From Mongolia to Marco: Learning Law the USA Way

Nomin-Erdene Dorjsuren’s year for knowledge about how her profession is practiced in America has taken her far - 7,303 miles to be exact. 

That’s the distance between her hometown of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and Marco Island, where the attorney is visiting the Kramer Kellerhouse, Chartered Law Firm through an international cultural exchange program.

Dorjsuren recently completed the second of what will be a six-month stay at the general practice firm that handles real estate, civil litigation, family law, estate planning, probate, business formation and other legal matters. Licensed to practice in her homeland since 2018, she specializes in contract, labor, and securities law, as well as mining law because mineral-rich Mongolia is home to a significant number of mining companies and mining projects. 

This is her first visit to the United States, a journey that began by happenstance. 

“I noticed an advertisement for the opportunity to work with a United States law firm and it attracted me because I really wanted to work in the U.S. and see how lawyers practice here,” said Dorjsuren, 28. “I really wanted to see, in real life, how they work, how they treat their clients, how they settle cases in the courts, how the courts and the legal system work. I was really interested in knowing all those things and that’s why I’m here.”

After responding to the ad, she went through a series of interviews before being accepted into the program. She had her pick of several law firms around the country, one of them Kramer Kellerhouse, Chartered. The rest, as it’s said, is history.

“I was ready to go anyplace in the United States, but I chose this area because it’s a beautiful city, the nature is so beautiful and there are a lot of beaches,” explained Dorjsuren. “I’m so fortunate to be here.” 

The region’s weather and Marco’s Gulf of Mexico locale were irresistible for the native of the ancient nation bordering China and Russia that gave birth to Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire of the 13th-and-14th-centuries. The setting fulfills a long-held dream.

“Mongolia is a landlocked country, so I always wanted to be near a beach,” she said. “Also, the weather. When I left my home country, it was mid-winter, it was so cold. I came here and everything is green and with the most pleasurable weather. The sunshine is golden and the clear blue sky. It so impressed me. I really love this place.” 

A legal career captured her imagination in childhood, in part because of movies she saw that featured lawyers, especially American films featuring powerful female characters who are attorneys. 

While at Kramer Kellerhouse, Chartered, Dorjsuren is getting plenty of hands-on experience drafting and managing documents, and conducting legal research to prepare for court hearings. She’s also been observing how the firm interacts with clients and learning about its marketing practices. Of course, she’s also gaining in-depth knowledge about America’s legal system.