- Intellectual Property in the Digital Age
- International Business Transactions
Education
- JD, University of Milan, Italy
- LLM, magna cum laude, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Background
For Professor Aaron Ghirardelli, an American Master of Laws degree was the foundation for a successful international law practice.
An LLM served as Ghirardelli’s entrée to stints at such iconic American companies as Twitter, where he consulted on a wide-range of issues related to the messaging giant’s Italian legal affairs and deployment. Later, the LLM equipped him with the requisite skills to teach at U.S. law schools and develop a niche as outside general counsel for a range of tech clients.
Ghirardelli, Loyola’s LLM faculty director, credits his LLM with providing him the skills for all his U.S. legal accomplishments. As an associate in the Milan office of global law firm behemoth Clifford Chance, Ghirardelli realized he needed to refine his burgeoning transactional and litigation practice to better serve his clients with cross-border deals.
“If you want to be a better lawyer, you need to have knowledge of at least two legal systems. Obtaining an LLM is the best way to achieve this goal,” he said. “We live in a truly globalized economy. I had clients selling products everywhere in the world thanks to websites. They needed someone with a dual legal background – someone to assist them in creating contracts that were going to be applied in the U.S. and Italy, or enforcing a judgment in the U.S.”
Searching for a way to expand his legal knowledge while improving his English, he saw a clear path to career advancement.
“I had to come to the U.S., I had to take an LLM, and I had to become familiar with the American legal system and improve my English,” he said. “For those who are foreign-trained, your English improves dramatically. Now, I just think in English.”
Enamored of American legal education, Ghirardelli returned to academia as a professor and administrator. He has taught Cyberlaw, Intellectual Property in the Digital Age, International Commercial Arbitration and a host of related classes. He also coaches Loyola’s award-winning International Commercial Arbitration Moot team.
As faculty director of Loyola’s LLM program, Ghirardelli is well in tune with the needs of those enrolled. “The beauty of the Loyola program is that we care about our students. The goal of our program is to make you succeed,” he said. “It broadens your perspective. The result is that you’re likely to have more clients -- and more interesting clients.”
His scholarship focuses on Cyberlaw, International Commercial Arbitration and International Business Transactions. He has also coached Loyola Law School, Los Angeles' award-winning International Commercial Arbitration Moot team.
Selected Scholarship
- From eBay to Bitcoin: Trespass to Chattels and Standing Issues in Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Networks (Forthcoming)
- Rules of Engagement in the Conflict Between Businesses and Consumers in Online Contracts, 93 Or. L. Rev. 719 (2015)
- Presenter, How To Draft Proper Dispute Resolution and Choice of Law Provisions in International Contracts, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Tokyo (July 2015)
- Presenter, The Limits and Challenges of The Current Doctrine On Contract Formation Online and Consumer Protection in The United States and Europe, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Tokyo (June 2015)
- Presenter, How To Draft Proper Dispute Resolution and Choice of Law Provisions in International Contracts, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Tokyo (July 2015)
- Presenter, International Commercial Arbitration: An Introductory Seminar, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Tokyo (July 2013)
- Presenter, The Digital Millennium Copyright Act 15 Years After Its Enactment, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Tokyo (June 2013)
- Presenter, A Proposal For The Reform Of The Hague Convention On The Service Abroad: Internet As a Way To Increase Efficiency in Civil Proceedings Worldwide, Third Annual Internet Law Works-in-Progress Event, Santa Clara Law (March 2013)
- A Comparative study of costs in defamation proceedings across Europe, Italy (chapter) (University of Oxford 2008)
- Understanding governments, a guide to the machinery of government around the world, Italy (chapter) (Clifford Chance, 2006)