When Heimo Weiss, ‘19, was considering LLM programs, University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law stood out. Studying abroad in California would give him the opportunity to practice English in a legal setting. No other school could beat Sacramento’s location, where Weiss was able to surf at the beach one day and ski in Lake Tahoe the next. And the competitive scholarship offer was the clincher.

A native of Salzburg, Austria, Weiss came to McGeorge to equip himself with the skills necessary to excel in international law. He successfully completed his LLM degree in Transnational Business Practice. Now, Weiss works as an associate specializing in litigation and arbitration at Wolf Theiss, one of the foremost international law firms in Austria.

Weiss took a number of classes that help him in his work today. One stand out class for Weiss was Professor Stephen McCaffrey’s Transnational Litigation course. The lessons Professor McCaffrey taught on distinguishing when Austrian versus European Union laws apply to disputes are helpful to Weiss’s practice today. 

Another memorable course was International Arbitration with Professor Jarrod Wong. 

“He taught us about international commercial and investment arbitration, which is not a subject you normally have in university in Austria,” Weiss said. “When I started working, we had one big commercial arbitration case exactly dealing with ICC Arbitration Rules, and I didn't have to study everything from scratch. I was at a big advantage.”

Weiss still uses the assigned textbook from this class today and has shared it with his colleagues.

Weiss describes his time at McGeorge as the best year of his life. The staff at McGeorge helped to make the transition from Austria to America easy. He has fond memories of potlucks and other events with the international student cohort, who became like family to him; they still keep in touch. Weiss also joined McGeorge’s Rugby Football Club and took advantage of opportunities to travel around the country.

Weiss also had a unique opportunity that few exchange students have: the chance to bring McGeorge students to his home country. Every summer, McGeorge sponsors a study abroad opportunity at the University of Salzburg in Austria. McGeorge students in the law school’s Summer Program on International Legal Studies take three weeks of classes on international legal studies, taught by both American and European faculty. Many McGeorge students also participate in McGeorge’s distinctive European Law in Practice internships with European legal employers.

Through a work-study position, Weiss assisted Assistant Dean Clémence Kucera in coordinating the program. It was a meaningful part of his studies.

Since graduating from McGeorge, Weiss has recommended the LLM program to other potential students, including those who may be hesitant to study abroad. Before coming to McGeorge, Weiss had never left Salzburg.

“There is not a single person that will ever regret studying abroad; I would recommend it to everybody,” Weiss said.  “When you go abroad, you really realize that the world is not just Austria or Europe — it is way bigger.”