FROM EAST TO WEST


College officials are gearing up for a marketing drive to promote the LLM in North America and Southeast Asia – with prospective Canadian law students especially in their crosshairs


The global marketplace in post- graduate degrees is increasingly competitive - and College of Law officials are tackling the challenge head on with a vigorous global road show promoting the innovative nature of its LLM.


The college is focussing this year on the two international common law legal hubs of North America and South-east Asia. Senior managers will be heading first to Hong Kong, with Canada, Malaysia and Singapore also on the tour list before the end of 2012.


Canada represents fertile ground for the LLM as when combined with its LLB it offers law students from that country an almost unique opportunity.


LLM Bonus


Canadian students who complete the college’s accelerated two-year LLB can extend their stay in London by a year to do the one-year full-time LLM. When they return to Canada they will


only be required to do a short burst of additional tests - called ‘challenged exams’ - before being able to sit their individual provincial bar exams to qualify.


That means those students qualify as lawyers almost as quickly as they would do if they had stayed at home, and they have the bonus of having a highly desirable LLM under their belts - in addition to the experience of living overseas.


Canadian LLB degrees take three years to complete with no benefit of an LLM on top. Also, if Canadian students came to London just to do the LLB and then return, they will have to sit a far more extended and complex series of challenged exams.


Global Firm Interest


Adding to the attraction of having such a heavy dose of English legal education for prospective Canadian lawyers is the increasing interest that London-based global law firms are taking in that jurisdiction.


That point was highlighted at beginning of this year when global player Norton Rose merged with leading Canadian law firm Macleod Dixon. Since that deal was struck, the firm has named as its first non-English chairman Canadian partner Norman Steinberg.


LLMS IN THE UK By www.llmstudy.com


technical specialism in cross-border commercial law


While the college sees plenty of scope for marketing its LLM in Canada, moving south to take a slice of the huge US market remains elusive for the time being. However, there are plenty of international opportunities remaining, not least in the Far East.


The UK offers a wide range of programmes; plenty of ‘specialist’ options sit alongside more ‘general’ LLMs. This means that you can be sure there will be a UK programme that’s right for your needs


A senior staffer is headed to Hong Kong at the end of July to promote the course at one of the region’s leading events for graduate and post-graduate students. He will then head later in the year to Malaysia and Singapore.


Liberalised Legislation


College officials are confident that the LLM appeals in those jurisdictions because they are international legal hubs with, yet again, much English and US law firm interest. Indeed, only a few days ago, Malaysia’s Legal Profession Bill was tabled in parliament for a second reading, taking the country a step closer to a more liberalised regime that will allow foreign firms a foothold in the local market.


Commercial lawyers can no longer afford to be tied to their home jurisdictions’ apron strings – they must take on the global village by expanding their awareness of cross- border legal issues.


One of the oldest in the world, the English common-law system has been used as a model by many newer legal codes. It also often cited in deciding multinational or international disputes. Although based in the UK, only two of the four ‘home’ nations use English law – England and Wales. Northern Irish law is not too different, but Scottish law is derived from Roman law and Scotland’s legal system is separate. Coming to the UK is therefore a chance to discover a diversity of legal ideas and influences.


Singapore is already a relatively open playing field for global firms. At the beginning of May, leading Netherlands law firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek said it expected to open an office shortly in the city-state, while earlier this year US firm Squire Sanders received a licence following similar moves by London firms LG and Withers.


Looking for funding for postgraduate studies? Check out the exclusive bursaries on offer from Postgrad Solutions.


The English LLM Programmes As there are over 40


Europe is also on the college’s LLM marketing hit list. Officials maintain that Germany remains a potentially fruitful market as there is already strong evidence that German graduate students are keen to do masters courses in the UK.


