Alumni Testimonials

Our alumni talk about what the GPLLM has done for their careers.

Hilary Doyle

Hilary Doyle "The GPLLM hands you the blueprint for business success today, introducing you to the finest minds in business and law, and populating each cohort with a breadth of high level international experience. My classmates are now close friends and contacts I will keep for a lifetime."    

Denise Williams

Denise Williams

 

"The GPLLM program has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of Canadian business law from a global perspective, which perfectly complements my legal training and daily practice as a corporate securities lawyer on Bay Street."

   

Zuzanna Kusyk

Zuzanna Kusyk

 

"The GPLLM program has provided me with an extra dimension in my career.   Thanks to the solid mix of academics and practitioners combined with challenging first-rate reading materials, I gained a global perspective of corporate and securities law that is current and real-time."

   

Hilary Thompson

Hilary Thompson

 

“The degree has already opened doors in my career path,” Thompson says. After completing it, she moved from the operations and engineering areas of the business to a role specific to regulatory affairs. The course also inspired her to pursue volunteer opportunities in the future on a not-for-profit board in the areas of corporate governance and finance.

“Most of all, the program helped me identify and focus my interests on a career path,” says Thompson, now a professional engineer with a master of laws—a unique and valuable combination.

“I love my new role,” she says, “and I’m not sure if I would have been offered the opportunity without the experience I gained through the GPLLM.”
   

Cynthia Roberston

Cynthia Roberston

 

“My husband and I had both worked in other countries but we felt a lot was missing from our legal knowledge base." The GPLLM was ideal, Robertson says. She and her husband could continue to work while attending classes on Wednesday nights and weekends.

There is no doubt that learning about the legalities of international trade agreements and globalization has boosted business.

“Everyone who knew we were enrolled in the GPLLM showed admiration, and a Canadian-based partner who heard recently brought us new export opportunities,” she says.

   

Fateh Salim

Fateh Salim

 

The makeup of the student body, lawyers and non-lawyers, reflected the program's law-business mix, says Salim. There were students from government, private firms, in-house counsel, and business people with experience in the corporate world.

The exposure to so much experience has made Salim feel more confident when advising clients within and outside government on matters related to globalization. The future looks bright, he says.

“These credentials open up many opportunities for me. Whether I progress to different areas of government or choose to work at an international or multinational organization or corporation, the GPLLM will be attractive to employers. It’s unique, relevant and timely in today’s age, given the internationalization of issues and harmonization of laws.”

   

Mark Mahoney

Mark Mahoney

 

The GPLLM has provided unique networking opportunities with existing and prospective clients that could eventually develop into new business for his firm, Mahoney says.

“I had ongoing files on my desk. It was fantastic to be able to ask real-life questions of professionals in class to get their thoughts, and benefit from their experience.”

“These days, it’s hard to distinguish yourself. Now that I know the names and faces of top practitioners in the city, I have contacts in companies that I’ve gotten to know on a different level. Now it’s up to me to leverage that into something tangible.”

   

Sal Jadavji

Sal Jadavji

 

"I found the GPLLM program to be such a positive experience for me personally, as well as professionally.  I believe the program has helped me considerably in my career so far as I was recently appointed as the Head of Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption (ABC) for the bank.  Thank you for creating such an excellent program!"

   

Andrew Szonyi

Andrew Szonyi

 

"The GPLLM did change my intellectual life in a major way.  I've just returned from Hungary having been elected and sworn in as an Arbitration Judge  of the Permanent Court of Arbitration for Financial and Capital Markets there."

"I also became a Visiting Professor of Corporate Governance at the School of Management of Corvinus University of Budapest in the EMBA program."
   

Shadha Zawawi

 "The GPLLM program provided me with an incredible experience of exchange of knowledge and ideas from one of the world’s top faculty, and a brilliant group of colleagues. I met great people from across the globe, which not only expanded my professional network, but gave me some long-lasting friendships, which I will cherish forever."