IU McKinney Welcomes LL.M. Students
09/11/2017
IU McKinney welcomes 17 Master of Laws students from 11 different countries as they begin their studies for the Fall 2017 semester.
In the photo, seated, from left are Gulnaz Omorkanova, from Kyrgyzstan; Olga Bratuhina, from Kyrgyzstan; Sardar Haseeb Ahmed, from Pakistan; Theophilis Kum, from Cameroon; Carolyn Caro Rodriguez, from Puerto Rico; and Daraeksmey Soun, from Cambodia. In the photo, standing from left are Vice Dean Antony Page, Director of Graduate Programs Miki Pike Hamstra; Suresh Negi, from India; Mosunmola Oke, from Nigeria; Arturo Diaz, from Peru; Andrew Itsede, from Nigeria; Saad Khawaja, from Pakistan; Kultar Singh, from India; Muhammad Mushtaq, from Pakistan; Le Duc Ngoc, from Vietnam; Xinghuan Tan, from China; Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and International Affairs Karen Bravo; Heather Grimstad, ’15, Student Coordinator for the Master of Jurisprudence Program, China Scholars, Study Abroad Program, and an LL.M. student; and Dean Andrew R. Klein. Not pictured is LL.M. student Dayna Williams, from Jamaica.
Here’s an opportunity to meet some of the students.
Arturo Díaz is from Perú, where he received his law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Before coming to the United States, he was working in the Peruvian Authority for Civil Service, part of the Executive Branch of the government. He was part of the team that proposed and developed civil service reforms that were ultimately passed by the Peruvian Congress. Throughout the project, Díaz worked with an interdisiciplinary group that included economists, political scientists, engineers, statisticians, public managers and other lawyers, and he says he’s proud of the work the team did. Given his experience in public policy reform, Díaz says that after he completes his LL.M. studies, he would like to be part of an international organization that works toward countries' development, like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or the World Bank, or in the defense of human rights like Amnesty International.
Heather Grimstad, ’15, received the International and Comparative Law graduate certificate when she completed her J.D. studies at IU McKinney. After working in private practice, she returned to the law school to serve as the Student Coordinator for the Master of Jurisprudence program and Coordinator of China Collaboration Programs. She is on the Intellectual Property Law track.
Theophilus Kum is from Cameroon, where he received his LL.B. from the University of Buea. After working in business, private practice, and operating a small law firm with a friend, Kum decided to pursue a Master of Laws degree, and enrolled at IU McKinney. After graduation, he plans to pursue a juris doctor and take the bar exam so that he can practice law in the United States.
Muhammad Talha Mushtaq is from Lahore, which is the capital of Punjab, one of the provinces of Pakistan. Lahore is called the heart of Pakistan, Mushtaq says. He received his law degree from the University of London, where he also did the International Law Programme. He received an LL.B. at University College Lahore. In addition to coaching debate and moot court teams for a variety of educational institutions in Pakistan, he has been working with Rotary International for the last 10 years. After completing his LL.M. studies, he will return to Pakistan and pursue a legal career in corporate and commercial law.
Suresh Negi is from India’s capital, New Delhi. He earned his first degree in law, an LL.B., at Kumaun University Nainital, which is located in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India. Prior to enrolling in the LL.M. program at IU McKinney, he practiced law before the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India, with a specialization in corporate law, alternate dispute resolution, and civil law. Prior to pursuing a career in law, he worked as a management consultant for more than a decade. He received a M.Phil and a Ph.D. in Diplomacy (International Relations) from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. After completing his LL.M. studies, Negi will return to his law practice in India.
Mosunmola Oke is from Lagos, Nigeria, where she completed her undergraduate study and was called to the Nigerian Bar. She received an LL.M in International Commercial Law from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. After working for a while as a corporate/commercial lawyer in her home country, she decided it was time to carve a niche for herself, and she chose intellectual property law.
“This field of law is a developing area of law in my country, and there is a need for policy reform,” Oke said. “I decided to go to law school to deepen my knowledge and acquire practical skills in the field of intellectual property law.” She plans to pursue an S.J.D. while at IU McKinney after completing her LL.M. studies.
“I decided that I wanted to conduct my S.J.D. research at IU McKinney for three major reasons: the expertise of the professors in their relevant fields, the practical approach to the study of law, and the culture of inclusiveness and diversity,” Oke said.
After completing her studies, Oke said she intends to return to Nigeria and advocate for policy reform, as well as render consultancy services to individuals, small to medium enterprises, multinationals, and the government in her area of expertise.
Carolyn Caro Rodriguez is from Puerto Rico. She received her J.D., with honors, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Before entering the LL.M. program, she worked at the Legal Aid Society and Legal Services of Puerto Rico, where she focused on criminal and family law, respectively. She is studying the International Human Rights Law LL.M. track and plans to work as an immigration attorney, and work in a human rights organization after completing her studies.
Khawaja Saad is from Pakistan. He received a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) from the University of London. Prior to starting his LL.M. studies, he worked as a corporate associate for a corporate law firm based in Prague that has an office in Pakistan. Prior to working in the corporate sector, he worked with Pakistan's renowned human rights activist and lawyer, Asma Jehangir. He was also a visiting criminal law lecturer for LL.B. students at Millennium University College located in the capital of Pakistan. Saad plans to pursue a juris doctor after completing his LL.M. studies.
Dararaeksmey Soun is originally from Cambodia, where she received her law degree. A citizen of the United States, she plans to remain here and practicing law after completing her LL.M. studies.
Dayna Williams is from Jamaica and received her law degree at the University of Technology, Jamaica in 2016. After completing her LL.M. studies, she intends to take the bar exam in New York.
