Global Student Placement Testimonials

Nandini Bulchandani is taking part in the Constitutional Court of South Africa Clerkship 2026.

”Seeing this opportunity advertised on the UCL Laws careers bulletin, I knew immediately that I wanted to apply. After a written application and an interview with a three-member panel, UCL Laws nominated me as one of their candidates for the clerkship. Before submitting to the Court, UCL Laws helped me refine my written application.

I am about halfway through the clerkship – so far, it has been utterly fantastic! It entails a lot of research, critical thinking, and discussion in relation to a variety of legal concepts across a wide range of subject areas. While some of these concepts are specific to the South African legal system, many of them exist in some form or another across most legal systems.

I am enjoying the process of encountering new legal concepts and engaging with them in-depth. Perhaps what I’m enjoying even more is (re-)encountering familiar concepts but in different contexts and with new perspectives, as this forces me to interrogate my pre-existing thoughts on the matter and engage with the subject anew. Such a process is rigorous and revelatory.

The clerkship is definitely the highlight of my career so far. Participating in conversations with my peers and my Judge about how a case should be decided provides an illuminating insight into the potential (and limitations) of law as an instrument for providing justice, engendering social change, and ensuring good governance. To be able to observe how the law is carefully considered and developed at the Court is a complete privilege, for which I am immensely grateful.

UCL Laws was instrumental in preparing me for this role. Through the spirited seminar discussions, inquisitive approach to learning, and frequent high-level engagement with areas of law that I had not encountered before, my LLM equipped me with the research, writing, and verbal expression skills required to thrive in this position.”

Gabriela González-Niño participated in the prestigious Inter-American Court of Human Rights Professional Visit Programme 2024–25.

“UCL Laws is a real driver of career opportunities. In that sense, the Faculty regularly shares newsletters featuring openings across international organisations and leading firms, often alongside funding support that make those opportunities genuinely accessible. 

It was through one of those newsletters, during my second term, that I came across the Professional Visit Programme at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. I applied and was fortunate to be selected for a fully funded summer placement in San José, Costa Rica. In many ways, that summer felt like living a whole different year in just three months.

Personally, it was transformative, as I built friendships across Latin America and Europe with peers who share many of my professional and personal passions. 

Professionally, I was able to contribute to projects I had once only imagined being part of, from reviewing the official translation of a landmark Advisory Opinion to carrying out research with potential relevance across the region. This contributed significantly to my growth, as working in a context where my drafting may carry implications across more than 20 States made me especially conscious of the responsibility, care, and precision required in every task. 

Seeing a volcano for the first time also made my time at the Inter-American Court a true highlight of my life. 

Academically, the experience had an equally lasting impact. It strengthened my confidence as a researcher and opened new avenues, including teaching international law modules in Colombia as a guest lecturer, serving as a moot court judge, and continuing to develop my academic profile through publishing opportunities.”

Yanwen Zhang undertook a visit to the the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg as part of the Faculty’s Global Research Opportunities.

“The research visit to MPIL in Heidelberg was a great experience. The opportunity was provided by the UCL – Max Planck Doctoral Mobility Scheme. During the three-month visit, I conducted part of my doctoral research and was working on another side project. There were ample opportunities to receive feedback on my research through dedicated forums such as the MPIL Agora and meetings with both scholars at the Institute and other visiting researchers from around the world. The connections developed at the Institute are lasting, and many of us have become good friends for years after the research visit.”

Maria Teodora Matei took part in the the Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme 2024–25.

“Taking part in the Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme was one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic and professional journey. I first learned about the programme during one of my IP law classes at UCL, when Alina Trapova, the Pan-European Seal contact point, introduced the opportunity. It immediately stood out to me as a unique and exciting experience, and I applied shortly afterwards. I completed an LLM in Litigation and Dispute Resolution at UCL in June 2024 and I moved to Alicante to begin my placement in September 2024. 

