FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Mercedes Caral, a partner in the Jausas law firm in Barcelona, Spain, will visit the University of Arkansas School of Law to teach an intersession course on international commercial arbitration May 12-16.

Although the School of Law frequently holds intersession courses, this is the first in a possible series of courses offered by seasoned attorneys who practice outside of the United States.

As a partner in the Jausas law firm, Caral specializes in litigation and arbitration in commercial and civil law. She has presented a number of landmark cases before the Spanish National Supreme Court.

Before joining the Jausas law firm, Caral practiced with the Pintó Ruiz law firm and later practiced with the Mullerat law firm in its real estate and litigation departments. She received her law degree from the School of Law of Barcelona University in 1980 and was admitted in the Barcelona Bar Association in 1983.

In addition to practicing, Caral has been a professor of civil law at the School of Law of the Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona and has given numerous seminars at leading law schools in Spain. She was the president of the Civil Law Section of the Barcelona Bar Association from 2001 to 2003 and has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences and roundtable discussions.

Caral is a member of the American Bar Association and its International, Litigation and Real Estate Sections and is a member of the International Law Association REUNITE. She has maintained a long-term position on the editorial staff of the legal journal Inmueble, in which she has published extensively. Caral is co-author of the book International Personal Injury Compensation, published by Sweet & Maxwell Publishers.

“The School of Law is honored to have a reputable and seasoned lawyer such as Ms. Caral teach a course at our institution,” Dean Cynthia Nance said. “One of our school’s initiatives is to prepare our graduates for an increasingly globalized legal practice, and Ms. Caral’s expertise in the international legal field will be extremely beneficial to our students.”

Nance said she invited Caral to the School of Law at the recommendation of Christopher Kelley, associate professor of law, who met Caral through his involvement in the American Bar Association Section of International Law.

"Ms. Caral is a highly regarded member of the Spanish bar. She is well known and respected by her peers for her commercial litigation and arbitration skills,” Kelley said. “We are very fortunate that she will be working with our students in helping them to develop the skills needed to represent transnational and international businesses."