Kolawole Olanipekun

Where are you from?

I was an international student and am from Nigeria.

What motivated you to pursue the LLM?

In accordance with my long-term career plans, I decided to study the Master of Laws (LLM) to gain better and broader knowledge in my intended field of specialisation (i.e., as a maritime expert).

There are so many opportunities for young lawyers in the maritime field in Nigeria and I wanted to take advantage of these. I also needed to bolster my academic qualifications and ensure I was duly qualified for any opportunity that may come my way in the future, the LLM has now become my home country's benchmark for academic qualifications.

I chose City, University of London and The City Law School mainly because it was one of the very few universities that offered my intended program – an LLM in Maritime Law. I had also missed the summer entry window, so I needed a January entry window which City also offered.

Secondly, the location of the university - close to the heart of London - was also a motivating factor as I knew it would afford me an opportunity to explore one of the best cities in the world.

City also had a decent ranking so, naturally, it was a perfect match. In addition to that, the world has experienced dramatic shifts such as the surge in cross-border transactions and the technology bubble which in turn has resulted in intuitive and dynamic approaches to providing legal services.

It became apparent that I had to develop myself to be well-equipped and proficient in keeping up with the ever-changing trends.

Besides this, I am from a family of lawyers who have run a firm for generations. Naturally, there was this moral obligation to better myself and make a positive impact to contribute to the growth of the firm, and in a substantial way.

The LLM was the key to a world of so many possibilities. Even besides the academic qualification which is relevant, I knew it would expose me to valuable lifetime networks as well as work opportunities not just in the UK but also to other aspects of the world - as one usually has people from all over the world studying and being involved in a typical LLM program.

Also, I consider myself to be very enthusiastic and passionate about academics. I've always had this urge to better myself and the LLM seemed like a good stepping stone to do one better in my academic life.

At the end of the day, the programme was more than I hoped for as it exposed me to overwhelming opportunities that I continue to benefit from to this day.

For instance, I had a one-month stint at the international maritime organisation where I met people that would turn out to be future clients, participated in several plenary sessions, met dignitaries from my country whom ordinarily I may not have had the opportunity to meet back home.

In a nutshell, I had various motivations for pursuing the LLM, all of which were achieved. I wanted to further my education, explore valuable networking opportunities, gain international working experience and I can confidently say I was able to achieve all of this from the LLM.

What were you doing before studying the LLM?

Prior to studying the LLM, I spent five years at the University of Lagos, in Nigeria where I obtained my bachelor's degree in Law. Law is typically studied over a span of five years in Nigeria. Within this time, I was also involved in various internships, student mock sessions, and IT competitions where we were taught coding and website design.

I also headed a student’s chambers in my penultimate year at university where we enlightened other students on thought provoking aspects of law.

After my programme, there was a short period before I proceeded to the Nigerian Law School to obtain my license to practice as a barrister. During this time, I went through an internship at a law publishing house where we summarised and published law reports that are used all over the country for litigation.

I spent a few months here, and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School where I went through another one year of intense law training and assessments before being licensed and qualified to practice as a lawyer in my country.

The law school also ensured we went through some form of court attachment program which essentially meant we were allocated to courts all over the country to monitor and study how lawyers handled court cases while also improving our advocacy skills.

After this, we were also assigned to law firms which served as mini pupillage and was mandatory to qualification. We were assessed on this much later as a prerequisite to qualification.

After successful completion of the Nigerian Law School, I was engaged as an intern at a law firm while I awaited my results. During this period, my work included research, drafting court applications, and filing motions and briefs while shadowing senior counsel.

It was good work in the sense that it enabled me to gain some practical insights into practice as a solicitor in Nigeria. When my results came out, I was then scheduled to undergo a mandatory one-year youth service program which essentially meant you are confined to doing some work in the service of the country.

I opted to do this at a different law firm where I was involved in similar kinds of work albeit in a more significant role as a junior associate. My work here spanned handling the defence of suspects, under the fiat of the Attorney General.

I also assisted with the settlement of property disputes. I assisted senior associates in preparing for court cases, including opening and closing arguments and aiding in court pleadings and motions. In addition to this, I drafted documents and letters, such as mortgages, sale agreements and trust agreements.

Occasionally, I also performed administrative tasks such as taking phone calls, answering correspondence and filing court processes.

Towards the end of the one-year youth service program, I also engaged in some pro bono work at the Legal Aid department of the Ministry of Justice in my country which involved providing free legal advice to citizens who were unable to afford legal services.

What opportunities and experiences did City, University of London offer you whilst you studied, or still offers you?

The City Law School offered me great exposure in my intended field of practice as a maritime lawyer. I was also given the opportunity, throughout my time at City, to land a valuable internship at the International Maritime Organisation where I eventually met people and potential clients who continue to be very resourceful and valuable to me till this very day. The LLM at City had a life-changing impact.

Besides the excellent quality of education I received, I was happy to have interacted with my program supervisor who devoted her time to provide us with excellent opportunities – for those who saw it that way.

