2018 2018: Exchange program provides a global perspective

UMass Law's exchange program with the University of Limerick School of Law in Ireland gives students the opportunity to study international and comparative law abroad. Carly LaCrosse JD '18 took advantage of this opportunity and spent the fall semester of her final year in Ireland.

"I was incredibly lucky to attend the University of Limerick. The academic environment was unlike unlike anything I had ever experienced before," LaCrosse said. "My time in Ireland altered my perspective on the way law can function within a society. It opened my eyes to how much more I still want to know about how societies across the globe tackle the same issues we face here at home."

LaCrosse's roommates were from Catalonia, France, Italy, and Georgia, and she appreciated meeting people who represented a multitude of countries, cultures, and viewpoints. "I'm still in contact with many of the friends I made, and I plan to return to Ireland and to visit my friends in their home countries, as well."

She traveled to the cliffs of Moher, on part of the Ring of Kerry, and to Kilarney. "My time at these incredible locations was indescribably scenic and truly cathartic," she said.

Eye-opening experience

LaCrosse left Ireland with a different perspective, excited to implement what she learned abroad into her final semester of law school. "Ireland opened my eyes to a completely different way of structuring the process of obtaining a law degree and showed me how truly versatile a law degree can be. I returned home with a renewed sense of promise as my legal education drew to an end."

While in Ireland, LaCrosse was able to continue working as a law clerk with the small, private firm she began working for as a second-year student. Now, she's an associate with the firm, using her past experience in pharmaceuticals to research pharmacy and healthcare law and regulations.

More information

• UMass Law
• UMass Law: Limerick Exchange Program