Black-Letter of the Law


While the IBA-College of Law LLM provides students with crucial skills in modern lawyering, its core purpose is to give graduates a crucial


usiness. Student View chose Chichester because of the


mazing location, teaching methods d excellent rates of student isfaction. The learning opportunities


ad were unbelievable. experience at Chichester gave a great insight into working in a business environment, and is ly what I needed to prepare r my current position as a ess Analyst.”


y Wan - University of ester Alumnus


NORDIC, BUT STILL EXCITING


Tartu University combines a truly modern hands-on take on software engineering in a program embedded in one of the fastest growing IT sectors in Europe. This means graduates are all but guaranteed further career opportunities.


w.chi.ac.uk


It’s impossible to not notice how proud Estonians are of their IT sector. The small Northern European nation is home to Skype, boasts a government that seeks to be paper-free and has been on the forefront of online and mobile services for a decade. Furthermore, the 1,3 million residents of Estonia have given more than 100 million electronic signatures – equal to putting a pen to paper – with the government- issued ID-cards.


“Even the buses from the capital Tallinn to the university-city of Tartu have touchscreens built into the backs of seats, ” points Raimundas Matulevicius, a Lithuanian-born, Norwegian- educated computer scientist, now an associate professor at the Institute of Computer Science of University of Tartu.


This dynamism is highlighted in the master's program in software engineering jointly offered by University of Tartu and Tallinn University of Technology. This


students and are required to closely and constructively participate in the development of their younger academic colleagues,” points professor Dumas. “This is an incremental process of becoming an independent researcher. You are a part of a team until you can lead a piece of research work.”


INTERNATIONAL MEN IN ESTONIA: (from right) professor Marlon Dumas has studied or taught at Paris, Grenoble and Queensland, Australia to now lead the efforts at the software engineering program at University of Tartu; Austrian Georg Singer teaches entrepreneurship, having earned his PhD from Tartu; associate professor Raimundas Matulevicius is a Lithuanian-born and Norwegian-educated computer scientist. (photo credit: University of Tartu, www.ut.ee)


unique collaboration allows graduate students unrivaled combination of generalist software knowledge and deep specializations in fast-growing areas such as embedded systems or information security.


Afraid of Nothing


“Our students are afraid of nothing,” explains Georg Singer, an Austrian teaching entrepreneurship to software engineers in Tartu. “If Skype can be made in Estonia, they can do anything here,” explains Singer why he himself chose to defend a PhD on web search engines in Tartu.


Professor Jaak Vilo, the newest member of the Estonian Academy


of Sciences and the head of the Computer Science Institute in Tartu, says that IT is important for Estonians. “Our technology sector is rather entrepreneurial and gigacorporatsions do not dominate. This means new ventures can be set up from scratch.”


“In many other places you have to have a really good reason to change, which hinders innovation,” says professor Marlon Dumas, head of the software engineering program in Tartu. He should know, having been born in Honduras, educated at Paris and Grenoble and worked in Queensland, Australia. “In Estonia, young people can have


HAPPY STUDENTS: Students cite one-on-one supervision, vibrant IT sector and availability of scholarships as perks of the graduate programs in software engineering at the University of Tartu in the Nordic country of Estonia. (photo credit: University of Tartu, www.ut.ee)


jobs with real responsibility. They cannot afford the attitude of conserving the status quo,” adds his colleague Singer.


Practical Orientation


Estonia has realized the only way to grow is through innovation. Therefore, the country is building a strong ICT sector. Ranging from IT competence centers to initiatives to teach programming in primary school, it provides a vibrant environment for students of technology.


Participatory Supervision


“We call our approach to students participatory supervision. Professors writes papers together with their


The team process also means students from a variety of backgrounds are accepted to the software engineering


program and many career paths are open to graduates. Students have started successful companies while still in school, have been recruited to corporate positions or stayed on from master’s to the PhD program.


On career days, it’s not infrequent for more companies to attend than students. This means graduates have options, in Estonia or outside. “The Estonian Association of Information Technology and has everything but given each and every single of our graduates guarantee of employment. Estonia needs at least 5000 new IT workers in 5 years,” points professor Vilo.


