Dallas attorney Stephen F. Malouf and U.S. Ambassdor to Uganda Jerry Lanier discuss human rights and governmental concerns on the African continent during the Careers in International Diplomacy lecture on Thursday. (SIDNEY HOLLINGSWORTH/ The Daily Campus)

Law students interested in alternative legal career paths and international human rights concerns had the opportunity to meet with Jerry Lanier, the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda.

During the “Careers in International Diplomacy” lecture, Lanier discussed his work as a diplomat in various African countries and the human rights issues he encountered during his 26 years of service.

Dallas attorney Stephen F. Malouf also spoke at the event.

Since 2003, his office has represented private African clients and parts of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Malouf is also the chairman of Empower African Children, a Dallas-based non-profit organization that helps impoverished children in Uganda.

According to their website, Empower African Children was inspired by “success stories from more than 15 years of work with Africa’s vulnerable children.”

Both Malouf and his wife run Empower African Children, which currently has five Ugandan students placed in US colleges.

“You may go to [Third World countries] just to help, and that’s why people love the USA,” Malouf said.

Lanier also encouraged anyone interested in the Foreign Service to apply, explaining State Department officials come from a variety of backgrounds and the hiring process is a “democratic system.”

“If you want to know America, leave it and go somewhere else [so that] you can understand what we have here,” Lanier said.

According to Lanier, the State Department’s “first responsibility” is “to protect American citizens abroad,” and the second is “to assist American companies seeking to do business in foreign countries.”

Following Lanier and Malouf ‘s talk, audience members were allowed to ask questions. Many asked Lanier questions pertaining to the Ugandan government and economy, as well as logistics questions about Africa at large.

The two speakers offered their insights on controversial subjects such as human rights, civil unrest and economic significance in the African continent to an audience mostly comprised of law students interested in international affairs.

“I’m African, and I [wanted] to hear more information about what’s going on there,” Harriet Atsegbua, a law student, said.

For law student Maria Fernandez, meeting with an ambassador was a unique experience.

“He’s the Ambassador to Uganda,” Fernandez said. “You don’t get to meet those very often.”

To conclude the talk, Lanier stressed that “credibility is everything.”

“Make sure you get it right, because if you get it wrong, people don’t trust you,” Lanier said. “Credibility is everything in my profession.”