The Schull Yang International Experience Award, supported by Joseph Schull (BA ‘82, MA ’85) and Anna Yang (BCL, LLB ’88), helps undergraduate and graduate students gain first hand international experience related to their fields of study. The award provides full or partial funding to assist students with tuition, travel, and other expenses related to their international experience. The Schull Yang International Experience Award is part of the McGill International Experience Awards. For more information, click here.
The Internship Offices Network is pleased to announce the selected McGill student for the 2018 summer internship at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and recipient of the Schull Yang International Experience Award, Alexander Agnello.
Alexander Agnello, BCL/LLB
Alexander is pursuing B.C.L/LL.B. degrees in the Faculty of Law at McGill. He will be interning with the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in the Executive Directorate. Alexander will assist the team by supporting efforts to review and develop the texts governing the OECD’s legal and policy framework. He believes that the wide spectrum of expertise at the OECD will provide him a solid trajectory for further pursing research and advocacy work at the intersection of international development, law, and public policy.
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I take this opportunity to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to Mr. Joseph Schull and Ms. Anna Yang for supporting my internship within the OECD’s Executive Directorate. Their generous support provided me with an invaluable opportunity to explore the interdisciplinary dimensions of law and legal practice, gain relevant work experience, and to develop a more nuanced understanding of global issues.
Working at the OECD allowed me to gain experience in areas of law that are not part of the mainstream curriculum in the McGill Faculty of Law, namely the law of international organizations and international administrative law. My supervisor treated me as a member of the team and assigned me interesting and challenging projects that are typically given to policy analysts. For example, I was tasked with drafting the first report to map out the components of the OECD’s internal justice system (dispute resolution mechanisms, safeguards for data privacy, etc.) and providing recommendations for reform. The recommendations were informed by benchmarking studies that considered the OECD’s legal framework for staff when compared with those of other international organizations. I also supported efforts to develop new texts governing the OECD’s legal and policy framework by working with colleagues in Human Resources Management and Legal to revise and amend the OECD Staff Regulations. McGill’s focus on legal pluralism and comparative law helped me to quickly familiarize myself with the legal aspects of international organizations and actively contribute to these projects.
My internship at the OECD also provided me with some excellent opportunities to be involved in the exchange of ideas on best practices and innovations for addressing key global challenges. I was fortunate to attend the first major international conference on blockchain’s impact on public sector governance. The conference featured many high-level panels on blockchain’s potential application to pressing and emerging legal issues, such as tax crime, cybersecurity, government transparency, and sustainability. These kinds of exchanges also took place on a daily basis with fellow interns. Being surrounded by talented people working in different domains promotes interdisciplinarity, which is critical for solving complex global problems.
As a budding lawyer who is deeply interested in issues related to the rule of law and economic development, I am very grateful to have had the rare opportunity to intern at the OECD. The experience has provided me with a greater understanding of the many moving parts of international development law and has allowed me to take a practice-based approach to my education.
It goes without saying that the support of the Schull Yang International Experience Award alleviates the financial burden associated with taking part in an internship programme, especially when the placement is in a city as expensive as Paris. I would not have been able to pursue this opportunity without this support.
