Each year, Kent Law School invites all LLM students who have successfully applied for scholarships at Kent to become LLM Ambassadors.
Our LLM Ambassadors have come from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds to study the Law School’s innovative Master’s in Law, the Kent LLM. They have each excelled in their previous studies and were invited to become LLM Ambassadors after being awarded a scholarship to support them in their postgraduate taught studies at Kent.
The Kent LLM offers a choice of nine specialist pathways. Students also have the freedom to leave their choice of specialism open until after they arrive. Applicants can choose to study full-time or part-time, with the option to begin their studies in either September or January.
Meet this year’s cohort of LLM Ambassadors below – their biographies include a brief overview of their background and details of the scholarship that they were awarded.
You may also be interested to learn more about life as a Kent LLM student by reading our LLM blog Mastering Law, written by LLM students for LLM students.
If you would like further information about the various scholarships and bursaries offered by Kent Law School, please contact the team in our Postgraduate Office at klspgfunding@kent.ac.uk
Dauda Laingay Bangura
I am a Sierra Leonean and currently pursuing an LLM in International Environmental Law and Policy at Kent. I hold a Bachelor of Laws with Honours degree from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone; a Bachelor of Laws from the Sierra Leone Law School and a Higher Teachers Certificate in Secondary education. I was enrolled to Practice Law as Barrister and Solicitor in Sierra Leone in 2018. My practical experience when working with the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) of Sierra Leone, in the implementation of the EU funded REDD+ Project, and the shortage of qualified legal personnel in the field of Environmental management in my country spurred me to pursue further academic studies in International Environmental Law and Policy. It is my conviction that the studying of an LLM would help me to acquire advanced legal research skills; broaden my knowledge on environmental concepts, principles and theories; and sufficiently expose me to the methods and procedures of policy formulation that will be relevant to my country’s sustainable development agenda. While I remain grateful to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) for awarding me this opportunity to study in the United Kingdom (home of education), I also applaud the critical and contemporary system of education that the Kent Law School offers. I can’t wait for another opportunity to do further studies/research here at Kent Law School.
Meline Cilingir
I graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Law in 2013. I speak English and French fluently. I completed my mandatory internship in a corporate law firm to practice as a lawyer but resigned from that firm a year later due to lack of motivation. I practiced as an independent lawyer for around two years and volunteered in a feminist NGO. I have contributed to several publications and shadow reports on male violence against women. On this matter, I have also shared my legal experience with fellow lawyers and have advised many survivors. After moving to the Syrian border to work with refugee survivors of gender-based violence, I was promoted to a legal coordinator position. I returned to Istanbul after 18 months and began working at a UNFPA funded LGBTIQ NGO where I advised LGBTIQ, sex workers and HIV+ refugees from all around the world. After being awarded the Chevening Scholarship, I moved to the UK to study an LLM at Kent. I am an activist at heart and a bibliophile. I can’t stand still for too long and need to contribute to something meaningful constantly.
Anthony Cunningham
I am currently studying an LLM in International Commercial Law at Kent.
My previous work experience is primarily concentrated in commercial law with a particular interest in the financial hubs of Hong Kong and London. During these experiences, I was able to interact with high-level commercial issues on both the transactional and litigation side. This has caused me to develop a great interest in the issues surrounding commercial law on a global scale, and I am therefore very excited to deepen my understanding during my LLM. I was also fortunate enough to attain a Training Contract with a London Law firm during my LLB meaning that a further understanding of these issues will help me in my chosen career.
During my LLB studies, I was able to see the benefits of the critical cross-disciplinary approach to legal studies that Kent advocates. The freedom to connect with the law and its broader sociological impact nurtures a greater understanding of the problems within the current legal system and how they can be rectified, while also making its strengths visible. This balanced view of the law is fundamental as it ensures you can question the legal framework and interact with it in new and unusual ways, something that will be crucial in any legal profession.
I have exercised this critical skill while studying at Kent by taking part in numerous practical competitions. These include negotiation and mediation, as well as client interviewing workshops and practices. However, it is with mooting that I have been able to implement and hone these abilities the most. Not only taking part in various external competitions representing the University of Kent but also by coordinating the internal mooting for the past two years.
[Anthony was awarded a Taught Master’s Home/EU Scholarship]
Liam Davis
I am studying an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics and Human Rights.
