From this year onwards, students taking a Bachelor's degree in Law at UIC Barcelona will be able to benefit from a unique agreement: the ability to take a Master of Laws at St John’s University in New York.  This is an internationally prestigious postgraduate law programme which very few Spanish universities are able to access directly as in the case of UIC Barcelona.  After taking this course, students will be able to apply for the Bar Exam. If they pass they will be able to work in the United States. 

The North American university will also offer students the opportunity to take a six month legal English course prior to the LLM, in order to undertake the process more confidently. 

This agreement was signed in Barcelona on 17 December in a meeting attended by the rector of UIC Barcelona, Xavier Gil; the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Pilar Fernández; the Vice-Dean Montserrat Gas; the director of the International Relations Service, Isabel Pera; professor and coordinator of international relations in the faculty, Maria Mut, as well as the global alliances and mobility manager at UIC Barcelona, Celia Martínez.  The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Mike Simons and Vice-Dean Sarah Kelly attended on behalf of the North American University.  

LLM Masterclass in Barcelona

After the institutional event, Simons gave a mock class taken from the international LLM programme. The Dean of Law at Saint John’s University analysed a case entitled “The Queen vs. Dudley and Stevens" from 1884, from the perspective of both criminal law and common law. 

“It was a highly participatory session in which students held a debate on the various case resolutions and finally learned the verdict from the High Court of Justice, which took the case to court in the nineteenth century and set a classic precedent in the jurisprudence of criminal Law in the United States” said Dr Mut.  

Vice-Dean Sarah Kelly described the LL.M programme and the requirements students must meet to be admitted to St John's University. She also covered the special conditions that UIC Barcelona students will be eligible for thanks to this agreement.  Among other benefits, students will receive a grant subsidising 40% of their tuition fees.