School of Law

Human rights project  

This level 4 course can lead to placements (2 or 4 months) with the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France upon successful completion of the coursework. These placements are only open to graduands / graduates who have ended up working in a range of institutions (including the Court Registry, GRETA, DGI (Human Rights Directorate), PACE, and the Commissioner for Human Rights. Placements are not guaranteed and essentially a matter of personal contacts. Some experience of another European language is normally expected. 

Financial and social justice project  

The Finance and Social Justice Project (the “FSJ Project”) is a 20-credit course that gives LLM students the opportunity to work on current, real-world problems at the intersection of finance and social justice. It has three main goals: 

To enhance students’ employability by further developing their professional skills. 
To give students a practical insight into less conventional professional careers in corporate and financial law. 
To help students realise their potential to contribute to social change.  
You can find more information about the FSJ Project, including details of our work and student testimonies, on this website. For a more detailed description of the academic requirements of the course, please visit this website. 

LLM collaborative dissertations  

In order to be eligible for the award of an LLM students are required to write a dissertation. A dissertation is a substantial piece of work designed to test students’ ability to engage in independent research and critical analysis of a clearly defined subject area. The dissertation has a value of 60 credits in the LLM curriculum, which amounts to, approximately, 600 hours of notional research work. 

A collaborative LLM dissertation is a research project conducted between a student and an external partner organisation, with academic guidance and support coming from an academic supervisor. Project proposals can originate either from the student (“student-sourced”) or the organisation (“organisation-sourced”) and should be ultimately agreed and approved by the dissertation supervisor. 

The University of Glasgow’s Collaborative Dissertation Initiative is based on an awareness that many organisations need good quality research and that students are often eager to conduct research which has immediate relevance to external organisations and demonstrates the application of their academic learning. For example, in recent years, our LLM students have written their dissertations in collaboration with international private law firms and international NGOs to support these organisations in the exploration of topics such as the legal obligations of private and public actors to take into account the impact of their operations on the current climate emergency. You can read the testimonies of some participating students and external organisations below. 

Developing your LLM dissertation in collaboration with an external organisation will give you the opportunity to: 

• Conduct research of real relevance to an external organisation with practical impact 
• Gain insight into how the organisation works  
• Improve your employability by: 
  • Attending exclusive skills workshops aimed at enhancing students’ communication skills in a policy context 
  • Developing networks relevant to your future employment 

Read student and external partner testimonials on participating in the LLM collaborative dissertation.

There are a wide range of employability initiatives that take place as part of the Diploma. These include the Glasgow Legal Network; network of alumni, tutors and those interested in giving back to the profession. A mentoring programme, where students' are given the opportunity to be paired with a mentor from the Glasgow Legal Network. There is also a mini-devilling scheme where students shadow practicing advocates, competitions and bespoke careers advice from Diploma tutors who have extensive experience in the legal profession.  

Glasgow Legal Network 

The Diploma has a network of alumni, tutors and those interested in giving back to the profession.  The “Glasgow Legal Network” consists of judges, sheriffs, advocates, solicitors and trainees.  At least one drinks event is held each academic session, where students are invited to meet members of the Glasgow Legal Network.  This gives students the opportunity to practise networking and also elicit advice from people in the profession.   

Diploma Mentoring Programme 

Diploma students are given the opportunity to be paired with a mentor from the Glasgow Legal Network.  Students simply advise the area(s) of law in which they wish to practise and we endeavour to match them with someone appropriate.  The extent of the mentoring is left to the mentor and mentee.  It can range from a call to discuss the student’s CV to the student shadowing the mentor for a day.   

Mini-devilling 

The Mini-devilling Scheme involves Diploma students shadowing Members of Faculty (practising advocates) for one day per week over the course of a university semester.  The Scheme provides an opportunity for Diploma students to gain experience of the work of an Advocate and an insight into the Faculty of Advocates; as well as a more general introduction to advocacy and the realities of legal work.  Mini-Devils are assigned a Mini-Devilmaster.  In the course of shadowing their Mini-Devilmasters, the Mini-Devils have opportunities to attend client consultations, read their Mini-Devilmasters’ papers (files), assist with legal drafting and attend court hearings.    

Competitions 

Diploma students have the opportunity to take part in three competitions: International Client Consultation Competition, International Negotiation Competition and UK Student Mediation Competition.  The skills gained by taking part in these competitions clearly enhance students’ employability.     

Bespoke Careers Advice 

The Director and Deputy Director of the Diploma both spent many years in legal practice and provide one-to-one advice on careers.  They also do mock interviews for students, where they play the role of any traineeship provider.  This gives students a realistic experience of a traineeship interview.  The Directors provide constructive feedback on interview technique.