loveUK has been bringing a lot of information about LLM in the UK. A master's program for lawyers seeking not only international experience, but academic excellence and high employability.
The University of Warwick in Coventry has a wide range of LLM courses for those looking to specialize. The university's postgraduate law department has a methodology that respects differences in context and impact and, because of its support for diversity, has a contextualized approach to enhance the discussion on how law affects society beyond the courts.
To introduce the Master of Laws department at the University of Warwick a little, we spoke with Andrew Johnston, academic and professor of the International Economic Law course.
loveUK Brazil: Tell us a bit about yourself.
Andrew Johnston: I've just joined the University of Warwick School of Law as Professor of Company Law and Corporate Governance. I was there the amazing international student body and campus attracted by the excellent staff. I'm really looking forward to working to develop the Law School's international links.
loveUK Brazil: What got you interested in becoming an academic?
AJ: I practiced law in a large commercial law firm and then with the UK Government. I wanted to learn more about the 'big picture' of how the different parts of the legal system fit together, how the law interacts with disciplines such as economics, and about the social impacts of the law. I began by teaching at the University of Warsaw in Poland, and then wrote a PhD at the European University Institute in Florence. I always really enjoyed the teaching side of the academic's role; the research side of the job was much tougher at first. It is essential to write a PhD if you want to become an academic in the UK. PhD studies not only teach you how to research, they also show you how much you don't know.
loveUK Brazil: What makes Warwick Law School's LLM programs stand out?
AJ: I was attracted to Warwick by the excellence of its academic staff. In my field of corporate and commercial law there are excellent scholars in company law, commercial law, tax, competition law, finance and banking, intellectual property, WTO and International Economic Law, and so on. That strength in depth feeds into our LLM programs on International Commercial Law, International Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, and International Economic Law.
Beyond my immediate area, Warwick has a long tradition of teaching and research in International Development Law and Human Rights. The academics here are also leaders in their field, and this LLM program will enrich your study of development and human rights with a wide range of theoretical perspectives. We also offer a very flexible LLM in Advanced Legal Studies, which allows students to pick topics from across our full range of offerings, and this would, for example, allow students to combine the study of human rights or development with complementary topics from corporate and commercial law.
What all these programs have in common is the Law in Context approach, which has been a hallmark of Warwick Law School's approach since its foundation. We set law in its social, economic and political context, which brings it to life and allows us to analyze the assumptions underlying the
law. So, we help our students to develop the core legal skills of understanding and applying the law, whilst also encouraging them to critique the law and make suggestions as to how it might be improved. This provides the foundation on which they will write their dissertation during the final part of their year at Warwick. With our staff having such a range of expertise, and offering such a wide range of practical, theoretical and critical perspectives, it is easy for students to find a supervisor whose interests match theirs.
loveUK Brazil: Why should international students come to study in the UK?
AJ: Our student and staff bodies are very international, representing more than 60 countries. As a result, our postgraduate programs take a very international approach. Our corporate and international law students draw on comparative, transnational and international law in order to help students understand the different ways in which business is facilitated and governed law programs. Sometimes we focus on UK or EU rules and practices, whilst at other times we refer to global norms. The International Economic Law program always adopts a focus on international and regional institutions, while the International Development Law and Human Rights program teaches students a wide range of practical skills and theoretical perspectives across a range of internationally relevant topics.
All our master's students are invited to the wide range of research events and conferences held in the law school, giving them the chance to listen to academics and practitioners from around the world presenting their perspectives.
Watch the testimony of a Brazilian LLM student in Sussex
loveUK Brazil: What do graduates from Warwick's LLM programs afterwards?
AJ: Our students go on to an extraordinary range of careers, from practicing law in large or small firms, through working for international NGOs and organisations, to working for large companies and banks, and working as advocates, judges, abritrators, academics and even politicians. We are proud of our alumni and try to catch up with them when we visit their home countries. We are also happy when they join us at research events or even come to present their research or professional expertise.
loveUK Brazil: What makes a good teacher?
AJ: Flexibility, flexibility and flexibility. The work demands we face are constantly changing, and so is the law. You have to be able to juggle a number of competing demands on your time.
loveUK Brazil: What are the best things about your job?
AJ: There is a great deal of freedom to pursue your interests. I research the areas which interest me the most, so that I am on top of current developments in law and economics. Recently I have looked into shareholder activism, company law and sustainability, and the historical evolution of takeovers and corporate governance in the UK. I try to engage with policy-makers to change the law to make the world a better place. I also really enjoy debate and discussion and am looking forward to getting to know my new colleagues better.
loveUK Brazil: Would you like to add anything?
AJ: I'd just like to say that I am looking forward to welcoming readers to the University of Warwick's beautiful campus, and to teaching some of them about corporate governance in the not too distant future!
