A degree with global appeal

Dundee has a long and rich history of teaching English Law and like Tim Eicke KC, its alumni have reached the very highest levels of the legal profession. The English Law LLB continues to grow and has become ever more international in its composition, with students from England and Northern Ireland learning alongside students seeking to qualify as lawyers in common law jurisdictions across the world, including Canada, the Caribbean, Kenya and Nigeria.

The launch of the LLB Alumni Mentoring Programme in 2022 brought together 15 mentors, now based in the UK, Canada, Ireland and Nigeria. Solicitors and advocates, as well as a barrister, in-house counsel and government adviser, have been sharing knowledge, experience and advice to assist current students as they prepare to take the next steps in their career journey.

However, having been due to return to his studies in Germany, Tim recalls a pivotal moment in his life, when he phoned his father to ask for his blessing to continue his studies in Dundee.

“Near the front of the Tower Building, I remember the small green next to which there was a phonebox.

“I remember phoning my father from that phonebox – with change in hand – to tell him that I was thinking of staying in Dundee and what he would think of that.

“We had a conversation and I told him that the only disadvantage would be that I couldn’t practise law in Germany, but he was happy for me to stay and that ultimately delivered me the career I have had.”

After graduating from Dundee, Tim’s legal career flourished. Called in 1993, he had a distinguished career at the Bar of England and Wales, taking silk in 2011, and was elected a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2014.

He practised latterly from Essex Court Chambers in the fields of public and constitutional law, human rights law, EU law and public international law, and regularly appeared in the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the domestic courts, including the UK Supreme Court.

Since 2016 he has served as the judge elected in respect of the UK at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. In 2017, he returned to his alma mater, receiving an honorary doctorate in front of a packed Caird Hall.

“I’m not entirely sure how I got this job,” he admits, “but I always had an interest in human rights law and I took my opportunities when they arose.

“The route I have taken to get here has certainly been unusual, but I do know that I owe a lot to my time at Dundee.”

To find out more on our law degrees visit: dundee.ac.uk/subjects/law

Tara Mansell graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) in 2020 with a degree in Jewellery & Metal Design amidst the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the