Having just graduated with a Master of Laws (LLM) in Information Technology Law, I thought it would be apt to share more about how I came to the decision to study for the LLM and the journey taken over the past 2 years.
Why Study for an LLM?
Having been in the workforce for about 8 years prior, I have gained a feel for where there are gaps in my knowledge that could be supplemented by an LLM degree. As a red team/penetration tester, poor understanding of the Computer Misuse Act as well as Contract Law can land you in trouble if you overstep the boundaries of an engagement. As a vulnerability researcher, poor understanding of Copyright Law and software License Agreements can similarly land you in legal trouble. As a Cyber Forensic Analyst, good understanding of Evidence Law can be useful to ensure that the evidence is admissible in court. As a software developer or architect, good understanding of Data Privacy Laws can guide good design decisions which pays off in the long run. As a Big Tech employee, understanding Intermediary Liabilities is useful to comprehend why companies may still be bound by certain foreign laws and the need for Trust and Safety teams. There are so many domains of IT Law which I believe are relevant to various roles in Cybersecurity.
In comparison, some peers may decide to do either a Master of Computing, an MBA or a Master in Statistics/Data Science. For me personally, I have already done a number of graduate level cybersecurity modules during my final year in NUS, and a whole bunch of industry certs after, so a Master of Computing may not benefit me as much. I have no interest in business so an MBA is out of the question. Finally, I felt that a Master in Statistics/Data Science is very niche and may not have as many varied applications. Furthermore, I believe it is easier to pick up Data Science through short online courses and self study as compared to the subject of Law. Thus, my decision to do an LLM in IT law.
Being in my early 30s is an opportune time where I have had some time in the workforce to identify what I need, while still being young enough to keep up with the rest of the students, and not having too many personal or family commitments.
Choice of School
There are not many schools which are open to accepting students without a Bachelor of Laws into their Masters programme, so this alone narrows down the list considerably. Having to keep a day job to continue to pay the bills also meant that I needed to find a school which offered the programme part time. The University of Edinburgh ticked both these boxes. In addition to that, studying in a UK university meant studying Common Law which is applicable to Singapore, and also the GDPR which has much greater impact compared to most other data privacy laws. A close contender was Singapore Management University (SMU). Unfortunately, their IT LLM programme focused on AI Law and Ethics, Blockchain, FinTech (DeFi, NFTs), and there were other compulsory modules such as Real Estate law which I had no interest in. I was looking for a more traditional black letter law education and so Edinburgh it was.
Preparing for Law School
It can be rather intimidating going to school and knowing that some of your fellow students had a 4 year Bachelor degree as a foundation, others have numerous years of legal practice, yet others are younger or studying full time and have much more time to devote to study. More than 6 months before I even registered for the course, I picked up used Contract Law and Tort Law textbooks on Carousell. The practice questions and answer key were very important to test your understanding and initially I had to go though the chapters multiple times to grasp the nuances. There are plenty of rich kids who flunk out of law school and sell off their textbooks for cheap. I also heard that the Singapore Academy of Law gives credits to its members yearly. Some enterprising members would use these credits to buy law textbooks and sell them cheaply to cash out the credits. So there is no lack of cheap textbooks to test your aptitude before deciding to apply for law school.
Getting through Law School
The feedback you get on your essays is extremely important, because you will be blind to the flaws of your own writing. I was getting 60s during my first year and after improving my signposting and referencing, managed to bring my grades up to the 70s, eventually barely scraping a distinction. Being strategic is important as well, I fumbled on a 2 part question sometime in my first year, and decided to avoid that style of question for the rest of my courses. It's always a work in progress and my writing even today feels rather simplistic when compared with others. I do believe that if you have the aptitude, put in effort into your writing, and take the feedback you receive to improve on your writing, you would be able to do well.