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Graduate students of the Faculty of Law celebrate their convocation on November 21, including 28 members of the  class of 2014.

Now in its third year, the GPLLM is a one-year intensive and executive-style LLM program, focusing on global business law. It’s open to non-lawyers as well, and it was just the program Karim Gillani, vice-president of corporate development at Xoom (a Silicon Valley tech company) was looking for.

“I've always had an interest in law, particularly influenced by my background in finance and corporate development,” says Gillani, who has an undergraduate degree in engineering, and a master’s degree in finance.

“I've worked on a number of M&A transactions and partnership deals, which have all required some understanding of corporate law. This program was a perfect fit to become more proficient in the legal concepts that I encounter regularly.”

They do not become lawyers – but learn how to think like one. It’s one of the reasons Tim Pervin decided to take the program: “To be in a position to ‘ask better questions’ as both a director and business consultant.”

The president of The Pervin Group Inc. has a commerce degree, is a certified management consultant, and has a diploma from the Institute of Corporate Directors at Rotman.

“The degree will permit me to be more marketable as a director [and has given me] a better understanding about the broad application of law both domestically and internationally.”

BS Baidwan, a science and law graduate, is aiming for this degree to advance his network. A member of the Bar Association of Punjab and Haryana, India, he recently received his certificate of qualification to practice in Ontario as well.

“This degree will open new avenues for my career progression. This is a unique program and enables you to enrich your knowledge and experience in tackling complex issues involving business, law and globalization.”

This is Ovidiu Corbu’s third master’s degree from the University of Toronto. He pursued a GPLLM “to complement my MBA and M. Eng. telecom degrees.” He appreciated how tailored the program was “to foster strategic thinking and leadership expertise” and now feels he has a 360-degree view of the global business landscape.

“The wealth of knowledge and diversity of topics that the GPLLM covers by analyzing real-life examples is the corner stone in building a more complete picture of the Canadian and international business environments.”

Many GPLLM grads over the years have believed the strength of the program is found in their classroom, right next to them, and this cohort was no different.

“The diversity of the student group and the stimulating discourse encouraged by our professors were the most appealing aspects of the program,” says Gillani. “Everyone in the room came from different backgrounds and brought unique insights, drawn from their own experiences. It certainly made discussions more engaging.”

For Corbu, it was unlike any graduate experience he’s had before. “The richness of the topics discussed through very engaging class discussions have created a learning environment unique to the GPLLM, which stands out as being extraordinary in my overall experience as a cross-disciplinary graduate student.”

The executive-style program for working professionals course can be demanding with its workload and study requirements, but says Baidwan: “The sacrifice is worth it.”