IEL Programme alumnus career talk

Join us for an engaging discussion around life as fresh IEL LLM graduate, working on international trade law in a law firm.

Maxime Bode, LLM ’25, discuss their experience and role since taking the IEL LLM programme last year, before opening the floor to questions. 

This is the perfect opportunity to find out more about life after the LLM, discover what opportunities are out there, and the challenges of legal practice.

Speaker profile: Maxime Bode is a trainee lawyer at the international law firm, Van Bael & Bellis, Brussels. He advises on a wide range of legal matters related to trade and customs. Maxime completed his Bachelor's and Law Master’s degrees at the University of Liège, Belgium, followed by a Master’s degree in economics and another in Customs and excise, also at the University of Liège. Finally, he completed his LLM at the University of Edinburgh in 2024, specialising in International Economic Law.

During his time in Edinburgh, Maxime was constantly involved in student activities throughout his studies, including scouts, field hockey and the Erasmus Student Network.  He attended the WTO 1 and WTO 2 classes, Advanced Issues in International Economic Law, as well as the International Investment Law and Arbitration classes. His dissertation was focused on the recently voted EU Forced Labour Regulation and its implications on several sectors. Finally, Maxime also participated in the Vis Moot Court under the supervision of Professor Daza Vargas.