From Khorezm to Chicago: An interview with an Uzbek lawyer who received the "El-yurt Umidi" scholarship

From Khorezm to Chicago: An interview with Dinora Shermatova, an Uzbek lawyer and recipient of the El-Yurt Umidi scholarship

"Language, practice, and social activism. These are the three most important factors to find your place in the global labor market," says Dinora Shermatova, a master of law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. She is a recipient of the El-Yurt Umidi scholarship and an internal grant from the university, and is currently working at a prestigious law firm.

In an interview for "Daryo.uz", Dinora spoke about the habits and skills that helped her achieve success, the differences between the legal systems of the United States and Uzbekistan, and her suggestions for the education sector.

**Childhood**

Dinora spent her childhood in the remote Gurlan and Tuproqqala districts of ancient Khorezm. Her family was forced to live mainly in remote areas due to their long-term agricultural activities. The free atmosphere at home, the opportunity to express their opinions boldly, and unhindered communication with their parents played an important role in shaping her as a person. Playing with her siblings in the sometimes quiet, sometimes hectic life of the village created memories that will last a lifetime.

Dinora recalls her childhood with special fondness and gratitude: "Since my parents themselves could not get a higher education, they always encouraged us to learn and worked hard to provide all the necessary conditions for our studies. They did not oppose our desires and dreams in any way, but only supported them. They taught us to work from an early age, taught us to value work and live with a sense of gratitude."

Dinora says that her father played a big role in the formation of her self-confidence and fighting spirit. "If you set your mind to something, always think that you will succeed," - these are the words of her father that have been the main motivation for her to reach this point.

**School period**

Dinora took a step towards independent life quite early, during her school years. She spent her primary school years in the arms of her parents. However, due to the low quality of education in the remote district, the family began to think about continuing her children's education in the center. So, Dinora, who has just entered the 5th grade, continues her studies with her sister far from her parents - in the Gurlan district. Such an environment raises her as a responsible person with her own opinion, able to make independent decisions.

He mastered everything from exact sciences to humanities with equal enthusiasm, and after graduating from school with excellent grades, he continued his studies at Academic Lyceum No. 2 in Urgench. It was there that his interest in the field of law began to blossom.

"My teacher at the Lyceum and their daughters, who worked in the legal field, played an important role in my choice of profession and later in my application to Tashkent State Law University. I listened to their stories about this type of activity with great interest, and I repeatedly imagined myself speaking as a lawyer in the courtroom, defending people's rights and winning. In addition, I am a competitive person by nature, I love to fight and win," says our hero.

The field has been chosen, now it's time to master this field thoroughly.

**University years**

Dinora dreamed of becoming a prosecutor at the first stage of university, but later, as a result of in-depth acquaintance with other branches of law, comparison, and assessment of her own passions and skills, she realized that her interest in civil, business, and competition law prevailed, and she focused on mastering these areas.

During her four years at university, she was not limited to in-depth mastery of theoretical knowledge, but also actively participated in various socio-legal projects. Understanding that theory and practice are equally important to become a strong specialist, she participated in the university's "Legal Clinic" and "Street Law" projects. This was a great lesson for her in terms of direct acquaintance with the subtleties of the legal profession.

As part of the "Legal Clinic", she provides free legal advice to the population, learns to listen carefully to the client, work responsibly, and strictly adhere to professional ethics. Participation in the "Street Law" project, which aims to explain legal concepts to schoolchildren in simple language, shows her that law should work not only in courtrooms or official documents, but also in the everyday life of society.

Dinora comes to the conclusion that the task of a lawyer is not only to resolve individual disputes, but also to help people deeply understand the essence of their rights, to form legal awareness, and to ensure justice. With such a conclusion and experience, our heroine sets off for her next destination: the USA.

**The Road to America**

Dinora firmly decides to continue her master's degree abroad during the second stage of her bachelor's degree. Since childhood, she has been passionate about learning English, so she begins to look for educational opportunities in English-speaking countries, in particular, the UK and the US. After a complex and laborious process of applying for documents, she receives acceptance letters for master's degrees from the University of Urbana-Champaign in Illinois and Queen Mary University in London.

The reason for choosing Urbana-Champaign is that it is one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States, has a strong faculty, and provides an academic environment for international students. In addition, Dinora will also receive an internal grant from the university. She will also participate in the scholarship competition of the "El-yurt Umidi" Foundation and become a grantee in her field, thus having the opportunity to study absolutely free at a university that is among the Top 100 in the QS ranking.

