FH UGM held another guest lecture on Friday, October 21, 2022, attended by 198 undergraduate students in the ground-floor Auditorium of Building B at the Faculty of Law.
The lecture's theme was "Understanding the US Legal System,” featuring Kavitha Babu, Resident Legal Advisor at the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) at the US Department of Justice, based at the US Embassy in Jakarta.
Kavitha Babu explained the common law used in the United States and how it differs from the civil law system followed in Indonesia. She also worked through several case studies to help students better grasp the concept.
"In America, the court process consists of several stages. It starts with an investigation to find evidence related to the case that will be tried. This evidence is then submitted during the pre-trial process to decide whether the evidence is strong and legal enough to continue the trial. If the judge deems the evidence insufficient, the case will be closed,” said Kavitha Babu while explaining the judicial system in the United States.
During the 90-minute session, Kavitha Babu invited students to ask questions freely throughout, rather than waiting for a formal Q&A segment — an approach students responded to with enthusiasm. Questions ranged from clarifying details of the case studies to asking about the US government's stance on specific legal cases.
She closed the session by introducing the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), a US government program aimed at building leadership capacity among young people while strengthening ties between the United States and Southeast Asian countries.
