Global Visiting Professors Enrich Scholarship and Community at Notre Dame Law School | News | The Law School

A group of smiling individuals, including men and women, stand in a classroom. One wears a Notre Dame Law School shirt. — *Professor Khrystyna Kovtsun with Professor Caleb Stone, Ukrainian exchange student Yaroslav Ovcharuk, and students in Notre Dame Law School's Veterans Law Clinic*

Each semester, Notre Dame Law School welcomes a number of visiting faculty from institutions around the world. These international visitors make impactful contributions to the Notre Dame Law School community as they enrich the classroom with their diverse legal perspectives.

The visiting faculty each semester are a core part of Notre Dame Law School’s Global Lawyering Initiative. These visits foster meaningful academic exchange, creating opportunities for collaboration between Notre Dame Law School faculty and students and leading scholars from around the world. Their contributions include teaching courses, serving as guest lecturers, and presenting their own research while at Notre Dame Law School. This spring, the Law School welcomed visitors from England, Italy, South Africa, Brazil, Switzerland, Chile, and Ukraine.

The highlights below provide more information about each global visitor’s impactful contributions and experiences during their time here at Notre Dame Law School.

A man in a blue patterned shirt and grey blazer speaks from a wooden podium next to a monitor. — *Professor Mark Hill KC*

Mark Hill KC

Home Affiliation: King’s Counsel and Barrister, FTB Chambers; Notre Dame London Law Programme, London, England

Hill is a Global Distinguished Professor of Law at the Notre Dame London Law Programme, and during his semester at Notre Dame Law School taught the 1-credit course “International Religious Liberty.” Additionally, he delivered a talk on the topic of “Religious Courts and Tribunals.”

Enrico Basile

Home Affiliation: Bocconi Law School, Milan, Italy

Basile taught the 1-credit course “White-Collar Crime & Financial Markets” during this past spring semester at Notre Dame Law School. He also presented his research paper to Notre Dame Law LL.M. and J.S.D. students, titled, “Unicorn Is the New White(-Collar Crime).”

A man in a white shirt, red and blue striped tie, and glasses speaks, hands clasped, engaged expression. — *Professor Matt Dyson*

Matt Dyson

Home Affiliation: University of Oxford, Oxford, England

During his visit this semester, Dyson delivered the talk “Comparative Law: two shocking claims that might just be right" to the Notre Dame Law community. He also presented his research paper “Understanding Illegal Tort Claims,” a chapter from an upcoming book publication, to Notre Dame Law faculty and LL.M. and J.S.D. students, and further spoke to students in Professor Marah Stith McLeod’s Criminal Law course.

Gaopalelwe Mathiba

Home Affiliation: University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

This spring, Mathiba became the first ever exchange faculty member from the University of Cape Town. During his visit to Notre Dame Law School, Mathiba spoke to students in Professor Bruce Huber’s Property Law course. He also conducted research for a chapter of a book which will be included in a volume that Professor Huber is co-editing, titled, The Politics of Environmental Law. The volume is an addition to Edward Elgar's series of Handbooks in Law and Politics. Mathiba also spoke to the students in Professor David Pruitt’s Eviction Clinic during his time here.

Bearded man in gray suit, purple shirt, and striped tie speaks at a podium, gesturing with both hands. — *Professor Rafael Scavone Bellem de Lima*

Rafael Scavone Bellem de Lima

Home Affiliation: Insper, São Paulo, Brazil

Scavone Bellem de Lima taught the 1-credit course “Constitutional Justice In Brazil” during his time at Notre Dame Law School. He also delivered a talk on the topic of “Religious Freedom in the Jurisprudence of the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court.” Furthermore, Scavone Bellem de Lima presented a research paper to Notre Dame Law LL.M. and J.S.D. students, titled, “Preemptive Decision-Making in Judicial Review.” Scavone Bellem de Lima marked the first ever exchange faculty member from Insper this past semester.

Andrea Simoncini

Home Affiliation: University of Florence, Florence, Italy

Simoncini co-taught the “Law and Technology” seminar with Professor Paolo Carozza this spring. He also appeared as a panelist in the Notre Dame Law panel discussion, “Comparative Regulatory Approaches to AI: US and EU.” Simoncini is a Nanovic Institute for European Studies Research Fellow, a Kellogg Visiting Fellow, and a Kellogg Distinguished Research Affiliate.

Man with glasses and beard in dark suit, blue Notre Dame tie, points to red writing on a whiteboard. — *Professor Rodrigo Rodriguez*

Rodrigo Rodriguez

Home Affiliation: University of Lucerne Faculty of Law, Lucerne, Switzerland

This spring, Rodriguez presented to Notre Dame Law LL.M. and J.S.D. students on the enforcement of human rights regulations on international businesses—both successes and challenges—within the European Union.

Adolfo Andres Wegmann Stockebrand

Home Affiliation: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

Andres Wegmann Stockebrand delivered a Lunch-and-Learn talk in which he discussed the values of using comparative methodology in the field of legal history, and what legal history offers as a discipline to the profession of law generally. He also presented research findings to Notre Dame Law faculty and LL.M. and J.S.D. students on the Roman foundations of Contract Law.

A woman in a brown blazer gestures while speaking to a man in a grey suit. A Notre Dame International banner is behind them. — *Professor Bruce Huber and Professor Josephine van Zeben*

Josephine van Zeben

Home Affiliation: European University Institute - Florence Transnational School of Governance, Florence, Italy

Van Zeben taught the 1-credit course “International Environmental Law” this past semester. She also delivered a talk with Professor Bruce Huber on the current state of climate law and policy in the United States and European Union during an event co-hosted by the Environmental Law Society and International and Graduate Programs.

Khrystyna Kovtsun

Home Affiliation: Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv, Ukraine

Kovtsun met with students in Professor Caleb Stone’s Veterans Law Clinic to discuss Ukrainian Catholic University’s (UCU) clinical activities and veterans law in Ukraine compared to the United States, and to learn about clinical work at Notre Dame Law School. Kovtsun also delivered a presentation to Notre Dame Law faculty and students on UCU’s clinic, focusing on the pedagogical value of service-work and the role that clinics can play in Catholic universities.

A man in glasses, a brown suit jacket, blue shirt, and patterned red tie speaks in front of a whiteboard. — *Dr. Giuseppe Portonera*

Giuseppe Portonera

Home Affiliation: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, Milan, Italy

During his time at Notre Dame Law School, Portonera conducted independent research in consultation with Professor Paul Miller and Notre Dame private law faculty. Portonera was a fellow-in-residence of the Notre Dame Law School Program on Private Law during his time here. He additionally presented the research project, “Unjust Enrichment in the Digital Age,” for students and private law faculty at the conclusion of his research stay.