Master’s of Software Engineering in Estonia


The Master’s of Software Engineering prepares students for a career path leading to high-end technical roles, such as software analyst or research engineer, or to managerial roles, such as project leader or technology officer. Graduates of this program are equipped to join the highly dynamic software industry in the Baltics, Northern and Eastern Europe.


The Master's of Software Engineering starts with a core module where students acquire general software engineering skills. Students can then choose one of two specialization modules: enterprise software or embedded software. A range of elective and free-choice courses allows students to further specialize or to broaden their horizons, depending on their preferred career path.


During the second year, students put the acquired skills into use, first during an internship and then by writing a Master's thesis. Students can prepare their thesis at a company or in one of the research groups at University of Tartu or Tallinn University of Technology. Master's project opportunities are also offered by the two IT competence centers in Estonia: STACC (www.stacc.ee) and ELIKO (www.eliko.ee).


This Master's program is jointly delivered by University of Tartu and Tallinn University of Technology. Students receive a degree from both of these universities.


For More Information and Application Procedures See www.ut.ee/software


universities offering about 350 LLM programmes, your first consideration might be course content. Apart from numerous ‘general’ LLMs, there is plenty of specialist study. Recently, there has been a growth in LLMs covering human rights, competition law, European law, and all aspects of international law, business and trade – all which cover important issues in today’s society. There


That potentially career-saving advice comes from the top levels of the administration of the joint International Bar Association-College of Law LLM in International Legal Practice. The organisers stress that nuts-and-bolts black-letter law is at the heart of the LLM course, which is geared to give graduates a competitive edge in the increasingly global practice of commercial law.


‘If you are an international lawyer or a lawyer at a large commercial law firm, you can’t simply say: “I just do English law.” It just doesn’t work like that anymore,’ warns Martin Smith, the college’s head of business development.


Technical Study


Most LLMs are also offered on a part-time (two years) basis: these are popular with UK and EU graduates who can work their way through law school. Not all part-time courses are suitable for international students, who are subject to restrictions on their working rights, including the number of hours they can work in term time.


Indeed, the competition module is especially illustrative of this approach. It focuses heavily on areas such as articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and also on major US legislation such as the Sherman Anti-trust Act, which, while more than 100 years old, is still highly relevant to all businesses doing cross- border deals in America.


Course administrators point out that the five-year old LLM provides students with a fine-tuned specialisation in cross-border law, with the recently launched full-time course being even more steeped in technical study.


Its six modules – business, finance and the legal services market, international intellectual property, international competition and anti-trust, international mergers and acquisitions, international joint ventures, and international arbitration practice – all lean strongly towards the study of cross-border issues. Which means that while the modules all examine the law from a UK perspective, they also focus substantially on other major jurisdictions. For example, the M&A module concentrates significantly on the US jurisdictions, while the competition module has a heavy dose of EU and US law.


are also a rising number of programmes that deal with armed conflict, the environment and IT/ telecommunications, which are proving to be popular.


But the LLM’s competition module doesn’t simply focus on the two huge jurisdictions of the EU and US – it also delves into regulatory issues in Australia and South Africa.


Here is a flavour of further possibilities: • Programmes focusing on areas and aspects of criminal justice


• Business specialisms, many featuring e-commerce


• Medical and health specialisms, including ethics and bioethics


Merger Regimes


grounding so that lawyers can make educated and informed decisions.


fewer than thirty people per year, some taking no more than ten students. Larger ones may have at least 50% international students. This range of jurisdictions and legal backgrounds is an education in itself!


• 'Niche’ areas – shipping law, media law, intellectual property law and sports law.


How to Make a Choice for Your English LLM Programme


The programme size and composition may influence you. Many LLM programmes recruit


The M&A field is another example of the international black-letter law focus of the LLM. As Mr Smith explains, these days only the smallest mergers do not involve cross-border issues. ‘The chances are that if they are of a certain size,’ he says, ‘there is a high probability that those mergers will have to be cleared by the relevant authorities in numerous jurisdictions – the US, Europe, China, just to name the most obvious. So the LLM provides a strong and invaluable grounding in how those regimes work, for example, around the highly complex threshold rules in each jurisdiction, which are especially difficult in the European context.’


