WUSTL student wins National Law Review writing contest

Korean LLM student Heejung Park studying U.S. law

The National Law Review (NLR) has named Heejung Park, a master of laws (LLM) student at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, a winner of its student writing contest. Park, who is from Korea, is studying U.S. law.

Park’s article, “Alternatives to International Criminal Justice — Restorative Justice and Peace Through Peaceful Means,” looks at different approaches to identifying the fundamental causes of crimes as well as addressing crime.

The NLR’s writing contest, open to all students enrolled at an accredited law school, typically is won by American law students.

Park selected his article topic based on his professional work and interests in human rights, peace and social enterprise.

“When I was working for an adoption agency and for the Ministry of Justice in South Korea, I naturally was exposed to issues involving human rights and peace,” Park says. “At that time, I became interested in human rights for prisoners and how to reduce the crime rate around the world.”

Peter K. Cramer, PhD, assistant dean of graduate programs, says Park is the kind of student the school is seeing more of — “a well-trained foreign lawyer who shares his or her expertise with the U.S. and international legal community while acquiring an LLM degree at Washington University.”

“Thus, the LLM program is becoming a powerhouse for exchanging ideas and establishing international networks,” Cramer says.

WUSTL’s Master of Laws Program in U.S. Law gives students from around the world an opportunity to gain practical and theoretical knowledge of U.S. and international law while strengthening their ability to advocate for clients who have business dealings in the United States or with U.S. companies and firms.

International students who earn the LLM may take the bar exam in New York and 10 other states.

After completing his degree at WUSTL, Park plans to continue his study of U.S. law, focusing either on international criminal law or family law.

“Eventually, I hope to work with an NGO (non-governmental organization) or an international social enterprise on issues of justice and improving society,” Park says.

View Park’s complete NLR article at natlawreview.com/article/alternatives-to-international-criminal-justice-restorative-justice-and-peace-through-peacefu.

The NLR is a website featuring a monthly legal magazine paired with a database dedicated to providing authoritative legal analysis written by lawyers from many of the nation’s premier firms.