Pedro Malaquias completed his course in 2014 and currently is a Legal Officer in the Central IP Service of the European Commission, a dedicated institutional service that responds to all Commission's needs on intellectual property:
After working for four years as a lawyer in Portugal, I wanted to take a professional break and further specialise in the field of intellectual property law. At the same time, I had always wanted to study in the UK. Due to its renowned academic staff, the number of intellectual property related modules on offer and the activities of the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute, CCLS quickly became my first choice.
If I had to choose only one memory, I would definitely mention the sense of community and all the people that I met in London, from my brilliant colleagues and friends to the academics, a significant number of whom I still keep in touch with and have the opportunity to meet every once in a while. However, there are so many other excellent memories! These include the induction week at Cumberland Lodge, the classes with Dr Dimita discussing copyright and video games, listening to Professor Sterling recounting his first-hand experiences at diplomatic conferences, all the extracurricular activities I participated in and the life in the Mile End campus, etc. In essence, it was a remarkable year and I truly cherish my time as a CCLS student.
Being a member of the CCLS community means having a network spread throughout the world that I can easily connect with. This includes not only the people I have met during my time as a CCLS student, but also students who were there before or after me and that I can easily connect with through our shared experiences.
CCLS is associated with excellence in the IP field and this is recognised both within and outside academia. While I already had some working experience before completing my masters, studying at CCLS opened new opportunities for me that otherwise I would not have had. The knowledge I have gained at CCLS made me a better professional and I use it on a daily basis.
Academic excellence, the opportunity to meet people from all over the world (each with their own path and experiences) and life in London are three very strong reasons to study at CCLS.