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Why law students choose to study in Fribourg

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For a welcoming student community and tailor-made postgraduate programmes, head to the University of Fribourg’s Institute of International Business Law.

They are the top highlights of alumna Andra Pandrea’s postgraduate experience in Switzerland.

During study breaks, the Romanian graduate had the freedom to explore Fribourg and its nearby cities too. Bern is 20 minutes away by train; Zurich and Geneva are less than 90-minutes by train.

“Being a student in Fribourg means you will have the chance to go to great places such as the mountains, the lakes and the museums. Switzerland is a beautiful country,” said the LLM in International Contracts and Arbitration graduate.

Source: University of Fribourg

Adding to this list of advantages is its recent crowning as the safest country in the world during this pandemic, according to a recent report by Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium of companies and non-profit organisations.

It is due to the Swiss government’s swift actions to flatten the curve for the coronavirus — such as an efficient quarantine programme and effective monitoring, detection and treatment of the virus.

Switzerland’s top ranking also reflects the resilience of its economy. For aspiring law students, this means more opportunities for internships and post-graduation work plans compared to many other countries which are in recession.

Career opportunities for law students in Fribourg

Switzerland hosts the headquarters of dozens of the largest multinational companies in the world, several of which are in Fribourg. They span a diverse range of sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, banking and finance as well as information and communication technology. It is the ideal location for any aspiring legal practitioner.

This works in favour of career-driven candidates who want to be one step ahead on the competitive ladder of law, such as Bosnian alumna Anja Saradžic.

She opted for the LLM in International Contracts and Arbitration and gained access to specialised courses on law and business in the world’s fastest-growing economies such as Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

In 2018, she graduated with top grades; today, her legal career is soaring.

Source: University of Fribourg

Anja now practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For all her recent success, she still fondly remembers her time at the University of Fribourg with her international peers.

“If I started listing [all of] my best memories of my LLM studies in Switzerland, it would take a while,” said Saradžic.

The LLM in International Business Law similarly prepares students for global roles in companies and law firms with international operations.

Why? Because the University of Fribourg conducts this course in partnership with industry giants such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Meggitt, Holman Fenwick Willan and Baker McKenzie.

At the Institute of International Business Law at the University of Fribourg, all case studies, group-work and clinics take a practical approach.

This allows students to put their knowledge to practice before entering the workforce. This in turn makes them highly-valued assets in the eyes of both current and future employers.

Legal education that lasts a lifetime

Each programme at the Institute of International Business Law aims to boost the employability of every student.

Upon graduating, Fribourg students have landed roles with the United Nations, World Intellectual Property Organization, Alcon, Meggitt, Credit Suisse, Bayer, Nestlé and more.

The LLM in Commodity Trading Law exemplifies the university’s success in this aspect.

Switzerland is one of the world’s most important commodity-trading hubs for crude oil, metals, grain, sugar, coffee and more. For alumna Micah D. Wells, being in Switzerland — ie. “the world leader for commodity trading” — is a career boost he would not be able to get in any other country.

Source: University of Fribourg

“The networking opportunities and knowledge provided through conferences and seminars throughout Switzerland, proved to be extremely valuable and a great supplement to the classroom instruction,” said Wells.

While studying at the University of Fribourg, Micah also joined several professional commodity trade organisations in Switzerland, which gave him access to working professionals in the various sectors within commodity trading.

“Because of these contacts, I had the opportunity to publish several articles in an international commodity newsletter,” he said.

Micah now works at Al She’aily Law Firm in Oman as a Partner Designate, demonstrating just how far a University of Fribourg qualification takes you.

Alternatively, aspiring law students can enroll in the LLM in Compliance.

This programme provides a general presentation of the compliance standards ISO 19600 and the compliance systems, and covers the most important areas of compliance. Upon completing this course, wide professional opportunities await in the following fields: cybersecurity, data privacy, artificial intelligence, banking and financial markets, trade compliance and more.

The University of Fribourg’s Law School is the only law school in Switzerland to offer an LLM that covers all areas of regulatory compliance, a specialised field focused on helping companies meet their regulatory obligations.

With such exclusivity and many industry partners, it’s clear to see why aspiring legal practitioners choose to study the University of Fribourg’s postgraduate programmes.

And if you don’t want to put your legal career on hold, you don’t have to. Especially since Switzerland is deemed safe and secure by recent global reports.

Further your success in Fribourg. The Faculty are awaiting your arrival.

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