La Palabra spring 2009

Juan Pablo Espinosa, Intern, Office of the Attorney General-Ecuador

In the summer of 2008, I was accepted to do an internship in the International Litigation Department at the Office of The Attorney General-Ecuador. This department takes care of the most important litigation cases for the Republic of Ecuador. The lawyers and staff at this department are in charge of organizing the defense of Ecuador at the international arbitration courts. When I was an intern, there were about 12 international litigation processes. One of the most famous are the lawsuits against Texaco Oil Company and Occidental Oil company. Occidental Oil, for example, is suing Ecuador for about 3 billion dollars.

My duties as an intern included translating memorandums, e-mails, press releases, etc. from Spanish to English and vice versa. I was also in charge of doing academic research for international litigation that could be useful for the lawyers and staff of the office. Having the opportunity to be an intern at the Office of The Attorney General was a terrific experience and very valuable for my future educational goals. I was able to expand my knowledge about international law and gained a hands on experience.