Florida lawyer braves the cold of Russia to teach law.

There are a lot of differences between U.S. and Russian legal systems, and when John Cardillo taught for two weeks in Arkhangelsk, an industrial city near the White Sea 800 miles north of Moscow, he saw most of them.

Some he expected prior to arrival. He knew, for instance, that it would be cold. He knew it might take awhile to get to know the locals.

"Everybody walks with their heads down. Nobody makes eye contact. You could stop someone and ask for directions, but you'd better tap them on the shoulder first and then hope they didn't hit you with a right cross," Cardillo said.

Once he'd been on the ground awhile, working as an ambassador attorney for the Center for International Legal Studies, Cardillo got to know his hosts and students from Pomor State University, finding them cordial and warm. He started picking up on some local customs. For instance, superstition prevents shaking hands at someone's front door; you have to wait until you're invited in. Many men carry two or three bottles of open beer around during the day--all day, every day. And if a Russian judge invites you to her chambers and offers you vodka at 11 in the morning, take it--unless she's not drinking herself, in which case you must decline.

And Russian law students, Cardillo found, really like My Cousin Vinny.

The study and practice of law is fundamentally different in Russia than in the U.S., Cardillo said, noting that he taught at a law "program" rather than a law school. Russia doesn't have law schools per se, and lawyers can begin to practice civil cases while still enrolled in school, because there is no certification requirement. So Cardillo brought a bunch of movies depicting lawyers in society, to try to give his students snapshots of attorneys operating in a democracy. He brought The Verdict, And Justice for All, Twelve Angry Men and more, screening them every night and providing the pizza.

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"I asked them, 'How many movies are there about dentists?' I wanted to show them what they could do and how proud they could be, even when taking an unpopular position," Cardillo said. "That's really the purpose of the whole trip--to instill in them the virtue of a strong judicial system."

Cardillo's two-week stint encompassed 20 hours of in-class time, during which he led a discussion on...