Hi all,

Given that most offers are now extended, I thought it would be great to get in touch with my future peers! If anyone will be starting at Edinburgh Law School this September (2009), please do reply to this message board and introduce yourself!

If there are enough people, I was thinking that it might be worth me trying to line up a dinner or lunch in early September.

So.... to kick off... I'm British, a few years out of my undergraduate, and currently working in an investment bank in London. I will be studying the LLM in Commercial Law degree.

Best Regards,
trader

Hello trader,

this year I am going to study the LLM in Commercial Law at UoE as well !!! I am from Poland. Currently I am working as an associate in Warsaw office of an international law firm.

I think that a lunch in early September is a great idea.

Best of luck!
Marcvs

no one else? :-D

Hi Trader,

I am from the US and will be getting my LLM in International Law. I worked in secured transactions here in the states & am finishing up my Juris Doctor. As I don't know the first thing about the UK or anyone in it, I would welcome a get together before classes.

Julie

Hi all, I am from the US too. I will be getting an LL.M. specializing in European Law. I am excited to be a part of such an excellent program and University. I have been a practicing lawyer in the US as well as General Counsel for a multinational company. A meal to meet each other before classes start is an excellent idea. Looking forward to meeting each of you.

Hi from Edinburgh.
You all sound like you will be a good/fun group of LLMs. As part of the PhD programme, we try to have a weekly pubnight that includes the LLMs so that you can all start off having a good social life, too...it isn't all about study!
Planning in advance to meet your new colleagues is a great idea. There will also things organised by the college during the first week which includes a lunch, catered by the uni, I believe.
For a pre-course lunch, there are several good places just near Old College which I suspect will be the only place everyone can find at first. They have set lunch menus. I will offer up these suggestions just in case you don't know the area.
B'est - quasi French -Drummond Street
Red Fort - Indian - Drummond Street
Ciao Roma - Italian - South Bridge
Also, Biblos, which is a much used (by law postgrads) local bar/restaurant on the Corner of South Bridge and Chambers Street.

For a little nicer/though not expensive for lunch introduction to Edinburgh and it's shockingly good Scottish restaurants, I would suggest The Outsider on George IV Bridge--5 minute walk from Old College, lunch menu £5-£8, must book. The view of the castle is amazing and the food is excellent...plus, you can all have a wee adult beverage to kick off your new student life!

I look forward to seeing you all in Edinburgh!

Hi guys :)

I am Maya from Bulgaria and I will be studying LLM International Law next year at Edinburgh. I see that all of you have an advanced law degree or are working something related to law. Well, I am currently finishing my last undergraduate semester at Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany and I am studying social sciences (political science, economics, sociology, mass communications) but I have also taken a couple of law courses (although my university does not offer a law degree). My law professor recommended me Edinburgh and it was my top choice anyway because of the mixture of courses which I find fascinating. I am already looking forward to September and we should definitely meet during the orientation week :)

Btw how are you doing with the accommodation? Any plans? A friend of mine is also accepted to Edinburgh, different program, and we were thinking of sharing an apartment, but we are really open to adding more people (so that we are altogether 4) to our future accommodation :)

Have a wonderful day :)

Maya

Oh, I found this article a couple of days ago. You might have already read it, I do not know, but still I will share it.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/student/article5516272.ece

Enjoy :)

Maya

Hi all, I am from the US too. I will be getting an LL.M. specializing in European Law. I am excited to be a part of such an excellent program and University. I have been a practicing lawyer in the US as well as General Counsel for a multinational company. A meal to meet each other before classes start is an excellent idea. Looking forward to meeting each of you.

HI,
I understand the difficulty in working through the decision process. It is a very personal decision. I was fortunate to have a choice between Kings College (Competition Law) and University of Edinburgh (European Law). Both are excellent schools and programs so I started with the understanding that I really cannot make a bad decision. There are some objective facts that are available to help in the process. Of course there are debates surrounding most of the facts. The best example is the debate over ranking. I recommend listing the factors you believe are important given where you are in your career and your overall objectives.