Alternatively, you could base your decision on how the course is delivered. Almost all LLMs involve lectures and tutorials. It is often compulsory to write a 15,000- to 20,000-word dissertation based on individual research, but in some law schools this is optional or can be replaced by several shorter essays. Modular LLMs make it easier to follow individual interests. Some involve continuous assessment (students’ work is evaluated throughout the year), with few or no exams, while some test their students regularly and/or have end- of-course examinations.


For Mr Smith, the issue is not one of multiple qualifications, but of gaining a sufficient multi-jurisdictional


‘Today’s commercial lawyers don’t all need to be specialists in cross-border fields,’ he says. ‘For example an EU competition lawyer needn’t also be a specialist in American anti-trust law. But that lawyer needs to know the issues sufficiently well so he can contact an American specialist. An English lawyer won’t be qualified to advise on the intricacies of the US anti-trust law, but the LLM will have put that person in a position where he can recognise the issues and then go to the right US expert.


‘Historically, lawyers had some depth of knowledge of different subjects, now they need a great deal of depth in a narrow subject area but in a wider number of jurisdictions.’


There is no UK government league table of universities. The rankings and websites listed below offer some useful guidance, although such information dates very quickly. It is important to read course descriptions and to seek other relevant information, such as the views of visiting teachers.


Location, Location, Location


For exposure to legal institutions and corporate law firms, London has no rival. Conversely, it is a very expensive place to live! One point in its favour is the variety of LLMs and subject choices offered by the colleges that collectively make up the University of London, including University College London (UCL), King’s College London, Queen Mary’s and SOAS.


And a wider breadth of knowledge is exactly what the course administrators maintain is what students will receive from the full-time, face-to-face London-based LLM.


Another feature unique to England’s capital is the Inns of Court, home to London’s barristers (litigators) for many centuries. The Inns of Court School of Law (which changed its name in July 2008 to the City Law School) linked up with City University London to provide the UK’s first LLM in Criminal Litigation. However, other cities offer an excellent legal education, and London is never more than a few hours’ travel from anywhere in the UK.


Applying for Your English LLM Apply directly, often online, to


individual universities. There is no limit on how many can be applied to. Application forms usually require a lengthy personal statement persuading the admissions tutor that you have the right enthusiasm and expertise. You may have to submit examples of academic work or write an essay on a set topic. A few institutions will interview you by phone.


Entry Requirements for Your English LLM


These vary between universities and programmes, but usually ask for a law degree at the equivalent of a 2.1 grade, ie the top half of the second class. Some courses may accept lower academic grades, particularly with appropriate work experience. Others may consider non-law graduates whose studies are relevant to a particular course, eg one with a scientific, business or sociological slant.


Opening Doors


Studying for an LLM in the UK provides an opportunity to look at the theory and development of law in a multinational environment. An LLM adds weight to academic credentials, particularly if going on to teach or research. Legal employers everywhere see it as adding value to any application, but, in the UK, it is most acceptable alongside practical training if you intend to become a solicitor or barrister. Statistics show that many European Union (EU) and international students return home on completion of their LLM, and are successful in finding legal employment or related work.


Working in the UK


The situation differs according to your nationality and whether you are already a qualified lawyer. The


Law Society and the Bar Council can offer guidance on equivalency.


EU-qualified lawyers with good English are in the best position. Large UK law firms report that it is hard to obtain work permits for non-EU candidates unless they have practised law for a substantial amount of time in their home jurisdictions. An LLM, especially combined with a recognised UK qualification such as the Legal Practice Course, might boost your application in these circumstances. The trend at the moment is for large law practices to actively recruit LLM associates based in their own countries, but with the chance to spend time in the UK and elsewhere.


