驚喜之旅-民間司法改革基金會實習

汪卓奇

The Surprising Delight of a JRF Internship


Initially, I only knew I wanted to work in East Asia for my first summer legal internship. Before entering law school I had previously lived, worked, and studied in China and Japan, so I felt returning to East Asia in a legal context would make a natural extension of my past experiences. Of course, I also desired a fresh adventure, probably one in a country I had never, or barely, visited. After receiving various internship offers from several countries in the region, I firmly decided to spend my summer at Taiwan's Judicial Reform Foundation.
The JRF's stated mission attracted me because of its comprehensive nature and ethical certainty, with which I wholly agreed. Furthermore, its broad range of activities could provide me with a greater glimpse into the domestic legal system than more specifically oriented groups or those operating in non-democratic states. And the opportunity to live in Taiwan itself filled me with enthusiasm. I had long wanted to see "the other China."
Nonetheless, I must admit my initial hopes were not high. Past work experiences in East Asia, especially China, had taught me that employers usually valued my presence for its aesthetic, internationalizing effects rather than my abilities. Having a white person sitting around gave them an aura of worldliness; I was the half-commodity, half-advertisement to be placed in the store's front window for publicity. So even though I knew Taiwanese society substantially differed from its neighbors', I still expected a summer of objectification.
Within hours of beginning my new job, my concerns quickly evaporated. After a whirlwind round of introductions, during which each co-worker discussed her position, and individual areas of expertise, I soon found myself busy with legal translations, research into American case law for local lawyers' pro bono work, legislative committee hearings, and press conferences. As I became familiar with the Foundation's work, my responsibilities continued to grow, as did the relationships with my co-workers. At weekly meetings, they asked for my opinions and consistently gave them strong consideration; I put forth my own ideas for and critiques of our work, and even began to initiate and implement my own projects. Beyond my wildest expectations, I felt I had quickly become a valued, effective part of the JRF.
As I write this, I still cannot believe that within a few weeks my internship will end, and I will return to the United States. Often in the past I have greeted such times of change with curious anticipation, but this time feels different. Aside from gaining a substantial understanding of Taiwan's legal and political system, as well as public efforts to improve it, this summer I have met brilliant, inspired individuals and participated in their visions for creating a better society. Perhaps most important of all, working at the Judicial Reform Foundation has provided me with a sense of social and legal empowerment I never dreamed possible back home. The sheer size of the United States and the systemic aloofness of its federal government erode the power of an individual to instigate political change on a national level. When I return to the US,I will go back a more enriched person, yet one more keenly aware of the limitations he will face back home.

一開始，我就想把我在法學院的第一個暑期實習工作安排在東亞地區。其實，早在我進法學院以前，我就已經在中國大陸和日本工作、讀書和生活過一陣子了；因此，雖然這將是一趟法律之旅，但我認為這次實習仍會是我過去東亞經驗的延伸。當然，我還是很期待一個全新的探險，例如去一個我從來沒有到訪過的國家。而就在我收到了各式各樣、來自東亞各地不同的實習機會後，我做了決定----選擇台灣的「民間司法改革基金會」。



司改會的目標相當吸引我，我完全支持其所呈現出的全面性還有倫理的本質。而司改會包羅萬象的各種活動，能讓我對民主法制系統有更廣泛的理解，強過於某些有特定目標、或在非民主國家體制下運作的團體。此外，能在台灣生活一段日子，更是讓我熱情不已。我早就期待能來看看這「另一個中國」。


我必需承認，在一開始，我對此行的期望並不高。過去在東亞的工作經驗(尤其是在中國大陸)，讓我學會一件事，那就是雇主總認為我的價值在於：看起來賞心悅目、有國際化的效果，卻不是我的能力。有一個白人同事坐在一旁，給他們一種世界就在你身邊的俗氣氛圍；而我，則搖身一變，成為一個半商品、半廣告，被放在商店櫥窗裡展示的公關道具。所以，即使我知道台灣社會本質上就與她的鄰居中國不同，我還是猜想，這八成又是一個會讓我被物化的夏季。

然而，就在我開始這個新工作的幾個小時裡，我的擔憂瞬間都蒸發殆盡了。在那如一陣旋風式的介紹引見中，一個個同事告訴了我她們的職位與專業領域，之後，我很快地就發現自己忙碌於法律文件的翻譯、為本地律師的公共服務案件尋找美國的法例、參加聽證會與記者會等。當我漸漸熟悉了司改會的運作，我的職責也持續增加，我還得同時經營和同事們的關係。在每週的例行會議上，她們詢問我的意見，並給予一貫的支持與認真的考慮；我還對基金會的工作提出自己的意見與批評，甚至還開始實行我自己的企劃。我覺得我很快地就變成了司改會裡有價值、有影響力的一個部分；而這遠遠超過了我之前所有的期待。



行文至此，我還是無法相信這幾個星期來的實習就要結束，而我，也得回美國去了。過去，我常常只因為好奇結果會如何，才期待著事情的改變，但這次不同。今年夏天，我除了實質地認識了台灣的法律與政治系統、還有那些想提升這系統的公眾力量之外，我更認識了不少聰明、有智慧的人們，並且參與了他們對創造一個更美好的社會所懷抱的願景。最重要的也許是，司改會的實習給了我社會與法律間授權關係的概念，而這是我在美國連作夢都想不到的。美國的幅員廣大與聯邦政府的系統性冷漠，吞噬了個人將政治改革議題推廣至全國的權力。當我回到美國，我會是一個更充實的人，但，也會是一個更清楚地知道自己將面對許多限制的人。