Marina Volkova, Penn State Law

The mission of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program is to bring up-and-coming professionals from Eurasia to the United States for the purpose of studying at US institutions. The fellowship promotes a greater understanding of the American educational system, social service organizations, and businesses. The program, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department aims to provide Muskie fellows with a deeper knowledge of US ideals.

Upon the completion of their studies in the US, fellows are expected to inform others in their home countries about their experiences with the American value-system and their understanding of democratic ideals.

According to Volkova, Penn State Law was “the perfect placement” for her because it happens to complements her personal interests.

Volkova, who has a particular interest in alternative dispute resolution points out that “nowadays, the feature of economically and politically developed country is availability of a wide range of alternative dispute resolution options. In the United States, the alternative justice has been available since mid-60s, while in Russia it is an innovation. New knowledge will let me search for the best ways of the effective implementation of ADR advantages in my country and region.”

In recent years, the Russian judicial system has taken on some of the features of the American legal system and more changes are underway as the lower courts begin to reflect on higher court decisions.

Volkova earned her law degree from Mari State University in Yoshkar-Ola, Russia and worked as a judge’s assistant in the Federal Commercial Court in Russia prior to coming to the US to study. Upon her return to Russia, she intends to work in the area of dispute resolution.

“Intensive economic development and increasing number of interstate commercial relations require effective legal regulation of possible misunderstanding between partners. Therefore, the main goal of Russian lawyers is creating well-functioning and available system of conflict management. Alternative dispute resolution models that are widely used in the United States can be an excellent example for Russian practitioners. I will do my best to extract all useful outputs that can be beneficial to the development of my country, community, and region,” said Volkova.