“Looking back, I appreciate the entirety of my LLM and the memories accompanying it. It really is a collection of great moments and positive encounters, and I definitely cherish being part of the 2020 cohort and an alumnus of the QMUL community".
Year of graduation: 2020Name of programme: Commercial and Corporate Law LLM, 2020Country: Cyprus
I decided to choose Queen Mary for my LLM in Commercial and Corporate law primarily because of its diverse and interesting range of modules. Also, as it is situated in central London and is a prestigious university, ensured that I would have access to different potential employees, great networking opportunities and a high educational standard.
I am extremely happy with the learning experience I have had. Considering that students come from different professional backgrounds, including qualified lawyers, judges and people who had just finished their undergraduate degree like myself, I was worried that it would be hard to accommodate the needs of such a diverse group of students. Instead, this ultimately meant that more views and experiences fed into our discussions and provided for an interactive and motivating learning experience that catered for everyone. Further, many of the professors hold prominent roles in their fields, providing both academic and industry insights in a comprehensive and clear way. In fact, such insights are already proving to be quite useful in my new job.
I think the key to my programme was that QMUL delivered everything I expected it to and even more. It lived up to the expectations I had relating to the teaching standards and even exceeded them. It really proved to be a global university, from the employers it attracted and its international cohort of students and staff. It offered some extra opportunities and experiences that I had never expected, such as the trip to Cumberland Lodge. The trip really proved to be a great way to start the academic year and the LLM, break the ice with the other students and make new friends.
The opportunity to combine modules across specialisations and even audit (the ability to choose certain classes, without needing to take an exam at the end of the semester). Some of them were very important to me and I definitely appreciated this opportunity. I did not want to limit myself to, strictly speaking, corporate modules, but wanted to follow legal changes in the financial services and banking sectors, which are gaining increasing prominence in recent years. In fact, I found myself reprioritising what I wanted to focus on as I gained greater understanding of these areas and ultimately chose a number of modules, which seemingly came from different specialisations, but in practice, complement each other well. I am as such, able to undertake a range of tasks in my firm and appreciate how a number of issues that arise from different legal areas might have an impact on each other.
I would encourage any prospective students or applicants to take their next step at QMUL and make the most of what it has to offer. If they choose to do so, I think it's important to try and make the most of this experience, by participating in as much as possible in the variety of things that their LLM will have to offer. The employers' presentations, social events, qLegal clinics and even everyday classes, make up an unforgettable experience at every level. Try to be as engaged as possible in all of these different aspects of the LLM and you will be sure to enjoy the journey.
My QMUL graduation almost signalled the start to my professional career, as right after my graduation I started my traineeship at a law firm in Cyprus. Because the modules I chose covered a variety of new legal topics, I am able to quickly grasp the new concepts which even more experienced lawyers might only be familiar with to a limited extent. Further, my LLM provided me with the opportunity to study topics which I did not have the chance to look into during my bachelor degree and which eventually proved to be the legal areas that interest me the most. Had it not been for my LLM, I believe I would have found them too complicated to look into, not to mention the task would look daunting. As such, my specialisation really opened up the way for me to become involved in innovative projects which I find exciting and equipped me with the necessary knowledge to be able to successfully deliver a number of tasks and which I can build on in my future career.
I would not be able to single out one experience from my time studying at QMUL. Looking back, I appreciate the entirety of my LLM and the memories accompanying it. It really is a collection of great moments and positive encounters, and I definitely cherish being part of the 2020 cohort and an alumnus of the QMUL community.