Pedro Quagliato (LLM '18 | Brazil)
1. What is your name, home country, and hometown?
My name is Pedro Quagliato. I am from Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
2. Where (and what) did you study before coming to King Hall?
Before going to King Hall, I studied law at Universidade Paulista, completed an MBA at Fundação Getulio Vargas and completed a specialization in Consumer Law at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo.
3. What was your Davis program experience like, and how has it related to your current career path? Since your LL.M what are the professional accomplishments?
The first time I was at UC Davis was to attend the Orientation in U.S.A. Law program, in the year 2000, when I was in the last year of my law school in Brazil. The experience was so remarkable that, from that moment on, I made all my plans to return to King Hall to attend the LLM Program. It was just a matter of time.
In 2006, with a few years of professional background as an in-house counsel for a U.S. multinational company in Brazil, I was finally able to take the UC Davis LL.M. program. At that point, I chose to study courses that were as connected as possible to my professional activities (more focused on Business Law), so I could take full advantage of the knowledge acquired upon my return to work. After I returned to my home country, I worked for a few more years in the legal departments of U.S. multinational Companies, until, in 2014, when I made the decision to open my own law firm, called "Quagliato Advogados".
In 2024, we will complete 10 years of founding our law firm, which has grown and today it provides support to companies from more than 15 different countries doing business in Brazil.
I am certain that the knowledge and experience acquired at UC Davis LL.M. program gave me the necessary skills to serve these foreign companies in a multidisciplinary way. From the beginning, it was clear in my mindset that knowing about the legal systems of other countries would help me to better develop my work in the complex judicial system of Brazil.
4. Why did you choose the LLM program at UC Davis?
I chose the LLM program at UC Davis for the quality of teaching, the location, the friendly and peaceful atmosphere of Davis and the incredible support that UC Davis staff members provide to international students.
When I chose to attend the LLM program at UC Davis, my professional goal was to learn as much as possible about the U.S. legal system and international laws and treaties to provide legal support for foreign companies when doing business in Brazil. From a personal point of view, my goals were to make the most of student life at Davis, travel and see California, make good friends for life and have a healthy life in Davis.
5. What was your favorite moment in the program?
I find it difficult to answer this question because there were many great moments. But if I had to choose a moment, I would say that my participation in the mock jury trial as a lawyer for the appellant party was certainly a very special chapter for me.
6. What was the most challenging?
The most challenging moment for me was certainly having to leave Davis at the end of the program.
7. What parts of the experience were most helpful?
Contact with people from all over the world was an extremely enriching experience. You learn new things every day, all the time. And the impression I got is that Davis' friendly atmosphere makes people more open to connecting with other people.
8. What classes/ concentration did you take?
My LLM Program was more focused on Business Law. I took classes in Business Associations (Foundation Classes), Commercial Law, and International Business Negotiations. But the area of concentration of my research paper was Contract Law. My paper was titled "The duty to negotiate in good faith" and was later published in Emerald Insight's "International Journal of Law and Management".
Teaching styles in the USA are totally different from the style we are used to in my home country. Therefore, right away, I realized that classes at UC Davis would be more interactive and are less dependent on rote memorization, with students encouraged to ask questions and discuss topics. This scenario forced me to always be prepared for the classes to come, as active participation from LLM students was always required during classes.
9. How was your experience with the faculty?
I made excellent relationships at King Hall. Academically speaking, the guidance I received on my research paper from Professor Andrea K. Bjorklund was simply incredible. Furthermore, the attention received by Professor Beth Greenwood and by Professor Floyd F. Feeney (in memoriam), from the moment I arrived at King Hall until the moment of graduation, was unbelievable. Not only academic matters, but also professional and extracurricular matters.
10. How did participation in your extracurricular activities and student organizations enrich your overall experience in Davis?
Since the beginning of the LLM Program, I have tried to engage as much as possible in extracurricular activities. Within King Hall, I was a member of the UC Davis Journal of International Law & Policy. It was incredible to learn how a newspaper that is managed and edited by students operates.
Another extracurricular activity that I was involved in during my time at UC Davis was linked to the main sport of my home country: I was a member of soccer team in the top division of UC Davis intramural league in three different tournaments: Fall '06, Winter '07 (indoor soccer) and "Spring '07". Through soccer, I participated in big tournaments and made many friendships that last to this day.
11. Were there any challenges you faced as an international student in terms of adapting to the local culture or the U.S. legal system? How did you navigate these challenges?
Adapting to local culture was not very complex. On the other hand, adapting to the particularities of the U.S. legal system was a challenge that required a lot of study and dedication. Thanks to this, today, I can say that I have a good knowledge of two legal systems: Common Law and Civil Law. As I said previously, knowing the similarities and differences of these two systems makes you a more complete and competent professional.
12. Looking back before you completed your LL.M., what do you wish you knew then that you know now?
Today I am 46 years old. I think if I met young Pedro, 29 years old, who was studying the LLM program at UC Davis, I would certainly have some life tips to give him. But to tell the truth, all the choices and paths that young Pedro took until he reached the Pedro of the present time made him the person and professional he is today, of which I am very proud. So in that sense, I wouldn't say anything to him!
13. Is there anything else you would want to share for an article?
Many years have passed since I completed my LLM program. Even so much time later, not a single day goes by that I don't have some thought related to Davis. It could be a class at King Hall, a soccer game I played, a path I took on my bike, a short trip I took through California... There were so many good moments that I would like to share some of them with my family (wife and 2 daughters). Therefore, I have plans to return to King Hall with my family as a visiting researcher at some point in the near future. It is just a matter of time....