The following interview is with Mohamed Oweis Taha. Mohamed is currently working as an intern in the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Center.
Describe your background.
I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. Influenced by my judicial family, I decided to join the English Department of Cairo University Law School, where I obtained my Bachelor of Laws in 2011. I also obtained a Public Law Diploma Degree from Cairo University in 2012. In summer 2013, I attended a summer school at Bilgi University in Istanbul before moving to Washington, D.C. to complete a Master of Laws program at Georgetown University Law Center, with my main focus on energy law, project finance and corporate law.
I have been working as a Junior Faculty Member at Cairo University Law School since February 2012, where I have taught constitutional law and administrative law to third-year law students. I also worked with the corporate practice of DLA Matouk Bassiouny (a member of the DLA Piper Group) for two years, where I took part in many international and high-profile merger and acquisition transactions in addition to representing clients in many arbitrations and court proceedings.
How would you describe your job to other people?
I am a summer research intern at the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress. While my internship runs for a relatively short term and on a part-time basis, I feel extremely excited about conducting legal research related to Arab-speaking countries, with a main focus on Egypt. I am currently preparing a report analyzing the charges against Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak in the post-revolution era. I am also working on a paper that outlines the various legal frameworks that govern arbitration in Egypt.
Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?
Interning with the Law Library of Congress exposes me to a new level of experience. Conducting research and publishing papers and articles with the Library is, of course, a milestone in my academic career. Similarly, networking with terrific colleagues and others in Washington, D.C. will unlock professional opportunities for me.
What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Law Library of Congress?
The level of diversity at the Law Library of Congress is impressive. In less than two days after starting here I had met fantastic people from almost every continent in the world and from various ethnicities. This diversity enriches the experience.
What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?
As a newcomer, I don’t expect my colleagues to know much about me, but probably the first surprising thing people get to know about me is that I am only 23. Well, I hope I do not look much older!