Legal Research Master's Conference Committee; Empathy On Trial

Similar to Hogwarts, the Legal Research Master's is divided into four committees/houses, each bearing the name of its main task: Lecture Committee, Study Trip Committee, the Advisory Committee, and of course the Conference Committee. By the beginning of each LRM year, every student, upon their choice and motivation, gets to be allocated in one of these four committees. Fortunately, I was allocated in the LRM Conference committee =>, and I am glad to share my experiences as well as the topic of this year. 

Generally speaking, in each committee students collaborate and organize activities. We do tasks where we have to work closely together, and arrange regular meetings. That works well as we already know each other quite well and if, for example, any of us has a nice idea, they can always put it forward for discussion. For me, this kind of activity gives an extra dimension to our study as each day offers a new challenge, demanding us to think of new ideas, solve different types of issues and work together. Also, it makes me feel that education itself is more enjoyable and more interesting. 

Essentially, my committee the Conference Committee organizes a legal conference every year. As organizers we get to enjoy the perks that come with it, such as choosing the overall theme of the conference, inviting renowned speakers (and have dinner with them!) and, of course, boosting our CVs. Other responsibilities range from organizing lunches and dinners, arranging transportation and accommodation for the international speakers, to promoting the event across Europe. 

This year our conference is titled “Empathy on Trial" and it will take place next month on the 13th of April. The discussion will revolve around how the field of Law and Literature regards the role and relevance of empathy in legal education and practice. For the speakers, we invited a variety of renowned scholars, such as Prof. Dr. Jeanne Gaakeer (Erasmus University), Marco Wan (Hong Kong University) and Emma Jones (Open University). 

You as well are welcome to attend, check the Utrecht University event page; you can find more information about the speakers and the program:
https://www.uu.nl/en/events/legal-research-masters-conference-empathy-on-trial.

Top rated Maters in Law, say no more!

I am very proud, as the recent news has shown that the Legal Research Masters is rated as top rated masters in the Netherlands 2018. For that reason we were gathered by the LRM dean to celebrate and enjoy eating cakes. Thanks to the dean's efforts, the professors and of course the hard working students to make that success happen; congratulations to all. The results are based on the Keuzgids’ survey published on the 8^th of March about master's rating. The survey has shown that the LRM has achieved a score of 94 out of a 100! This score also places the LRM as the best legal research master's in the Netherlands and provides a corresponding quality seal -shown below- for information communication. 

As the university's news describes it, the Keuzegids is an annual publication by the Center for Higher Education Information. It is compiled on the basis of accreditation decisions of the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization and on the basis of student assessments from the National Student Survey. This means that this guide is not only based on scientific criteria, but also on quite extensive empirical data. Underpinning these data are students’ opinions; this year more than 740,000 students were invited to give their opinion about their study and educational institution. This means also that this publication is not only important for the faculty deans and policy advisers to improve their work, but also as a guide for students to select their master’s program. So, if you are applying for masters next year this seal should be one of you references.

The main and simple point to take away from this blog is when selecting a master's program, there are seemingly a few references that can help you create your opinion and narrow down your choice, such as the program’s website, the information provided therein and students' suggestions, but there is a yet another example of some other criteria that you can look at to assess whether this is a good master for you and your future. If your are doubting or comparing very similar programs and standards then you may ask the policy advisers to provide you with the outcome of this source, or simply look for this seal.