I would have easily said yes to a two-month visit to SUIBE on its own. I was able to assist a longtime friend, return to Shanghai, help SUIBE with more internationalization activities, and teach LEALS in-person for the first time in seven years. It was a great experience and we are already in talks for another LEALS in 2026!

But another bonus was the proximity of the SUIBE campus in Songjiang to East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL).

“An ECUPLer for Life”

ECUPL has played a key role in shaping my career and life over the past decade.

1. When I visited Shanghai and ECUPL in December 2015, I was invited to teach a couple of LEALS courses in Spring 2016. Suddenly, one month in Beijing created a realistic plan for Spring 2016. ECUPL, combined with SWUPL at the start of Spring 2016 and a recruitment tour sandwiched between, helped convert one month in China to 31 months. ECUPL’s Changning campus was my literal home for about two months in Spring 2016!
2. In December 2020, I was invited to moderate a panel of 2016 and 2018 ECUPL students online speaking about U.S. legal education and that course. I had mostly stopped teaching to focus on administration. But I was so touched by that event. When I was asked if I’d teach LEALS online in Summer 2021, I agreed. That set the stage for my transition into online law lecturing since 2021.

The Return

So it was awesome to finally be back at ECUPL for the first time since 2018. With 9 LEALS courses for ECUPL since 2016, St. John’s is actually the only law school anywhere I’ve taught more courses for. I was able to return for a guest lecture, which included many of the students who will take my Summer 2026 LEALS course at ECUPL.

I also was able to meet a number of the ~150 ECUPLers I’ve taught online since 2021. I had only been able to meet a handful across the U.S., including 4 in New York City in August 2025 right before I flew out to Shanghai. Over coffees, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, I was able to chat with so many of the 2021-2025 online LEALSers. Some studied abroad, some are in the application stage now, some started working. All shared nice stories about their experiences in LEALS and what came after our course.

And finally, I was able to spend time with the team that has been working with me at ECUPL to put on LEALS each summer. From 2021 to 2025 the team has evolved a bit, and our 2025 team gathered a couple times for lunches and a dinner. What makes that more special? A 2016 LEALSer from the first ECUPL stint now teaches and works at ECUPL. In addition to those reunions, he offered a nice introduction before my guest lecture in October.

I also enjoyed getting to see an ECUPL-Northwestern connection between a LEALSer and a fellow ECUPLer who did her LL.M. in Chicago. The three of us, all ECUPLers, were able to meet up and I was also able to return to the Changning campus for the first time since 2018 as well.

Conclusion

I have long said that I believe ECUPL is the most important law school for the global business of LL.M. programs worldwide. Seeing old friends who work at ECUPL, a number of former LEALSers, and being back on-campus for a lecture in preparation for Summer 2026 were all awesome bonuses as part of my Shanghai visit.