I did take advantage of the opportunity to land an internship at the International Maritime Organisation, which featured a lot in our course work. It turned out to be as though I had struck gold as this would be one of the highlights of my time at City.

I spent over a month at the International Maritime Organisation, taking part and contributing to research work at the Maritime Knowledge Centre, attending all sorts of plenary sessions and meetings.

In fact, I was fortunate to have a picture taken with the UN Secretary General at the time - António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres. I met a lot of dignitaries, and potential clients who I am in contact with many years later.

I was also very satisfied with the quality of academic service offered by City. We were exposed to real life practical scenarios, engaged in thought-provoking discussions and the physical class sessions were always something to look forward to as we discussed very interesting real-life issues about my course that made things easier to understand.

I can say that having the prestigious university on my CV as my school has also opened doors as I have landed jobs on the fact that I attended The City Law School and studied the LLM Program.

In addition to this, I feel very confident that my degree from The City Law School offers me an advantage on any application I make. For instance, I have felt more confident about my chances for any role I have opted to take since my graduation.

Interestingly, I was also offered an international job based on the recommendation of one of my former classmates at City during my LLM Programme. While it was not in line with my career plans at the time, it is incredible to think about the significant impact the program and my time at City has offered me and continues to offer me to this day.

From job opportunities to academic qualifications, increasing valuable network, gaining potential clients, creating friendships that last a lifetime to even the experience in general, I hold City at my heart for the lifechanging impact it continues to have in my life till this very day.

I must add that the staff and supervisors were always very supportive and kind with their time. I think about my time at City very often. And every time I do, I do it with a genuine sense of happiness.

What knowledge and skills did the LLM help you develop? Which one has been the most useful since you graduated and why?

There are several skills the LLM helped develop. I would say networking skills and research are the two most significant skills that my program helped me develop for various reasons. These have been the most useful as well.

Prior to the LLM, I considered myself to be excessively reserved and sometimes this potentially resulted in a lot of missed opportunities. Once I took advantage of the opportunities published by my LLM course officer, I was exposed to a new world of different possibilities which has even positively affected my life today.

I was forced to be more outspoken and seek out opportunities for growth as opposed to just waiting for things to happen by default. So, the post-LLM version of myself was always on alert, curious, talking to people, establishing networks and looking out for and seizing opportunities.

It did take some getting used to and summoning courage, but this resulted in so many beautiful and productive experiences. From friendships to business associates, to opportunities and even business ideas, I could narrow them down to the benefits of the LLM program.

My networking skills helped me strengthen business connections, get fresh ideas, advanced my career, and provided access to new information. I also obtained career service and support and gained different perspectives.

I would also say that being visible and getting noticed is a benefit of networking that’s essential in career building. It’s good for LLM students to regularly attend professional and social events as this will help provide opportunities.

You can then help to build your reputation as being knowledgeable, reliable and supportive by offering useful information or tips to people who need it.

In addition to networking, I improved my research skills. I have naturally loved research and even considered this to be my strong point prior to the master's program. With the way it’s designed, you’re expected to do most of the work and learn a lot by yourself. This is best done through effective research in my opinion.

I was compelled to study many nights alone, meet targets, ensure I was ready to make presentations. What I did discover afterwards is that when you’re willing, if you can do the research, there’s a world of possibilities you can discover.

Till today, I feel confident about my capabilities as a legal practitioner. Whatever the challenge is, whatever is required of me, all it takes is effective research (which should be the qualities of a good lawyer anyway) and I handle it.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone considering studying an LLM?

I would say to approach it with a positive mindset and an open mind as well. This can seem vague, but it just means you should try to make the most of it in every single thing that you do.

You have to ask yourself, am I truly satisfied that I’ve given it my all and then what do I intend to achieve? From your class tasks to advertised opportunities, to networks- every single thing.

The LLM is more than just a degree to me, it provides opportunities that can literally change your life and it augments your career. Once you’re conscious of the potential impact this can have, you get an idea of how big of a deal it really is.

Personally, I wanted to make an impact on my career. I knew there would be opportunities and I didn’t want to come out at the end with just a degree. I wanted to genuinely feel that I had thoroughly gone through this program.

I engaged with the careers team at The City Law School, and then Katherine Reece-Thomas - who was my brilliant LLM course director at the time - she suggested a lot of opportunities which spanned internships at prestigious organizations among others. It was right there for the taking and I took it.

What a life changing decision that was, I made friends, attended sessions that deliberated on international issues, met a lot of profound people, established valuable networks. I absolutely loved it.

In the end, the LLM proved valuable in helping me secure job opportunities which would have otherwise not been possible.

It helped me develop and improve my self-confidence, developed my networking skills and I had a genuine sense of profound belief in myself that I was ready to conquer the world and whatever challenge was thrown my way.

Looking back now, it’s turned out to be my most outstanding and rewarding academic achievement till date.