I completed my undergraduate degree in Law at Kent too, and what continually attracts me to Kent is its critical approach to law. Through Kent’s teaching, I have learned to question the world around me and to not take it at face-value; to acknowledge that there is a multitude of power dynamics and structural elements at play at any time, and to be aware of the consequences of this. My main legal interests involve fertility law (especially surrogacy), family law, human rights, LGBT+ rights, and women’s rights/feminism. Kent has infused me with a passion for critical socio-legal perspectives on law, and there is no better place to hone this passion than at the UK’s leading critical law school.
Kent also happens to be home to a number of centres and academics which are at the forefront of their research areas, and which are of interest to me, such as the centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality (KCLGS), and Dr Kirsty Horsey (a pioneer in the field of surrogacy reform). I was fortunately able to work as a research assistant for Kirsty on her surrogacy reform project (after completing my dissertation in this area and receiving a prize for it), creating a website for her including interviews conducted by me with various lawyers and professionals.
Work experience can be plentiful through the Law School, especially with the help of Jayne Instone (the Law School’s Employability Officer), and the Kent Law Clinic. For example, I was fortunate enough to intern at Jingsh Law Firm in Beijing, China for four weeks (fully paid). I have also been on a few mini-pupillages and undertaken other related work and voluntary experience.
Kent really is the place to be in terms of a well-rounded education. The staff are excellent, friendly, and there is a great student vibe with the ability to get involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities. I would be happy to advise anyone hoping to take their LLM here (or their undergraduate!)
[Liam was awarded a Taught Master’s Home/EU Scholarship]
Kaloyan Dinev
I am a recent First Class LLB (Hons) graduate from Kent and a Master’s in Law student specialising in Intellectual Property and International Commercial Law.
My paper “A Humanless World: The Progressive Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Intellectual Property” published by the Kent Student Law Review encapsulates my interest in Intellectual Property (IP) as stemming from a personal desire to facilitate the world’s cultural evolution and scientific progress through fair and equitable yet realistic legislation. Whereas my curiosity towards the global economy’s complex machinations in their capacity to influence countries’ interactions and individuals’ well-being neatly complements the inherently globalist elements of the former interest.
As a Bulgarian national who moved to the UK in 2011, I incorporate my experiences of a surprisingly different social and legal environment, having shadowed several Bulgarian district judges, into my perception and understanding of the UK and global legal framework. I also volunteered throughout my undergraduate degree at the Kent Law Clinic in roles ranging from Student Coordinator to working on the Criminal Justice Project in researching and drafting prisoner advice under the guidance of a qualified solicitor.
Remaining at Kent for my LLM was a decision motivated by numerous factors. The Law School’s infallible, in my experience, ability to foster a passion in its students to pursue the nigh countless avenues the law spans is not simply an admirable feat, but one guaranteeing new academics and practitioners of the highest calibre will help shape the global legal fabric. It achieves this by employing a spectacular roster of infectiously enthusiastic experts who adopt a critical and interdisciplinary approach to the law, appreciating the interconnectedness of its various facets within the context of the social zeitgeist. This is done in a friendly, welcoming and cosmopolitan setting, which excellently facilitates the exchange of ideas stemming from varying world views and enriches the analytical mind.
[Kaloyan was awarded a Taught Master’s Home/EU Scholarship]
Juliette Emmanuel
I am originally from the Republic of the Congo and am currently doing a Master’s in Law in International Criminal Justice and Human Rights Law.
I graduated from St Olaf College (Minnesota, USA) in May 2018, with a BA in Political Science, French and Race and Ethnic Studies.
I am a strong advocate for change, and have dedicated a large part of my life volunteering and working for non-profits organisations whose ultimate goal is to improve the conditions of vulnerable members of our societies. Among them are the Immigrant Law Centre of Minnesota (a law firm that strives to improve the rights and dignity of immigrants), LivaRehab (a non governmental organisation located in Denmark that aims to rehabilitate sex workers and victims of human trafficking) or Dress4Success in Holland (an organisation that aims to provide professional clothing for homeless and low income people looking to engage into the professional world).
Additionally, I am a very curious human being and stay passionate about traveling and discovering new cultures, as well as unknotting the different rules and realities that govern our societies.
I decided to study at the University of Kent because of its strong reputation in law and research, as well as the quality and uniqueness of the education that it offers. I am super grateful for the generous scholarship that was offered to me by the University of Kent Law School, and which, I believe, will open so many doors for me. I am confident that my experience at the Kent Law School will equip me with an expert knowledge of the law, and help me fulfill my long term goal of becoming a lawyer one day and helping the communities around me. I am really excited for all the challenges ahead and I really hope that this scholarship will continue to serve as a motivation for success throughout the year.
