Prof. Michael Seng of The John Marshall Law School has received the Czernin Palace Memorial Bronze Medal from the Czech Republic for his development and implementation of partnership programs among lawyers and law students in the two countries.

The medal was presented Jan. 19 at the law school by Arlington Heights attorney George T. Drost, who has served as honorary consul for the Czech Republic in Chicago and Wisconsin since November 2001.

The international honor, which was conferred by the Czech ambassador in Washington, D.C., and is named for the building that houses the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recognizes work that fosters Czech-U.S. relations.

“Prof. Seng's initiative, begun nearly 15 years ago, was to foster Rule of Law concepts in the emerging central European democracies,” Drost said. “Through his efforts, the programs he helped initiate have become significant, continuous and expanding.”

Seng started an annual Czech/Slovak Legal Study Trip in 1993 for alumni and friends of John Marshall to review developments in Czech law and politics.

He also established a Czech Student Exchange that has provided opportunities for 11 law students from Masaryk University to spend semesters at John Marshall and take American legal concepts back to institutions in the republic.

In 2001, Seng inaugurated the Czech/Slovak Institute, in which American law professors and lawyers conduct courses for new Czech lawyers in Luhacovice. He has taught courses as a visiting professor at Mararyk in Brno and the University of Economics in Prague.

Trost announced that he is stepping down as honorary consul in Chicago but will maintain the responsibility in Wisconsin. He introduced his Chicago successor, Marek Skolil, who is consul general of the Czech Republic.