Completing a Master of Laws at the University of Dundee gave her the opportunity to enter the legal job market with full confidence and a competitive edge, said Jegede. She was even able to negotiate a higher salary when she began, because even though she didn’t have the requisite work experience at the time, she did have the higher learning.
“That came in handy when navigating complex international transactions. I was able to sell myself better,” commented Jegede. Now, a decade on, she works in a senior compliance role and runs her own business. “The way you start your career sets the tone, especially salary wise. So, I think the LLM from Dundee benefitted me in that way and I’m glad it did.”
Looking to advance her legal studies following her undergraduate degree at Lagos State University, Jegede was drawn to the master’s programme at Dundee over other law schools, for several reasons. “Dundee was a good choice for me because of the small class size, the diverse student body, and the choice of specialisations.”
The Scottish landscape and lower cost of living also appealed to Jegede, along with the city itself, the fact that it wasn’t crowded and that the school staff were incredibly supportive.
Jegede completed a joint LLM programme in business law at the University of Dundee that also included six months at the University of Cergy-Pontoise in Paris (now CY Cergy-Paris University). During that time their LLM course was the only class taught in English. A professor from Dundee visited multiple times to ensure the students were doing well and they had a dedicated English-speaking secretary to help navigate the law school admin at the French university.
“I think for me doing the dual-qualifying LLM has been absolutely amazing,” Jegede said. “Apart from the connections and the courses, it’s been most important in redefining my outlook on life, how everything can be different in different cultures and places.”
Jegede worked in corporate law, capital markets, and compliance roles in Nigeria for several years, and is now based in New York. She has also established her own skincare business, The Earthy Goodness.
“When I started at Dundee, and long before I entered the skincare world, I didn’t know I was going to end up in compliance or doing capital markets transactions,” she recalled. But whatever twists and turns her career took, Jegede felt her LLM studies helped her settle in.
“Even moving into business, the day I decided I was going to start The Earthy Goodness, the first thing I did was scribble down the logo I wanted, then I went to register the name of the business as it came to me, and filed for a trademark as well. That was two years before we launched, before I even identified my target market and product line.”
Beyond the legal knowledge she gained, Jegede says the most rewarding aspect of her LLM was the connections made with students from other nationalities on her course, as well as the wider alumni network which can be tapped into when required and is “worth its weight in gold”.
“We managed to form deep friendships that have lasted until now. And what I’ve discovered is that the alumni are people from amazing backgrounds. Everybody is professional and from different walks of life. It’s a full body of talent.”
To learn more about the University of Dundee’s LLM offerings, click here.
To join Africa Legal's mailing list please click here