The factors I considered (and highlights of key points leading to my decision) are as follows:
(1) Specialisations and courses available. I really like the European Law specialisation at Edinburgh and the way it is taught through the interdisciplinary Europa Institute.
(2) Overall quality of the program and professors. I used the RAE results as a starting point here. My theory is that the quality of overall academic work being done by the professors that will be teaching us is the best objective fact available. I also found somewhere in my research that academic peers across UK universities (the experts) highly regard the UE law professors. Dr. Jo Shaw is highly regarded in European Law and is very active in the area. Dr. Robert Lane is also highly regarded especially in the area of EU competition law. I read several papers from the Mitchell Working Paper Series (published through the Europa Institute) and I was very impressed by the quality of the thinking.
(3) Reputation/Ranking. The overall University is ranked amongst the best in the world. The Law School is ranked amongst the best in the UK. The RAE results are consistent with a top ranking.
(4) Overall liveability of the location. For my family and I, Edinburgh is the hands down winner in this category. I have worked in London on various deals and it is a fabulous city. But working and living in a city are two different things. London is huge and the result is that I would not live as close to the University as I would like given my desire for collegiality with fellow students and the professors. Edinburgh is more compact and still an International city. We are from Colorado and really appreciate the outdoors and related activities (such as hiking). Edinburgh and Scotland seem to fit us better.
(5) Quality of the foundation established for the next part of my career. I am a practicing attorney in the US and I have been a General Counsel for a multinational company. For the next part of my career I want to teach. I also believe that the labour model in the US is transitioning to a model more like that of the EU and UK. The European Law specialisation through the Europa Institute clearly gives me the opportunity to establish the foundation that I want for the next part of my career.
(6) Collegiality and camaraderie (overall college experience) amongst the Professors and my fellow students. This is probably the most important factor for me as connection and camaraderie are very important motivators for me. In his lecture published in the Mitchell Working Paper Series, Professor John Peterson said we succeedonly when we all try to be a better colleague tomorrow that we have managed to be today. He also said the best thing about working here is the quality of people with whom I work. These comments carried the day for me and solidified my decision to join the University of Edinburgh and Europa Institute.

And there you have it. Cheers

Hi all.
For those of you who are Facebookers, there is a new group for postgrads coming to Edinburgh in case you're interested in joining. Thought it might be an easier way to communicate and get to know your up and coming colleagues!
'Postgraduate Law at Edinburgh University'

Hi

My name is Matt and I'll be on the Innovation, Technology and the Law programme. I have spent the last few years working for the prison service on the front lines, while studying law part-time in the evenings. I worked in IT before that, and most recently I have been in charge of designing and coding a statistical government database for a legal agency. Currently, I am working for the election management team helping to set up the European parliamentary elections.

My overall interest is mainly with regards to artificial intelligence and the law. That is, the use of A.I. within the law, and how the law will deal with A.I. itself.

I've lived in Edinburgh since 2003, and can say that this is a great place to live - the quality of life is very high and it simply is the most beautiful of cities. If you can afford it, I recommend moving here in August to catch the end of the festival - although it is more difficult to find accommodation at that time of the year.

As a local, I would be happy to organise a get-together for any incomers - in a pub, of course, because that is the Scottish tradition.

Btw how are you doing with the accommodation? Any plans? A friend of mine is also accepted to Edinburgh, different program, and we were thinking of sharing an apartment, but we are really open to adding more people (so that we are altogether 4) to our future accommodation :)

Wow, thank you for the detailed response. I will definitely look through the websites :) Thanks again :) Best, Maya

Hi all,
i has been also accepted to study LLm in european law at EDI uni..im from Slovakia and after graduation form the law faculty back home in 2007 i havent really come into touch with any legal issues in reality...lets say i decided to have a kind of break...:)
so i have a lot to catch up and believe its gonna be a big challenge for me...
veronika

Hi,
I'm Swedish, doing my LLM in International law. I did my undergrad at Sussex Uni and have now been working as a consultant for a few years. Plan to arrive in Edinburgh the weekend before 14 Sept. Still looking for accommodation - anyone have a room available?!
Trader - if dinner/lunch is planned the day or so before Fresher's week starts I'm up for joining!
Cheers,
Emy

Hello to you all!

First, let me congratulate all of you for being accepted at Edinburgh! Im not going this year, but Ill apply for the Commercial Law LLM Programme later this month (just waiting for a few documents to arrive) and hopefully Ill be there in September 2010.

If any of you dont mind me asking, how much are you budgeting for a 12-month period, assuming the overseas tuition fee and self-catered university accommodation? I was thinking that 24,000 to 26,000 pounds should do it. Am I right?

Thank you and congratulations once again!!!

Hi beicon,

I think that your estimate is correct. Check out this link:

http://www.scholarships.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/cost_of_living.htm

Best of luck,
Marcvs

sorry, here's the proper link:

http://www.scholarships.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/cost_of_living.htm

Thanks a lot!