On a professional level, the programme allowed me to deepen my understanding of intellectual property law while gaining first-hand exposure to institutional work. I developed practical skills such as legal research and decision drafting, and learned how legal reasoning is applied in a real, high-level decision-making environment.

On a personal level, the experience was equally transformative. Living in a new country and being immersed in a multicultural environment pushed me outside my comfort zone. I strengthened my language skills, began learning a new language, and gained a deeper appreciation of how people from different backgrounds can collaborate effectively despite cultural and linguistic differences. This experience shaped both my professional direction and my personal outlook, and ultimately led me to continue working in the IP field in Brussels today.”

Kacper Fraczek took part in the the Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme.

“I participated in the Pan-European Seal Programme at the European Patent Office, following the completion of my LLM studies. The traineeship lasts 12 months and is made possible by UCL’s collaboration with the EPO and EUIPO through the programme; I applied through the university shortly after learning about this opportunity.

The experience of working for a major international organisation, in a discipline I was greatly interested in – patent law is a key element of my current, doctoral research – was absolutely brilliant. The programme allowed me to meet people from top universities throughout all of Europe, exchanging ideas and making new connections. Most importantly, it gave me the chance to learn: from getting to know how an organisation as huge and important as the EPO functions, exploring particularities of various areas of law, especially patents and data protection, to learning German and improving my soft skills. All these things helped me immensely, both in my current PhD journey and in my personal life.”

Todd Davies undertook a visit at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich in 2025 as part of the Faculty’s Global Research Opportunities. 

“I had the good fortune to spend a magical two months at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich during the summer of 2025, enabled by a visiting fellowship scheme run jointly by the MPI and UCL Laws, and funded by the Turing Scheme.

My experience was outstanding, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to others. The MPI has a remarkable research library with an extensive collection of materials relevant to my research. Access to hard-to-find literature from the 1960s through the 2000s was invaluable, and allowed me to write a foundational chapter of my thesis during the visit. The combination of a well-stocked library, uninterrupted time to think, and a hard deadline, made it one of the most productive periods of my PhD so far.

Beyond the research, Munich is a wonderful city to spend a summer. I had the chance to reconnect with friends there, and the long, warm evenings made for a fruitful, enjoyable couple of months. I came back to London with a completed chapter and recharged batteries. It’s hard to ask for more than that!”

Francisco Suarez Schanely undertook a research visit at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and Private International law in Hamburg in 2025 as part of the Faculty’s Global Research Opportunities.

”I undertook a research visit at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and Private International law in Hamburg, as part of the Max Planck Law Network partnership and under a UCL Laws’ PhD Research Innovation and Impact Fund (PRIF) and Turing  Scheme application.

Although UCL has key online access to an impressive number of periodicals and editorial companies, my research needed to investigate a great number of books and articles written on Latin-American and European Law and edited around the 1950’s-1970’s. Many of these books have not yet been digitalized and therefore needed physical consultation. Wandering through various Latin-American universities would’ve been economically impossible. Therefore, the ability to access the Latin-American section of Max Plank-Hamburg was an incredible opportunity. I wasn’t disappointed. The incredible extent the Institute’s collection is just superb. Moreover, if they didn’t have a particular book, they indicated they would just purchase it and I would have access to it in a few days.  The wonderful staff of the Institute made me feel very welcome, and the open access system made the consultation an enjoyable task.

The institute is very active in the organization of events and is quite interested in using these research visits as opportunities to network with students and more established researchers. The institute is a sort of central railway station where a great number of tenured academics come to research either for months, years or even pop in for short visits. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of the academics I’ve had read for so many years during events, private lunches or just occasional coffee breaks. Finally, the institute’s authorities, despite their busy schedules, do take time to welcome you, allowing those precious moments where you are able to discuss your thesis with leading experts in your field.

The benefits were clear. Because my visit was somewhat short (around 6 weeks), I decided to use the available time to research and gather as much information as I could. I came back to UCL with a flash drive full of information and an important number of ideas born during the Institute’s seminars and as a result of exchanges with colleagues and professors.”