An Interview with Geneviève Claveau, Foreign Law Intern

This is a guest post by Nicolas Boring, French foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress.  Nicolas wrote FALQs: Freedom of Speech in France and co-collaborated on the post, Does the Haitian Criminal Code Outlaw Making Zombies.

Describe your background.

I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada and my first language is French. I have just obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Montreal this spring. In the course of my studies my keen interest in legal research has led me to serve as a research assistant for a non-profit organization, for a professor in constitutional law, as well

as for a judge. In the same vein, I have been involved with the University of Montreal Student Law Review as a linguistic editor.

This upcoming school year, I will be pursuing a Juris Doctor degree in common law at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

How would you describe your job to other people?

The Law Library of Congress provides research on foreign, comparative, international, and U.S. law in response to requests from the United States Congress, executive agencies, federal courts, and the general public. As a foreign law intern in the Global Legal Research Directorate (GLR), I conduct research and produce reports in response to those requests. In addition, I might be called upon to prepare summaries of the current state of law in my assigned jurisdictions regarding a specific matter. More precisely, I work under the supervision of Nicolas Boring, foreign law specialist for France and other French-speaking countries. I also intend to contribute to this blog.

Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?

My desire to work at the Law Library of Congress stemmed from my clear preference for legal research and comparative law, which are the two main aspects of the GLR’s work, as well as from my deep appreciation of institutions of knowledge. The Law Library of Congress has the largest collection of legal resources in the world and I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to learn from the highly qualified legal experts from around the globe that work here. Being naturally curious, I also find the wide scope of requests we process very stimulating.

What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Law Library of Congress?

I was truly astounded by the beauty of the Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. However, I was even more amazed to learn how accessible to the public its resources are. Any individual can use Library of Congress materials provided that they first obtain a Reader Identification Card.

What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?

When I was a guide at the Parliament of Canada, I once got to go up the Peace Tower and raise the Canadian flag over the Parliament Buildings.