UK
Class of 2010/11
I made the decision to apply to study International Criminal Justice and Armed Conflict at Nottingham whilst studying Law at Durham University. The LLM at Nottingham seemed the perfect opportunity to learn about the areas of law that had caught my interest at Durham, mostly human rights and the law surrounding conflicts and post conflict environments.
The modules on offer at Nottingham Law School as part of the LLM are unique in their variety and depth. Any possible interest you have in human rights or international justice is catered for by an expert in the relevant field. The best part about the LLM was that the lecturers taught you not just from a text book, but from their own experiences also, whether this was collecting evidence for prosecutions at the International Court of Justice, working with refugees in Afghanistan on behalf of the UN or being a lawyer in the navy.
Aside from the excellent teaching on offer at Nottingham, there is plenty of opportunity to get involved with law related activities such as helping to organise the highly anticipated LLM Law Ball, or take part in Mooting or debating. The staff at the Law Department are always happy to help you gain valuable work experience in an area you are interested in, such as shadowing the Judge Advocate General or working in the field with them.
Whilst studying at Nottingham I secured a job working as a policy analyst on international issues at HM Treasury. My job involves writing submissions on various aspects of law, co-ordinating Government policy on international tax and development issues and going to meetings between Ministers and stakeholders. Although my LLM gave me an in-depth understanding of a variety of legal issues and processes, far more valuable was the research methods and approaches to thinking about problems that I learned from my course.