r/eulaw • u/Affectionate_Jury287 • 12d ago
Best Law Schools in Europe (not UK/US) for International Criminal, Commercial, Cyber & Tech Law?
Hi everyone,
I’m from Greece and planning to apply to a law school in Europe (outside of the UK and USA — I didn’t do A-levels). My grades are very good and my qualifications are also strong.
My main interests are in: • International Criminal Law • International Commercial Law • Comparative Law • Technology & AI Law • OSINT, Investigations & Forensics • Cybercrime • International Law • European Law
I’m looking for international, English-speaking programs (LL.B. or LL.M., depending on entry level) at top universities in Europe that are the best fit for these areas.
What matters to me most: • Academic reputation • Programs fully available in English • Strong focus on international/European law and technology/cyber issues • Good career opportunities in international or European institutions
Does anyone know which universities in Europe are considered the best options for this path? Any insights or personal experiences would be really appreciated!
Thanks a lot in advance 🙏
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u/brainfreeze_23 11d ago
If you want tech law, Tilburg (Netherlands), a small but specialized university in social sciences & humanities, has a good and well-rounded LLM for it. The department behind it is one of the earliest tech law departments in Europe.
Other options for tech law would be Edinburgh (which, UK, so nah), or maybe Oslo.
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u/Five_Nuances 12d ago
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u/Affectionate_Jury287 12d ago
Thanks ☺️
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u/Schylger-Famke 12d ago
Don't go to THUAS. It's a university of applied sciences, which in The Netherlands is considered a lower level than a research university. It will take at least one, more likely two, extra years to get to the same level.
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u/WunkerWanker 12d ago edited 12d ago
Agree. My opinion: The term University of Applied Sciences is such a scam for international students. In the Netherlands this term is never used, we call it a "hogeschool" or in German these institutions are called a "hochschule". This is all you need to know: we don't use the term university, we call it a school.
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u/Professional_Mix2418 11d ago
Nope it’s the other way around. Holland (and by the sounds of it Germany as well) are the outliers. The concept exists for a long time everywhere around the world.
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u/Dertien1214 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yes, and we consider those second or third tier as well.
Edit: to be clear, the Hogescholen or Hochschule predate universities of applied science by a very large margin. Most instititions that call themselves universities of applies sciences (and the countries they are in!) did not even exist until a few decades ago.
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u/Professional_Mix2418 7d ago edited 7d ago
A bit snobbish 🤷♂️ When you get a bit more experienced you’ll figure out that there is no point in such behaviour. There will always be someone outranking you.
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u/Dertien1214 7d ago
What do you think university is about? In that case just get a law degree from some for profit university in Chaing Mai in Thailand and try your luck in the real world.
In law EVERYTHING is about snobbishness. Else you would get paid a normal secretary's wage for pushing paper around.
> When you get a bit more experienced you’ll figure out
Lol, well I'll let you know....
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u/Santos264 11d ago
I go there, and have previously attended leiden. Thuas is by far superior in all but name.
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u/WunkerWanker 11d ago
Are you comparing a University of Applied Sciences to Leiden University? Comparing a hogeschool to a real university?
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u/Professional_Mix2418 7d ago
Both are real universities ;) They are just different types. All depends on what you want to do afterwards and what you’ve done before so you can choose the path to take.
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u/WunkerWanker 7d ago edited 7d ago
Dutch people only consider research universities real universities. The other ones are schools. Nothing wrong with, totally different level though.
And you need more academic skills to be able to graduate from a research university. So these degrees are more valuable, since you have showed that you are above average in learning capacity. HBO only showed you can achieve what the average people in Dutch society can achieve.
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u/Professional_Mix2418 7d ago
I only just spotted that. HBO only showed what the average people in Dutch society can achieve.
Have you gone totally made. The arrogance is just ridiculous. 🤷♂️ All the people with less than HBO will appreciate you. You are true to your username.
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u/Professional_Mix2418 7d ago
Old Dutch people yes. Dutch people who only know the Netherlands and not the rest of the world yes. They are real universities. The clue is in the name and the international point system.
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u/WunkerWanker 7d ago edited 7d ago
Tell that to the employers in the Netherlands. Since that is why most people take education: to get a good job in that country.
Your job prospects in the Netherlands are much better when you graduated from a research university than from a hogeschool. Just because you have showed better learning capacity, and have gained deeper knowledge in the subjects you studied.
And I don't care about what the rest of the world thinks, since we are talking about Dutch schools. And not rest-of-the-world-schools. Also most young Dutch people know the difference.
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u/WunkerWanker 12d ago edited 12d ago
International law is a niche. It is better to became a top lawyer in the country you speak the language and specialize there into international law as well, so in your case probably Greece. There isn't much need for lawyers that don't speak the local language or can't go to court in the country they work in because they can't pass the bar in the country they work in, because they miss the knowledge of local law to pass the bar in that certain country.
For example you go to Germany and want to work there. The clients in Germany are German companies. They want to be helped in German, so they will find a German law firm working in German, that has a section with German speakers specialized in international law. That firm won't hire you if you don't know German and aren't registered/won't be able to register as a lawyer in Germany.
For the few English jobs that are in international law, the competition is high because there are many more people graduating then there are jobs.
If you are dead set on moving out of Greece, choose a different career than law. Go into a STEM degree, or even a business degree will be easier.
Edit: I want to add this to it: For the European courts, which is a tiny fraction of law cases in Europe, you must have passed the bar in one of the EU member states to be allowed to represent a client in front of that court. Which you won't manage to do with the degrees you're looking at. So you will only be able to advice clients, which makes you less employable than local graduates with the right qualifications, of which there are plenty. And even international arbitration is dominated by lawyers who passed the bar in a country. These degrees didn't originate from industry demand, but from student demand.