**Differences in the educational systems of Uzbekistan and the United States**

Dinora says that there are several fundamental differences between higher education in Uzbekistan and America.

First, the ability to choose subjects. Students know in advance which subjects they will take before starting their studies, and everyone makes a choice based on their interests. Dinora also chose competition and intellectual property rights based on this basis.

The second difference is that each professor has their own teaching style and uses different methodologies within the same subject. "A lesson on a particular subject can be held one time in the form of questions and answers, another time in the form of case analysis, and another time in the form of group discussions. This means that students must always be prepared for the lesson in every way.

Another important aspect is the opportunity to directly get acquainted with the experience of practicing specialists.

The university holds meetings with judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and specialists from prominent law firms, who give students important recommendations based on their experience.

In addition, the university has its own courtroom, where real court sessions are held three to four times a year. Prosecutors, judges, and representatives from law firms come and consider a specific problem or case in the same courtroom with the participation of students. "If the same practices are implemented in Uzbekistan, it will allow students to gain real experience," says Dinora.

She also notes the differences in the law enforcement systems of the two countries He also shared his observations on the characteristics of the legal profession. He said that while legal education and practice in the United States are focused on analytical thinking, case law and practical problem solving, in Uzbekistan more attention is paid to the legislative framework and theoretical knowledge. In the United States, students work with real clients during their studies through legal clinics.

In addition, during the summer holidays, almost all students undergo internships in the private sector, government agencies, courts or non-profit organizations. This allows them to develop professional skills, gain real work experience and consciously choose their future specialization. The practice of pre-trial dispute resolution through mediation and negotiation is also widely used.

"I think that in Uzbekistan, further strengthening practical education, expanding quality internship opportunities for students, developing cooperation between universities and employers, and more active use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms will serve to increase the efficiency of the legal system," he said.

**Life in America and personal growth**

Our heroine currently works as a legal assistant at the Chicago law firm Mandarich Law Group. The firm provides services in consumer financing litigation and creditor rights. Dinora, together with her team, is engaged in the correction of documents rejected in court upon request, making appropriate amendments, and preparing information about this.

"Our main clients are banks. As you know, in America there is a credit card system, that is, loans are also issued for permanent consumer purposes. "We often act as plaintiffs, that is, as representatives of banks and credit companies, and are involved in court cases to recover money from those who have not been able to repay their loans on time," says the Uzbek lawyer.

Dinora intends to specialize in civil, business law, and antitrust law, so she is trying to study these areas in more depth and get more practice. Also, since in the United States a bar exam is required to practice law, she is actively preparing to take the same exam in New York next year.

Speaking about her goals for the near future, our interlocutor says: "As soon as I get my license, I intend to continue my work as a lawyer in civil, business, and competition law at a law firm. I aim to work at the intersection of the judicial system and the private sector, to develop more skills and experience, and in the future to innovate in these areas in Uzbekistan as well."

**Success Formula**

We asked Dinora, who, seeking knowledge from a remote village in a remote district, set out first for the capital, and then across the ocean - to the United States - with lofty goals in mind, to formulate her formula for success.

"Discipline is the most important thing. The more consistently and continuously you can focus on one goal, one task, the greater the likelihood of success. Let's say you are learning a language. Set yourself a deadline, "I will learn in six months, then I will take an exam for a certificate." Or the same approach is effective when participating in a conference or working on some projects. If the deadline and goal are clear, the likelihood of a positive result increases. "And for this, a person must have self-confidence, discipline and focus," she emphasizes.

Dinora adds that prestigious universities pay special attention to certain factors when accepting students. These are social activity, practical experience and language skills.

"Based on my more or less accumulated experience so far, I would say to my peers: learn a foreign language perfectly. The importance of language is incomparable both in everyday communication and in a professional environment. In addition, you need to do as much practice as possible. For example, during the bachelor's period, you can do an internship in different areas and institutions every year. One year in a court, one year in a law firm, another year in government agencies... This allows you to get acquainted with the internal mechanisms of each industry, as well as to identify a specialty that interests you and in which you can demonstrate high potential.

"Participating in various conferences and competitions, as well as volunteer projects, will help you discover your different sides. Foreign universities, when reviewing your documents, will look at how much practical work you have and how clearly you can express it on paper, and they highly value extracurricular activities. The richer your resume, the stronger your profile, the greater your chances of winning a grant," he concludes.