Temitope Lawal, Nigeria

LLM in Computer and Communications Law 2012-13

Winner of the University of Lagos/CCLS Scholarship

Upon graduating from the University of Lagos in 2010, I immediately proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and subsequently got called to the Bar in 2012. Prior to coming to Queen Mary, I did my one-year compulsory national service in a city corporate / commercial law firm.

My choice of Computer and Communications Law was borne out of my sheer desire to learn more about legal issues pertaining to the effective regulation of the telecommunications and media sectors from a global perspective. Having this in mind, I ventured out in search of a university that offered an LLM programme in this area. I found Queen Mary, University of London to be one of the few schools that had it. This, coupled with recommendations from one of my professors (an alumnus of Queen Mary) sealed up my choice of Queen Mary. Furthermore, the ranking of the School of Law as one of the best in the UK by different rating bodies and its recent admission into the Russell Group contributed immensely to my opting for Queen Mary, University of London.

Studying at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) has been an invaluable experience. Apart from having the privilege of been taught by some of the world’s most renowned lecturers in the area of telecommunications, media and e-commerce law, I also had the rare opportunity of getting to meet people from diverse cultures, backgrounds and nationalities.

I hope to do an internship in an international organization immediately after my programme in order to put into practice the knowledge and skills I have been able to garner from studying at this world class educational institution known as Queen Mary, University of London.

Melanie Hadeli, Indonesia

LLM in Computer and Communications Law 2011-12

Before coming to Queen Mary, I was working as a lawyer for the past six years, focusing on Information, Communication and Technologies practice areas. I chose to study in the UK as it has an advanced law system and a good education system. Completing LLM study in the UK will enhance my professional profile in respect of my future career. 

I selected Queen Mary, because whilst most LLM programmes in UK provide specialisms in Intellectual Property Law, Queen Mary offers the specialisation in Computer and Communications law which was exactly the programme I wanted to pursue. I also found the specific modules of Telecommunications Law and Computer Law offered in this programme are distinguished and very specialised as compared to other universities in UK which offer a similar specialisation. In addition, Queen Mary is a prominent university and has been consistently ranked as a top university in the UK. When it comes to IT law, I believe QMUL is the best place to study it in the UK.

I enjoy all the practical issues covered in the modules. The experiences of the lecturers as practitioners in the related field addressing the issues makes it more interesting as it reflects the practical approach which cannot be obtained from text books. The practitioner guest lecturers are undoubtedly a good source in giving practical insight to the issue, not only from a law perspective but also from commercial viewpoint.

With regards to the transition from undergraduate and postgraduate studies, given the considerably wide gap between UK and Indonesia regarding education and legal systems, I may say the transition is not that easy to make, but still manageable. In my opinion, work experience in the related field before undergoing postgraduate study, to some extent, is helpful for this transition.

Jessica Lavery, Ireland and Canada

LLM in Computer and Communications Law, 2009-2010

“I attended secondary school in Canada, and completed my undergraduate legal education (BCL) in Ireland in 2009. I decided to study my LLM at Queen Mary because of the wide range of specialisations and courses offered. The modules I have taken (Computer Law, Communications Law and Privacy Law) have been excellent; the lecturers are experts in their fields, and are very approachable and helpful. The Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS), where all of my lectures took place, is centrally located, so it's easy to reach whether you're staying in student halls or private accommodation elsewhere in London. London itself is a great place to study, and an exciting place to live. I would definitely recommend Queen Mary to anyone considering postgraduate study in law, particularly in the IT field. I would say that my LLM definitely helped with finding my current role, since the modules I took were Privacy and Information Law, Telecoms Law and Computer Law. I'm working full time as a Corporate Privacy Analyst with Research In Motion (BlackBerry) based in Slough.”

Thusitha B Abeysekara, Sri Lanka

LLM in Computer and Communications Law 2007-8

“When I was doing my LLB at Faculty of Law/University of Colombo, my ultimate goal was to do a PhD. Doing a Masters degree is a stepping stone towards my goal. As a lecturer in law, it was a must to do a postgraduate degree for my conformation. I applied to a good number of universities around the world with a full scholarship in hand, and to my delight all opened their doors! Out of them I selected Queen Mary as I considered it the best among them. It offered me every thing I dreamed of including the exciting London life!

The area of my specialisation was Computer and Communications Law. I immensely enjoyed studying Communications Law which was both challenging and interesting. I was lucky to learn those subjects from the world’s most renowned authorities in my field. I am indebted to Queen Mary for giving me the opportunity to share the knowledge of those prominent figures’ of the day.

Although we came from different cultures, nationalities and backgrounds, we lived like one big family sharing our love and friendship. The accommodation and other facilities provided by the University were of the highest standards making the life of every international student a home away from home. Not only the knowledge, I will always carry fond memories of my university days.

My next ambition is to do my PhD in the field of Computer and Communications Law where I will be the first to excel in that field in Sri Lanka.”