Paul Carrier, '91,

International Style

BY PATRICIA MAJHER

Bratislava. “Pearl of the Danube.” Capital city of the Slovak Republic. Some might say it’s an unusual place for an American to start a law career. But not Paul Carrier.

Paul Carrier

Moving abroad was no big deal for him. Before entering MSU-DCL, he’d spent a year earning a diploma in French language and culture from the Université de Franche-Comté. And, after MSU-DCL, he participated in Georgetown University’s Summer Program in Florence, Italy. (He also earned an LLM at Georgetown.)

What brought him to the Slovak Republic was a Fulbright scholarship and the attendant opportunity to teach at Comenius University, home of the country’s foremost law school. “My initial plan was to teach international government procurement, which was my master’s degree specialty,” Carrier explained. “As it turned out, the topic was too esoteric for their needs. So I taught a class on comparative administrative law and public international law instead.”

Although Carrier could speak French and passable German, the Slovak language was new to him. Thankfully, this was not an issue as most students welcomed the opportunity to polish their English. “I did my best, though, to present things simply,” he said, “and to provide written materials that could be read before and after my lectures.”

In 1997, at the conclusion of the Fulbright experience, Carrier was offered and accepted a position as professor of law at the Institute for International Relations and Law Approximation, affiliated with the law school at Comenius. He also signed on as an associate in the Bratislava office of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, L.L.P. “I thought it was important to practice what I had learned and what I had taught,” he explained.

At Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, Paul focused his efforts on mergers and acquisitions: “I helped manage the $100 million acquisition of a Slovak manufacturing concern by a major U.S. corporation and facilitated the purchase of a $3.5 million marketing and distribution company in the area of rail cars and undercarriages. I was also involved in getting a $90 million bond listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange for Slovakia’s state-controlled electric company.”

During this period, Carrier authored a number of chapters and short articles examining legal changes in Eastern Europe. For his efforts, he was named to the Congress of Fellows of the Centre for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria.

In 2001, he crossed the border into the Czech Republic to become an associate at Lovells. “After three years of solid legal work in Slovakia, it was time to move on to a new set of experiences while still taking advantage of linguistic, cultural and legal similarities,” he said.

It seems the seventh-largest law firm in the world was eager to pick his brain. Said Carrier: “One of my more memorable experiences so far has involved an international litigation situation. During the case, I’ve been able to use my knowledge of the New York Convention on Arbitration, two sets of conflicts of law provisions, and a variety of other things I learned at Detroit College of Law.

“The case has also given me the chance to work with colleagues from other offices on a day-to-day basis, which is one of the reasons I joined a global, integrated firm.”

When asked if he intends to remain in Europe or would consider a move back to the U.S., Paul replied: “One thing I’ve learned is never to say never or forever.”

For now, he’s content to learn all he can at Lovells, expand his impressive list of publications, and enjoy the distinctions and distractions of another European capital: “The City of a Hundred Spires,” Prague.