On April 27, 2021, the legal team of BRICS New Development Bank visited Jiangwan Campus of Fudan University on invitation, to share with the students and faculty of the Law School their experience, feeling and understanding of serving as a legal officer in an international organization. Associate Professor Chen Li (Mr.) of Fudan University Law School hosted the experience sharing session.

As early as the second half of 2020, Fudan University Law School had reached a cooperation agreement with NDB, according to which Professors Zhang Naigen, Chen Li (Ms.) and Chen Li (Mr.) conducted an online training program for its legal team, respectively delivering courses from the perspectives of international public law, international commercial arbitration law and international financial law. These courses focused on the problematic legal issues that NDB was confronted with in its daily business.

Before this experience sharing session, Fudan University Law School held a brief closing ceremony and discussion forum for the legal team of NDB who had successfully completed the training program. Professor Chen Li (Ms.), Vice Dean of Law School, presided over the ceremony. Professor Wang Zhiqiang, Dean of Law School, delivered a welcome speech, expressing his hope for further cooperation and communication with NDB, and presented a commemorative shield and a photo album of the history of Fudan University Law School to Mr. Marcelo Cardoso, Principal Professional of NDB legal team. Afterwards, Professors Wang Zhiqiang, Chen Li (Ms.) and Zhang Naigen presented certificates of course completion and also souvenirs to the seven legal officers present at the ceremony.

During the experience sharing session, Associate Professor Chen Li (Mr.) asked the legal team what attributes and abilities are required for internship and work in international organizations, what courses and activities students can take accordingly, and how to balance legal work and life. The legal officers shared their experience with passion, and emphasized that law firms are good places for legal professionals to practice their professional skills and improve their professionalism, where the “rotation” mechanism helps young professionals find their true interests and passion. Students can also participate more in moot court competitions such as Jessup to practice their professional English writing and oral expression abilities. Besides, the legal officers said that it is important to be open to cultural differences, and always be curious about new things during internship and work in international organizations. Especially for Chinese students, they should not be too introverted and low-profile, and instead, they should be bold to express their opinions, show their good qualities, and have the courage to take the lead. Mr. Marcelo Cardoso, principal professional of NDB, pointed out that being a legal officer of an international organization, in addition to professional knowledge reserve of international public law, international commercial arbitration law and international financial law, one should also lay a solid foundation of domestic civil law (especially contract law), so that he could be more capable of handling those complex international commercial transactions with ease.

During the Q&A section, students asked the legal officers what their faith was about conducting legal affairs in a multilateral development bank, and whether there were any “highlights” in their working experience. Several of them mentioned that during the global COVID-19 pandemic, NDB made some contributions to the fight against pandemic and also economic recovery, demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of international organizations in response to public health emergency of international concern.

Professor Zhang Naigen made some concluding remarks towards the end of the experience sharing session. Mr. Zhang recalled some outstanding alumni’s experience who interned and worked in the UN, WTO, and other international organizations, and hoped that some elite students could be recommended for internship in the legal team of NDB in the future, which would strengthen the cooperation and communication between Fudan University Law School and NDB in terms of teaching and practice. In the end, all students and faculty present expressed their gratitude again to the legal team of NDB, and the experience sharing session came to an end with a warm applause.