Manuel Valls, former Prime Minister of France, will give classes at ESADE Law School during the 2018-2019 academic year. Mr. Valls has signed an agreement to teach the subject “Migratory Processes and Urban Geography” as part of the Bachelor in Law and Bachelor in Global Governance at ESADE Law School.

Eduardo Berché, Dean of ESADE Law School, welcomed the addition of Mr. Valls to the school’s ranks, noting that students in the Bachelor in Law and Bachelor in Global Governance “will enjoy a unique opportunity to learn about the vision of a person who has been on the front lines of international politics”. According to Dr. Berché, the presence of “global leaders” in the programme “brings knowledge closer to practice and encourages reflection and debate in class on the main global issues of the day, while also enabling students to become better prepared for their future professional challenges in an international environment”.

Manuel Valls holds a history degree from Pantheon-Sorbonne University (Paris 1). In his early political career, as a regional council member and later as Mayor of Évry, he gained first-hand knowledge of the challenges of local politics. As Minister of the Interior (2012-2014), he had important responsibilities related to immigration. Finally, as Prime Minister of France (2014-2016), Mr. Valls experienced the European Union’s governance challenges first-hand.

Migratory processes and urban geography

As the European experience and the political tensions in the United States have demonstrated, immigration poses a clear challenge for global governance. The subject “Migratory Processes and Urban Geography”, which Mr. Valls will teach in the fourth year of ESADE’s Bachelor in Law and Bachelor in Global Governance, will therefore “explore the challenge of immigration in Europe, the continent’s response to this challenge, and how this issue affects city models”, according to Mr. Valls.

The subject incorporates an analysis of migratory processes, with particular emphasis on the context of the European Union. It also explores the response provided through integration policies, the ways in which this response has affected city models, and an analysis of the phenomenon of gentrification. Over the course of 10 sessions, ESADE Law School students will gain an understanding of Mr. Valls’s experience with European immigration policy and the measures taken in France to promote the social integration of migrants.

Renowned professionals and experts at ESADE Law School

At ESADE Law School, Mr. Valls will join a formidable roster of high-profile professionals and experts in various areas of law, including David Velázquez, a former judge in the Governance Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia. Mr. Velázquez currently teaches criminal law at ESADE Law School and serves as Director of the Master in Legal Practice. His extensive international experience on international judicial projects includes forming part of the International Expertise and Crisis Management Group at the General Council of the Spanish Judiciary, as well as the Relations Commissions of the Governance Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia.

Patricia Saiz, Lecturer in the Department of Private Law at ESADE Law School, is an expert in international arbitration. Ms. Saiz has served as an arbitrator in international proceedings and has practised law in the United States for more than 10 years, operating in New York as well as Washington, D.C. The World Council of the International Chamber of Commerce recently appointed Ms. Saiz to a three-year term as a member of the International Court of Arbitration.

Diana Ferrer, Assistant Professor of Financial and Tax Law at ESADE Law School, has in-depth knowledge of valuation and designation adjustments in related-party transactions, anti-tax-evasion measures, international fiscal transparency, national and international fiscal planning, and fair taxation at the international level. Prof. Ferrer has written numerous well-received publications, including some for the Aranzadi publishing house. She is also the creator and director of Tratado sobre la imposición directa, a treatise on direct taxation.

ESADE Law School also benefits from the extensive experience of Juan María Nin, former General Manager of “la Caixa”. Mr. Nin teaches the subject “Management of Financial Crises and Bank Bailouts” in all of ESADE Law School’s programmes. Mr. Nin studied law and economics at the University of Deusto and earned a Master of Laws and Political Science from the London School of Economics. He is a talented analyst of the complexity of international relations, economics and politics and a renowned expert on banking, business transformation processes and European politics. He was the mastermind behind one of the largest bank mergers ever to take place in Spain. He is also the author of a book entitled Por un crecimiento racional: De la Gran Recesión al estancamiento: soluciones para competir en un mundo digital.

Jurists prepared for the global market and today’s new economic outlook

The reach of globalisation now extends to lawyers, who are expected to work in multi-jurisdiction environments. ESADE’s Bachelor in Law + Bachelor in Global Governance Double Degree, launched in 2014, is an exclusive programme designed for students who rank among the most brilliant in their class. The programme produces lawyers and jurists who are specialised in international transactions, have a global and economic vision, and are capable of practising their profession anywhere in the world.

The Double Degree provides a multidisciplinary education in law, geopolitics and international economics, while building bridges between academia and the reality of business and professional experience. The participation of renowned figures from these fields – including former Prime Minister of France Manuel Valls – is therefore an essential part of the programme. Javier Solana, Former Secretary General of NATO and President of ESADEgeo, has also been a member of the programme faculty since the outset.

The curriculum of the Double Degree combines a solid education in law with essential training for international affairs. Starting in the first year, students take subjects in the fields of both law and global governance, including “Globalisation” and “International Organisations” (both taught in English). Languages and transnational training play an ever-larger role as the programme progresses. In the fifth year, students begin a specialisation in a particular region of the world: Asia, the Maghreb and the Middle East, Latin America, or the following group of four countries: The United Kingdom; The United States; Canada; Australia.