[Juliette was awarded a Taught Master’s Overseas Scholarship]
Smera Kumar
Law plays a very important role in a society, it indeed plays a very important role in an individual’s life. I am writing in order to share my experience being a lawyer in India. I am an Undergraduate in Political Science from University of Delhi as I was very passionate about law and how the country works under the laws I decided to do my second Undergraduate in law after political science, so I completed an LLB (Bachelors in Law) in the year 2018 from Amity University in Delhi. During my study in law I got intrigued by the basic conditions of the humanity and I decided being an educated citizen of my country to help people who are deprived of education which I believe is as important as the basic needs of a human being. During my Bachelors in Law I worked with Literacy India and taught over 40 underprivileged girls who were deprived of education. Later, I went on to become more specific with my work and interned with National Human Rights Commission of India where I prepared report on the rights of women from minority sections of India such as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe these category of people have been long deprived of their right to education or even sanitation. In my final year I worked with Common Wealth of Human Rights Initiative where I studied extensive reports on Policing and Police system in India. I vehemently argued in favour of Fair Trial and against Police atrocities on people who would be under the custody of police. With a background like mine I needed a university that would help me build my research skills and would give me a new insight into all the work that I wish to take on after my LLM degree. Surely, University of Kent is helping me broaden my horizon, explore my field better and with a direction. I would love to speak to new or prospective entrants in the university and highly recommend University of Kent.
Felipe Osorio-Umana
I obtained my Law degree from the Universidad de Chile where I worked in the student law review “Derecho y Humanidades” (“Law and Humanities”) and as a research assistant of the Human Rights Centre of the Universidad de Chile. After my graduation, I worked in an NGO involved with the promotion of transparency in the public sector, where I had the opportunity to research in the areas of right of access to public information, data protection and law and technologies. Parallel to my work at the NGO I worked as a teacher assistant in the Universidad de Chile’s Institute of Communication and Image, in the module “Right to Communication and Freedom of Speech” of the Journalism school.
In 2017 I started to work in a Law firm within its IP and data protection group, where I had to deal with the commercial aspects of the regulation and enforcement intellectual property and private information. During my work in the law firm, I had the opportunity to continue as a teacher assistant in the Journalism school of the Universidad de Chile.
My main research interest are Intellectual Property, Freedom of Speech, Privacy, Legal Theory and the intersections between Law and Humanities.
[Felipe was awarded a Taught Master’s Overseas Scholarship]
Sara Sánchez Palacios
I am from Spain and I am a current LLM student specialising in Human Rights and International Environmental Law.
I hold a Degree in Law and another in Political Science and Civics. Since the beginning of my academic education, I have been sure about my goal of working in the field of law and international relations, and my aim is to become an expert in Human Rights.
After leaving university, I did an internship in the Spanish NGO Coordinator for Development, where I had the opportunity to collaborate in different areas related to International Law. One of the reasons that led me to study this LLM at Kent, was the work I carried out in the area of Human Rights, where I could participate in the analysis of the Spanish Agenda for Human Rights and Business, or in the study of legislative challenges countries face nowadays in case of human rights violations by multinational companies in their territory.
Looking at my working experience, after my activity in different NGOs in defence of Human Rights, one of the most satisfying challenges I have faced was a research project on human trafficking and smuggling of migrants I carried out in the Dominican Republic. This experience helped me to decide to continue my studies from a different and critical perspective, and I think I made the correct decision choosing the University of Kent to broad my knowledge in the field, due to the dynamic and practical training offered, always from a global perspective.
Finally, it is going to be a big challenge for me to study outside my country of origin, but I am really excited about being part of the multicultural environment the University offers.
[Sara was awarded a Taught Master’s Home/EU Scholarship]
Julian Schneider
I recently graduated from Haverford College, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science. I won the Harold P Kurzman Award for “perform[ing] the best and most creatively in political science coursework.” As an undergraduate, I interned for former US Congressman Van Hollen’s office and for Van Hollen’s successful US Senate campaign. I was awarded a Centre for Peace and Global Citizenship Grant to work in refugee camps across Hungary. During that time, I developed an initiative to coordinate NGOs that was later expanded and funded by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. After Haverford, I was awarded a Central European University Master’s scholarship, which fully funded my MA in Nationalism Studies, while I continued his work with refugees. As a Fulbright Award recipient, I am pursuing an LLM in International Law at Kent. I chose Kent Law School because of the exceptional commitment to a critical approach to the law, and he will be working closely with the Centre for Critical International Law (CeCIL). I also volunteer with the Kent Refugee Action Network in Canterbury. After my Fulbright year at Kent Law School, I will pursue my Juris Doctor (JD) at Stanford Law School.