Meet our Law Students
[The course] is led by a faculty who are open-minded and approachable to the inclusive value that mediation preaches. You are tested to challenge your existing philosophy of mediation, invited to relearn by choice and encouraged to reflect on your practice.
My advice is: apply the knowledge and common sense, be flexible, don’t necessarily believe assumed facts, do enough research to ensure that you are right, and finally enjoy the journey, the eminence and the people you meet along the way.
The main challenge for me was the jump between undergraduate and post-graduate workload. However, I believe if you remain organised from the beginning, the workload is completely manageable. Also, when you are studying an area of law you are interested in, it is half the battle!
I loved when we used to do this exercise, where we used to act as members of some State Government or international NGOs and UN and share a dialogue on an existing issue. That experience was surreal. My favourite part was the International Human Rights Law lectures conducted by Prof. Alan Miller.
The course tackles relevant contemporary issues in international commerce and fosters the development of views and ideas within a diverse, global learning context. As a result of studying the course I have added broader international perspectives, as well as global cultural and contextual understanding to my skills as a commercial lawyer.
The multi-cultural learning environment at Strathclyde is amazing to me. We are encouraged to share ideas based on our background and experiences during seminars, which helps broaden my views.
The Strathclyde course sounded comprehensive and exciting and I liked the idea of some practical application as well as theoretical learning. I called the course leader Charlie before putting in my application which not only reassured me that I would be able to manage the workload but furthered my interest in the course.
When the opportunity arose to consider undertaking further study I was struck by the relevance of the MSc programme with a range of modules which I would find of great personal and professional benefit.
With this course you can choose courses in each area of your interest. Through this you may find your favorite and then be able to take further study into your future career.
If you have an interest in commercial law, I cannot recommend this course enough. It has helped me so much in achieving interviews and a summer vacation scheme with Pinsent Masons.
Having the opportunity to study alongside such a diverse range of people, from different countries, at various stages of their life and with different career ambitions, was amazing. I think we learnt a lot from each other.
When applying to universities in the United Kingdom, several factors helped me choose this university, the first of which is the university ranking, as the University of Strathclyde is one of the most distinguished universities in international commercial law, with many professors specializing in this field.
First of all, my choice to study at Strathclyde was driven by the presence of the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law & Governance (SCELG), a flagship of Strathclyde.
The course content was of particular interest, along with the opportunity to complete the course part-time, which suited my workload and enabled me to also continue to focus on my day job.
The LLM in Criminal Justice and Penal Change helped me explore my interests further. I was pleasantly surprised that the course covered such a range of topics, including Criminal Justice & Penal Decision-Making, Childhood & Crime, Surveillance, Technology & Control, and Restorative Justice.
This is primarily due to the benevolent and understanding nature of both academic and support staff at the university. They always try to stay in touch and extend support both academically and beyond, which made the study a whole lot interesting and satisfying personally during these times.
I was particularly delighted to attend the modules of E-Commerce and Intellectual Property, because of the enormous skillset I acquired through them; my engagement of writing as a Senior Editor for Commercial law at Ousia Review was inspired by the challenges faced during these constructive lectures.
I chose to study in Strathclyde because I was fascinated by the beauty of Scotland, and Glasgow was the best option as Glaswegians are well known for their affability and kindness. The LLM International Commercial Law program caught my eye, therefore, I only applied for Strathclyde and fortunately, I got an unconditional offer to join.
Looking back now, at the opportunities I’ve had and the work experience I’ve gained by networking with my lecturers and being open to opportunities, I would have never imagined myself here when I first started the course a year ago!
The students in my programme hail from countries across four continents and each brings a unique academic or practical background to the class discussions. Many of the virtual activities have promoted intercultural exchanges and collaboration, which are invaluable opportunities in a programme that has a distinct focus on international relations.
First of all, the Internet Law program was well known and had a good reputation. Secondly, the fact I could undertake the course remotely meant that I could continue to work full time as well as study.
For me to get back with academics after 27 years is not so simple, but the staff at Strathclyde are very supportive and helping me along my journey.
The huge knowledge and experience of the lecturers, as well as their method of teaching, is immensely impressive. They have the ability to encourage students to work together and in groups, which refines the students’ skills, such as the ability to discuss and exchange ideas and opinions.
As my research topic is Data Law, I was looking for a university with a cross-cutting perspective and that is exactly what I found at Strathclyde. A place where there is a thriving environment for anyone who is interested in studying the most uncharted and promising fields of law where technical knowledge is essential (e. g. Internet Law, Data Protection Law, ICT Law).
