in New Haven, the students visited CEPÕs New Haven office and enjoyed dinner with the staff.

The law student tour to New York was a success, combining education, travel, and an opportunity to make friends and contacts. Catalin and Ardi returned to their home countries, having had, in their words, the time of their lives.