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Rachel Louise Perez, Juris Doctorate (JD) and Master of Laws (LLM) in International Law, University of Miami School of Law
"Your scholarship is meaningful to me not only financially, but it has also strengthened my belief in myself and brought me closer to achieving my goal of becoming an international lawyer. Without donors like you, many students would be unable to pursue the career of their dreams.”
26-year-old Rachel Perez is a Canadian student studying a joint Juris Doctorate (JD) and LLM degree in International Law at the University of Miami School of Law.
When Rachel found out she had won a Postgrad Solutions Study Bursary she was delighted, “I was stunned – who knew what an amazing award a 200 word essay could bring! I called my mom and dad right away to share the news. I also felt a major sigh of relief.”
Like many postgraduate students Rachel has to earn money to help towards the costs of her Master of Laws program. She explains, “This award could not have come at a more needed time. Since completing my first year at the University of Miami, I have been clerking to make my way through law school. Although working has allowed me to apply my studies to practice, balancing my studies with work has meant sacrificing opportunities for more involvement in the law school community, which I regret. Postgrad Solutions’ generous bursary has afforded me the opportunity to not only maintain more focus on my studies, but also contribute to increasing my social involvement in law school while advancing my degree in the International Law LLM program.”
Globalisation has had a major impact on international law – and Rachel explains that it is this impact that has influenced her choice of LLM program. Rachel explains, “I chose to focus my studies in international law not only because I am an international student, but also because our current historical moment reflects a desperate need to address the heightened conflicts among Western and Middle Eastern Islamic states on an international level. Developing an efficient global methodology for resolving cross-border disputes is becoming exceedingly more important in modern society. As globalisation accelerates, international law will continue to operate as a vehicle for nation states to unite regarding new areas of global concern and increase the need for enhanced international cooperation. This is what I hope to accomplish or at least facilitate in my future international law practice.”
The LLM in International Law at the University of Miami is the ideal choice of postgrad program to enable Rachel to fulfill her career ambitions, and so far she is really enjoying the course. She says, “The International Law LLM program has allowed me to focus on international commercial arbitration, domestic arbitration, litigation, and negotiation skills for strategic conflict resolution, as well as international business transactions, and immigration law, which are my favorite areas I hope to practice in the future.”
She chose the University of Miami School of Law because of its historical tradition of impeccable faculty and campus. She was also attracted by the wide range of legal courses on offer in the field of international law and the fact that the LLM programs are specifically tailored toward different aspects of international law, such as international arbitration, Latin American legal systems, comparative law, and international sports law.
Rachel loves everything about living in Miami, “The climate, the people, the history – everything!” Miami is also a great place to study for professional reasons – it’s a booming city where the practice of law is huge. It is located in Florida – one of the trickiest states to pass the bar exams – and Rachel sites this as another great reason to study here. “Florida is notorious for being a state with one of the most rigorous bar exams because of its wide-range of unique statutory laws and constitutional protections that attract the best lawyers from all around the world. I'm confident that by learning the laws here and passing the bar, I can eventually go on to expand my practice to other states and countries in the future.”
Rachel also loves our website LLMstudy.com, saying, “The LLMstudy.com website is actually pretty great; it's very user friendly and easy to access. Unlike other websites that claim to offer scholarships, but are really just full of junk ads that spam your email – this website is legitimate and professional.”
We’re delighted to have been able to help Rachel with her studies and wish her the very best of luck in her future studies.
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