Few Americans could likely name law schools around the world, and of those, Western schools would probably come to mind. Seattle University School of Law Professor Michael Blasie is expanding his horizons to one of the most fascinating and quickly-evolving regions in the world.
Beginning this fall, Blasie will become dean of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP) University School of Law in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. During his tenure as dean, Blasie will be on leave from his Seattle U Law position, giving him the option to return to the faculty in the future.
Located in the heart of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world by area. Inhabited for millennia, the country’s rich history includes nomadic cultures, the silk road, Genghis Khan, the Soviet Union, and the world-famous golden eagles featured on the country’s flag.
The connection between Blasie and KIMEP began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Legal Writing Institute hosted an international virtual law conference attended by both Blasie and former KIMEP Law Dean Fred Mitchell Isaacs, now a Palau Supreme Court justice. Initially, Blasie attended an online conference at KIMEP, which evolved into an annual virtual guest lecture at KIMEP for several years.
While Blasie anticipates challenges, such as the language barrier, he is enthusiastic about the move.
“It’s such a unique opportunity that you get excited about it,” he said. “When this type of job comes across your plate, it’s an opportunity to go to a very different country, a different culture, and a different legal system, and shape what law schools and the legal system look like in Central Asia.”
KIMEP is a 2,000-student English-instruction institution, founded as a Western-style school in the 1990s, just as Kazakhstan gained independence following the Soviet Union’s collapse.
In Kazakhstan, students earn law degrees at a four-year universities, though KIMEP also serves law post-graduates with an LLM program. KIMEP’s educational approach incorporates American elements, such as an emphasis on practical skills and student interaction. In Europe and Asia, it is more common for professors to lecture for entire class periods, with little dialogue.
Blasie will teach courses in addition to serving as dean. He plans to bring practical elements of Seattle U Law’s top-ranked Legal Writing Program, including interactive exercises to teach students how to draft contracts, interview clients, speak publicly, and write professional correspondence.
While most KIMEP students are from Kazakhstan, faculty hail from all over the globe. Blasie said it is important for these future lawyers to gain exposure to an international legal education, which will help when conducting business deals or resolving family law issues that cross borders.
“All lawyers need to be trained to navigate multiple countries’ laws,” he said. “Unlike the sciences, which are universal, we often think of law as being specific to each country, but the better view is to think much more internationally.”
As the nation’s foremost expert on plain language laws, Blasie advocates for making legal documents more easily understandable to those without law degrees to increase access to justice. This background will help him in a foreign teaching environment.
“When you’re dealing with plain language, you’re trying to speak as clearly and concisely as possible, you’re very focused on who the reader or listener is,” Blasie said. “That mindset helps quite a bit here because you’re trained to think of who the audience is. How comfortable are they with English? What do they know about Americans?”
Likewise, he is looking forward to immersing himself in another culture.
“I am excited for immense personal growth. There will be a huge number of challenges on a daily basis, but I’m very excited to meet as many people as possible, work with them, and learn as much as possible,” Blasie said. “This position is an opportunity to join a community and serve the students, legal community, and citizenry in another country by strengthening the judicial branch and the legal profession.”