It’s Worth It!


An LLM is a worthwhile addition to practical training and shows that you have high motivation and intellectual ability. It gives you extra credibility that might improve your career prospects in the short term and the medium term. Where better to study it than in the UK?


Find out more about studying for an LLM at: www.llmstudy.com


Need Funding?


Postgrad Solutions Ltd is offering two LLM Study Bursaries each to the value of £500.


Apply Here Now


THE IET LAUNCHES OPEN ACCESS ENGINEERING MEGAJOURNAL


The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is the first engineering, not-for-profit publisher to adopt an open access model with the launch of a comprehensive, online- only open access journal. Open access options will also be added to its existing 26 journals. This is part of the IET’s continuing mission to make essential engineering intelligence available to the worldwide engineering community, benefitting researchers who contribute to or use this content.


The IET, which has 153,000 members in 127 countries around the world and has published engineering journals since 1872, will be inviting submissions for its new open access megajournal from autumn 2012, with the online-only publication expected to launch in 2013. As a broad-based engineering journal it will accept papers on a wide range of engineering topics, rather than focusing on a single specific field. The title and editor- in-chief of this new publication will be announced later in 2012.


From 2013, authors will also be able to choose to make their research


free to view in any of the IET’s 26 existing engineering journals, which include well-known titles such as Electronics Letters and the newly launched IET Biometrics. Currently all research papers published by the IET’s journals are available in print and online to paying subscribers only.


The IET’s decision to adopt the open access model comes after a major global review with over 35,000 engineering researchers from academia and industry to gauge their appetite for open access. This research found that 87% of engineering researchers


said they would continue to submit articles to a journal if it converted to an open access model, and around a third of them had previously published in an open access journal.


Daniel Smith, Head of Academic Publishing at the IET, explains: “The recent Finch report has further fuelled the public debate about open access academic publishing, which we believe is one of the most significant industry changes in recent years and yet is complementary to the existing subscription-based model.


“For authors it not only provides more choice in terms of where their peer-reviewed papers are published, but offers them more opportunity to publish high quality cross-disciplinary studies. This is particularly key in engineering, where many of today’s advances are being made at the interfaces between subjects. For readers, gaining quick and easy access to research is of course a major step forward and we are excited by the potential that open access offers.”


Tim Hamer, Director of Knowledge at the IET, adds: “Developing open access to quality engineering content which accelerates both research and innovation is a major pillar of the IET’s knowledge strategy. The introduction of our open access megajournal is an important element within this. We believe the broad scope of the new journal and the opportunity to publish open access articles in existing journals will be a welcome development for the worldwide engineering community.”


About the IET


IET’s Inspec database, research journals and books provide a wealth of research and information in the areas of engineering and technology. The portfolio of research and letters journals and monographs (print and e-Book) in electronics, electrical engineering and related subjects are available online through the IET Digital Library together with conference proceedings, seminar digests and magazines. The IET Inspec database contains over 12 million abstract and indexing references to journal articles, conference proceedings, technical reports and other literature in the fields of science and technology. As a membership organisation, the IET is Europe’s largest professional


body of engineers with over 150,000 members in 127 countries and is a source of essential engineering intelligence.


About Open Access


The traditional model in academic publishing is based on subscriptions where a set amount is paid up- front, normally by institutions and universities, in order for their staff to access content. The open access model removes this fee and means researchers instead pay when their papers are accepted. No fee is charged for submitting content to a journal. The IET expects its open access broad engineering journal to attract papers from academics who are working in emerging areas or cross-disciplinary areas that don’t


have a natural home elsewhere. The peer review process will remain as stringent as it has always been and once published, open access content will be freely available online to anyone in the world.


The IET’s new megajournal will cover a full range of engineering topics from fields including Electrical and Electronic engineering, Mechanical engineering, Energy engineering, Civil engineering, Micro- and Nanotechnology, Computing and Software, Biomedical engineering and Materials engineering.


For more information visit: www.theiet.org


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