Meet our PGTs
Sylwia Jakuczun, Poland
I decided to apply for the LLM in Corporate and Financial Law after completing my LLB at the University of Glasgow. I wanted to stay in the top Law School in Scotland, which is also ranked the 2nd in the UK, according to the Complete University Guide.
The main advantage of the School of Law is its staff and very experienced professors. It is true that ‘People Make Glasgow’ and the same can be said about the University.
M&A Transactions
I had an opportunity to participate in a newly offered course Mergers & Acquisitions Transactions. The course combines practical and theoretical aspects of M&A Transactions and from my understanding, only two other law schools offer such a course. It is taught by Dr Konstantinos Sergakis, Dr Javier Solana and Jonathan Hardman, a senior associate at a leading Scottish law firm Dickson Minto. I enjoyed working on real documents, such as Share Purchase Agreements, Asset Purchase Agreements and articles of association. The lecturers were very approachable, knowledgeable and friendly.
International Finance Law
Similarly, the International Finance Law course gives you an insight into the documents used by international finance and banking lawyers, such as those produced by the Loan Market Association or the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. The course gives you a flavour of what a trainee in a law firm needs to watch out for in those documents. Professor George Walker is an extremely experienced professional, who advises the Bank of England and has been a consultant for the International Monetary Fund and the biggest UK law firms. All lectures for the class are recorded, which is helpful for revision purposes. Professor Walker also organises a trip for students each year to Edinburgh to visit the most important places in the Scottish capital, including the Scottish Parliament and the Court of Sessions.
International Merger Control
The International Merger Control course is probably the best course I have ever taken. Professor Mark Furse is an experienced teacher and has a lot of international contacts. He teaches and works in Australia and China throughout the year and knows a lot about the current merger control regimes and competition law issues. Students are always encouraged to ask questions and participate during the seminars, which is a very good way of learning.
Glasgow University International Law Society
There are a lot of extracurricular activities and societies to get involved with while studying at the University of Glasgow. You can join the Glasgow University International Law Society, Glasgow University Law Society or write an article for the GULS Law Review. There are numerous employment events, law fairs, ceilidh dances and law balls organised every year for law students. Everybody is welcome to attend and as an international student, I made a lot of friends during those events. The students on my programme are very friendly and it is amazing to learn about their international legal experience.
Mooting Society
I also recommend participating in numerous external and internal moots, which are organised by the Mooting Society. This year LLM students represented the University in Vienna in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, which is an excellent opportunity to develop your advocacy, problem solving and public
For more information on Mooting at Glasgow visit: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/law/mooting/
Sylwia Jakuczun (LLM, Corporate and Financial Law)
Conrado Machado, Brazil
Studying the LLM in Intellectual Property and the Digital Economy at the University of Glasgow was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. As a Brazilian lawyer with experience mainly in criminal law and living in the city of Florianopolis, currently the most important technological hub of Brazil, I wanted to make a career shift in order to work with local startups and technology companies demanding legal solutions often not available in the more traditional market in Brazil.
For that reason, I searched for an LLM programme at the same time solid in theory but with an open perspective to the new realities that are challenging academics, lawmakers and lawyers, especially in the Intellectual Property field. However, I have found more than I expected at the University of Glasgow because besides the team of highly qualified lecturers, who are directly involved in pieces of research extremely influential on a UK and European level I could also get engaged in the activities of the Glasgow University Intellectual Property Society (GU-IPS) and establish rewarding connections with people from several parts of the world. Moreover, the activities developed by CREATe as well as the CopyrightX: Glasgow classes have, on top of giving me knowledge, instilled in me a genuine interest in academic research.
To sum up, the journey on the LLM in Intellectual Property and the Digital Economy is challenging but extremely gratifying.
Conrado Machado (LLM, Intellectual Property and the Digital Economy)
Maanya Vaidyanathan, India
Coming to the University of Glasgow for my LLM is one of the wisest decisions I have ever made. The academic experiences I have gained here is unparalleled. I got to study under the tutelage of the leading experts in the subject of International Law, International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. This gave me a sense of direction and inspiration to pursue a career in International Law. The University of Glasgow is a warm, vibrant and diverse institution. It welcomed me from day one. The city is one of the friendliest cities in the United Kingdom and living here, as a student, is something everyone must experience. No international student will ever feel out of place in this city or at the University. The course, the city and the university together make for a perfect start to your life in the field of International Law and Security.
Maanya Vaidyanathan (LLM, International Law and Security)
Robin Joel Van Mulders, Sweden
Why did you decide to study at the University of Glasgow?
When choosing to pursue an LLM after my undergraduate degree, the University of Glasgow was a clear choice. Having completed my undergraduate law degree at another Scottish university I was well aware of the university’s excellent reputation as an academic institution. Given that I wanted to pursue the specialist subject of competition law I had narrowed down my list of possible universities to five across the UK. Out of those, Glasgow was the one university which offered me the opportunity to study three major jurisdictions and a truly international LLM experience.
Why did you choose your Programme of Study?
Having studied competition law in my undergraduate degree and found a deep passion for the subject, and not being sure whether practice or academia was the right path for me, an LLM in the very niche area seemed like the best way to improve my employability chances. I had spoken to several lecturers at the university including the programme lead, Professor Mark Furse, and arrived at the conclusion that choosing all three competition law modules and an added module in EU Trade Law would be the best fit for me. "The professors and lecturers were all very friendly and engagng, helping out with both academic queries...as well as with your own professional development"
What can you tell us about your experience studying at the School of Law?
Studying at the School of Law was an excellent experience for several reasons. The professors and lecturers were all very friendly and engaging, helping out with both academic queries throughout the semester as well as with your own professional development. Most of them operate an open-door policy, which come dissertation time can be most helpful!
On the social side of things, my experience will have differed from most students. Living in Edinburgh and commuting to Glasgow two to three days a week was flexible, and both the programme and school accommodated this perfectly. Given that the School of Law is in the heart of the West End, you are never too far away from café’s or pubs, which after a long day at the library can be a welcome break and a great opportunity to catch up with your colleagues and friends.
What did you like the most?
The thing I liked the most about my time on the LLM was the intellectual challenge that it offered. The fact that the content which we covered often contained multi-jurisdictional issues (such as the interaction of competition regulation and intellectual property law in the EU and US), or considering the substantive and procedural issues which should be considered when constructing a competition regime was both challenging and rewarding at the same time."The thing I liked the most about my time on the LLM was the intellectual challenge that it offered"
How was your academic experience?
Absolutely outstanding! With only two contact hours per module per week you have the freedom to study and prepare in your own time, and thus use your teaching hours more effectively by discussing high level issues rather than merely discussing the law and what it means. Rather than feeling like we were spoonfed, these classes were made for constructive intellectually rigorous discussions on key developments in our chosen modules.
What support/facilities did you find most useful?
Given that I commuted to university, my time was mostly spent trying to be as productive as I could. Therefore, the most necessary were the library and café facilities.
LLM students are lucky in this respect at the University of Glasgow since we have our own dedicated postgraduate area of the library as well as our personally dedicated ‘postgraduate club’ for socialising.
Robin Joel Van Mulders (LLM, International Competition Law and Policy)