Every year,\nmany students from Portuguese-speaking countries choose to study law at the\nUniversity of Macau (UM). The Faculty of Law (FLL) at UM has a strong faculty\nteam comprised of high-calibre scholars from Macao, mainland China, Portugal,\nand other countries. The faculty regularly invites world-renowned scholars in\nthe field to serve as visiting professors, and hires incumbent judges,\nprosecutors, as well as legal experts and attorneys working in the government\nto teach on a part-time basis, in order to produce legal professionals with a\nglobal mindset and competitiveness.<\/p>
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Similarities to Law Programmes in Portugal <\/b><\/p>
Kennedy\nAntonio from the Republic of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe is a second-year law major\nat UM. There are two main reasons why he chose to study law at UM. First,\nbecause of Macao\u2019s unique historical background and its rapid development in\nvarious areas, there is an openness about its legal system that befits an\ninternational metropolis. Second, a more important reason, the law programmes\nat UM are taught in Portuguese, which is a big draw for students from\nPortuguese-speaking countries. The law programmes at UM largely follow the\nRomano-Germanic system or the Continental European system. Antonio says, \u2018I\nmade up my mind to study law at a young age because I wanted to understand the\nrelationship between individuals and the relationship between states and their\ncitizens in terms of rights and obligations. UM has strict requirements for law\nstudents. It requires the students to thoroughly understand the legal theories\nand principles, which helps to deepen my understanding of the different laws in\nour society.\u2019<\/p>
The bachelor\nof law programmes at UM cover important issues in law, such as the current\ntrends in law and the evolution of legal theories. The bachelor of law in\nChinese and Portuguese programme includes courses in European Union Law,\nInternational Law, and Comparative Law. Antonio believes the knowledge in these\nfields will be very useful when he returns to his native country. He says, \u2018UM\nis very flexible in law education and its law programmes meet global trends. So\ngraduates of the programmes, whether they are from Macao or elsewhere, will\nhave a great competitive edge and will be able to make a contribution to their\ncountries or regions.\u2019 He plans to stay at UM to pursue further studies until\nhe obtains a PhD degree. <\/p>
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Building a Knowledge-based Business Platform<\/b><\/p>
Manuel\nRoDirigues De Veiga, a law major from the Republic of Cabo Verde, obtained his\nbachelor\u2019s degree from UM this June and decided to stay at UM for further\nstudies. Several years ago, Veiga was admitted to UM on a scholarship for his\noutstanding academic performance, thus beginning a new chapter in his life. He\nsays, \u2018UM is like my second home. It has excellent faculty members and teaching\nfacilities. Studying here is like savouring a cocktail, because you meet people\nfrom different nationalities.\u2019 He believes the strong faculty team at UM and\nthe university\u2019s effort to support the government in developing Macao into a\nbusiness platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries will help him\nachieve his dream. He says, \u2018Cape Verde has a huge demand for merchandise from\nChina, especially electronics. Importing Chinese merchandise to Cape Verde via\nMacao naturally involves a lot of legal issues.\u2019 He explains that the legal systems\nin Macao and Cabo Verde are both based on the Portuguese law, with close\nsimilarities in language and logic. He plans to pursue a career in e-business\nafter graduation. Specifically, he wants to build an e-platform in Macao to\nfacilitate business activities between China and Cabo Verde, so knowledge of\nbusiness laws in both places will be a great advantage. <\/p>
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The Unique Advantage of Studying Law at UM<\/b><\/p>
Rita Rocha\nfrom Portugal decided to study law at UM as an exchange student because she\nwanted to understand Macao\u2019s special legal status in China as a special\nadministrative region. She says, \u2018The legal system in Macao is based on the\nPortuguese law, but the laws in the two places have both experienced changes\nwith time. On the one hand, all the Portuguese heritage is still left in\nMacao\u2019s legal system, but on the other hand Macao didn\u2019t copy the alterations\nand adaptations the Portuguese have made, so it\u2019s fascinating to study the\ndifferences between Macao\u2019s law and the Portuguese law and how they have\nevolved.\u2019 It\u2019s been nearly 20 years since the handover of Macao\u2019s sovereignty\nto China, Rocha is pleased to see Macao\u2019s effort to become more independent in its\nlegal system. Her sentiments are echoed by another exchange student from\nPortugal, Beatriz Louren\u00e7o, who points out that the differences between Macao\u2019s\nlaw and the Portuguese law are largely attributable to the differences in\nreligions and cultures. <\/p>
Louren\u00e7o\nsays, \u2018The fact that the laws in Macao are written in Portuguese is itself a\ngreat advantage. Take Macao\u2019s neighboring city Hong Kong. The laws in Hong Kong\nare written in English, which makes business people from around the world more\nconfident to do business in Hong Kong because they can understand the laws in\nEnglish. Likewise, Portuguese being the official language of law in Macao\naccords the city the role of a gateway to China for people from\nPortuguese-speaking countries. Also, because of Macao\u2019s proximity to China,\nstudying in Macao allows me to access information about China that I couldn\u2019t\naccess in Portugal, so I can have a deeper understanding of China\u2019s current\ndevelopment.\u2019 Louren\u00e7o plans to find a job in Macao after graduation. That\u2019s\nwhy she decided to study law at UM. She wants to familiarise herself with Macao\nlaws and build networks in order to pave the way for her future career\ndevelopment. <\/p>
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Learning Chinese to Increase Competitiveness<\/b><\/p>
Francisca and\nTeresa are two other exchange students from Portugal in the FLL. They both\ntreasure the opportunity to study at an Asian university, so they want to make\nthe most out of it. They have enrolled for a Chinese language course in the\nConfucius Institute at UM which is targeted at people whose native tongue is\nnot Chinese. Teresa says, \u2018I love to learn new languages and new cultures, and\nUM is the ideal place to learn Chinese, because when you live in a\nChinese-speaking environment, it\u2019s easier to remember the new words. My Chinese\nlanguage instructor is very strict. He believes in the importance of speaking\nChinese with the correct pronunciations and intonation, so if you can\u2019t do it\nright, he will ask you to try again and again, until you get it right.\u2019<\/p>
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Francisca\nwants to pursue a career in business law after graduation. As a European, she\nfeels studying and living at UM offers her a window to the Chinese culture. She\nsays college graduates who have studied in China are favoured on the European\njob market. She says, \u2018Many Chinese companies are investing in Portugal. So\nmany Portuguese companies want to hire people who can speak Mandarin, because\nproficiency in Chinese, and better yet, in the Chinese culture, is very useful\nduring business negotiations.\u2019<\/p>
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Source: Communications Office\u3000\u3000<\/p>
Media Contact Information:Communications Office, University of Macau<\/p>
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Albee Lei Tel\uff1a(853) 88228004Kelvin U Tel\uff1a(853) 88224322Email\uff1aprs.media@um.edu.moUM Website\uff1awww.um.edu.mo<\/p>
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