The Law School has provided a lot of career advice and work experience opportunities for us. I have an internship at a law firm located close to the city centre campus, I work here during my days off.
I did a lot of research on all of the Universities who offered the LLB course and Strathclyde was always the one that stuck out for me from the outset. They have a fantastic reputation, the lecturers are all highly acclaimed within their specialist fields and they also provide an award winning legal clinic of which I am a member.
My highlight is the consistent encouragement available in the class seminars to ensure that each student actively participates. This has helped in building my confidence to speak at any platform.
Strathclyde has the best law programme available and quite a few of the faculty are experts in their respective fields, some even literally writing the book on the subject. The thought of learning from them and benefiting from their experience was really what made my decision for me.
I was attracted to the idea of completing a professionally accredited qualification in two years, with various exciting and challenging employment routes upon completion. So, I decided to take the plunge and return to university in 2017 to study the accelerated LLB.
What really attracted me to Strathclyde was the Law Schools great reputation. By researching different universities when I was at high school, I quickly learned that Strathclyde is one of Scotland’s leading providers of legal education and offers the biggest student-run Law Clinic.
I had heard good things about the University from friends who studied there before, but I was also impressed by the rankings. One other thing that really tipped the scales for me, was the Strathclyde Law Clinic, which I believe is an incredible way to gain experience in the legal field and be able to practically apply certain aspects of the course.
The principal trait that I developed on the programme was the ability to grasp and continuously gain new multidisciplinary knowledge in a narrow area of the law. Confidence and communication skills were important skills that materialised in the mock adjudication.
When speaking to different people along my journey, they always seem to recommend Strathclyde. I also had the opportunity to tailor the course to make it exactly what I wanted it to be, I like that about Strathclyde.
Strathclyde encourages critical thinking. Our masters courses focus on discussion. During the seminars, students have the opportunities to share their views based on their cultural background, experiences and readings. This communication inspires the students to understand the world from different angles.
The course content was exactly what I was searching for and the lecturers and guest lecturers were world-leading in their fields of expertise which I admired.
On a personal level supervisors and tutors are there to support. They will provide you with academic help, this goes beyond the current knowledge in the classroom and answering any questions, but also sharing the latest newest academic knowledge in their field. They also keep you up-to-date on what research they are working on, this is such a big help.
My country has an incredible biodiversity and landscapes, including unique species particularly in the Yasuni National Park (Amazon Region) and in the Galapagos Islands. I was searching for an LLM that allows me to combine my curiosity regarding a different area of Law and the environmental challenges occurring in my country.,
My research area combines several of my interests. Having been a professional mediator for nearly a decade, this research allows me to build on my existing professional background and expertise to approach another topic of great interest to me (climate change effects on vulnerable populations) from a perspective that seems to be missing from the global conversation on how to approach ocean governance.
The LLM in Global Environmental Law and Governance not only teaches you what the law is, but also challenges you to assess why the law is what it is and what other factors need to be taken into consideration in order to fully understand and engage with it.
I had heard great things about Prof. Cyrus Tata, Director of the Centre for Law, Crime and Justice, and his work on prison reforms is closely related to the work that I did. I also knew of the brilliant Dr. Mike Nellis, Emeritus Professor of Criminal and Community Justice in the Law School. He's not only knowledgebale and sociable, but also extremely articulate and eloquent. It's a treat simply to listen to him speak. It's no surprise that anyone who knows him has the utmost respect and admiration for him.
The main reason I chose Strathclyde was because I wanted to work with Professor Elisa Morgera and the wider SCELG team. SCELG has developed a strong reputation as a leading research centre on environmental law - especially ocean governance - given its central role in the recently established GCRF-funded One Ocean Hub, also headed by Professor Morgera. I am really excited to be working with this accomplished and ground-breaking group of researchers.
The generous support I have received from Professor Tata since the outset of my application has given me confidence in the strength and attentiveness of supervision necessary for any PhD study. And so far I have never been proved wrong.
My supervisors at the Law School find my research interesting and they have the expertise to supervise me to help me complete my research. Also, I really enjoy my life in Scotland and I wanted to spend more time at a university in Glasgow.
My time at SCELG was interesting. The class had students from different countries and it was worth learning and understanding their respective values. Staff were amazing and helpful. It was also a year of excellence as the centre organised the VI Strathclyde Postgraduate Colloquium on Environmental Law and they also hosted the 16th Annual Colloquium IUCN Academy of Environmental Law.
The University's sensitivity and flexibility to mature, part-time researchers is excellent. Without it, I doubt very much if i would have been able to juggle professional, family and academic life.