Training that Travels Well
César Ternieden transitioned from immigration law in Arizona to arbitration in Egypt—his BU Law education bridged the gap.
For César Ternieden (LAW’00, CAS’01), blending degrees in law and international relations was a natural path toward work in human rights law. However, when the opportunity to move to Egypt presented itself, he found that a degree from Boston University School of Law could take him anywhere.
Shortly after graduating cum laude from BU Law, Ternieden began working at Pelino & Ternieden in Florence, Arizona, where he became a partner in immigration, refugee, and human rights law. He primarily represented individuals detained at facilities run by the Department of Homeland Security, some of whom had been previously detained by former sheriff Joe Arpaio before being transferred.
In an email interview, Ternieden writes that his interest in immigration law grew from his sense that it merged “international law concepts with human rights, in the general sense, and refugee law, more specifically.”
In 2010, Ternieden felt he was “ready to live and work abroad for the sake of living and working in a different culture… but also for a more international practice.” He transitioned from immigration law to international arbitration as of counsel for the Shahid Law Firm in Cairo, Egypt.
Because immigration law and international arbitration implement similar techniques in the courtroom, moving toward international arbitration was “a great fit.”
“My numerous hours of immigration defense court background provided great experience and preparation for arbitration hearings, especially in a civil law jurisdiction that is also heavily based on statutory provisions,” Ternieden writes.
He also attributes some of his success to his experience at BU Law. “[Clinical] Professor Susan Akram had a profound impact,” he writes, “she mentored me in immigration law and practice, and honed so many of the skills I now use and teach my junior lawyers.”
In addition, “the drafting and researching skills learned at BU Law prepared me to not be afraid to learn,” he writes. This came in handy when he was faced with a new legal framework, practice, and legal field in Egypt. “I felt that I carried sufficient skills to be able to tackle such a vastly different field,” he writes, “including working in a primarily civil jurisdiction, with a different historical legal background, in international commercial arbitration.”
Still, the transition was not without its challenges-and opportunities. “Certainly, the differences [in practicing law in Egypt] are enormous,” he writes. “The sense of timeliness and reliance on a credible judiciary affect every aspect of commercial and legal decision-making.”
He notes that the differences in legal systems can slow the pace of legal development. With fewer active legislators, who may be distracted by other political matters, there is greater uncertainty. “The result is a lack of legal specificity and detail, which in turn creates greater level of ambiguity and uncertainty,” he writes, remarking that it is a “perfect environment for creative legal analysis and advocacy.
With Shahid Law Firm, he works on matters of international business, international commercial arbitration, corporate law, and similar matters. He has extensive experience in dispute resolution and has appeared as lead counsel several times before the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration.
Of his experiences thus far in arbitration, he notes that Professor William Park’s insights “ring particularly loud.” He also recalls a case in which he was able to draw upon a concept he had learned in a class with Professor Mark Pettit. “I remembered an issue we had addressed in class; bringing that point to my case, I was able to convince the tribunal it had no jurisdiction over a multimillion dollar claim based on a one-page single piece of paper dragged out of boxes and boxes of evidence,” Ternieden writes. “It was a great victory that left the opposing side speechless.”
Ternieden writes that he enjoys the variety of international arbitration, where the “dynamics are simply never the same.”
“I love the ability to appear in multiple fora and before such different tribunals, each so vastly different from another,” he writes, adding that “the challenges are multiplied by the uncertainty of the [arbitral tribunal], procedural disposition and unlimited flexibility.”
“BU Law provided such a solid and wide range of legal training, advocacy, research skills, and analytical approach to problems, that I felt I was not limited only to my post-degree professional experience.”
Reported by Kaya Williams (COM’20)
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