Each year, students from across the globe come to Harvard Law School to engage in graduate studies in law as part of Harvard Law School’s LL.M. and S.J.D. programs. Meet six of those students with wide-ranging backgrounds from around the world.
Sigurbjörn Bernharð Edvardsson – Iceland
Sigurbjörn Bernharð Edvardsson LL.M. ’24, an Icelandic lawyer interested in constitutional law, legal theory, and corporate law, traces his decision to study law to Iceland’s constitutional reform attempts after the 2008 financial collapse. During his legal studies at the University of Iceland, Sigurbjörn was an exchange student at the University of Vienna, concentrating on European law. Additionally, he completed jurisprudence and political economy courses at Columbia University. After graduation, he worked as an associate at LOGOS Legal Services and a judicial clerk at the Icelandic Court of Appeals. In 2023, he felt it was the right moment to expand his horizons and temporarily step back from his career to pursue further education. “My passion for advancing my knowledge aligned perfectly with Harvard’s excellence in my chosen areas, making the decision to apply to HLS obvious. My experience at HLS has been truly enriching. The LL.M. class is incredibly diverse, and many of my classmates are engaged in different and fascinating pursuits. It has been an honor to share this experience with all of them.”
Micaela Mingramm – Argentina
Micaela Mingramm LL.M. ’24, who grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, started training in track and field from a very young age and joined Argentina’s national team at 13, winning three national and two South American championships. “Competing for your country is a magical and formative experience.” Interested in serving Argentina, she enrolled in law school at the University of Buenos Aires with the long-term goal of improving her country’s public policies. While in law school, she held a teaching assistant position on government financing while simultaneously working at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. After graduation, she was transferred to the New York office. At Harvard Law School, she is serving as a research assistant for the Petrie-Flom Center, looking at the intersection between global health rights and sovereign debt crises. She has particularly enjoyed her courses on international finance, business negotiations and social justice, as well as learning from her classmates: “The LL.M. cohort has taught me so much, and has changed my perspective, not only on legal issues, but on how I see the world.”
Tenzin Nordin – Tibet/India
The daughter of Tibetan refugees, Tenzin Nordin LL.M. ’24 (“Nordin”) grew up in a Tibetan community in a small town in Northern India. “Everything I learned was from that community – I feel a very strong sense of gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community and I want to serve them in whatever capacity I can.” After attending Symbiosis Law School in Hyderabad, India, she worked as the legal officer for the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy and then received funding from the Tibetan Scholarship Program to pursue an LL.M. at Harvard Law School to deepen her understanding of international law. “I am grateful and excited to have access to such great resources here.” At HLS, she has developed close friendships with both J.D. and LL.M. students: “I feel a real sense of belonging here and the community is actually very strong. As a refugee, I’m accustomed to feeling like I don’t belong anywhere. But I feel accepted here.”
Vincent Chimobi Okonkwo – Nigeria
Vincent Okonkwo LL.M. ’24 is a tech-focused corporate lawyer originally from Lagos, Nigeria. After obtaining his LL.B. from the University of Benin at 19, he spent 5 years advising technology companies in multiple African countries. He was most recently legal counsel for M-KOPA, a Kenyan multinational leveraging machine learning company to provide connected-asset financing to high-risk unbanked customers. After earning his LL.M., he’d like to gain experience in the United States, before returning to Nigeria to pursue policy development. At Harvard, he is involved with the Cyberlaw Clinic, the Harvard Law & Technology Society, and the Harvard African Law Association. He is also the co-chair of the 2024 Africa Development Conference and an LL.M. class representative. “There is a quality to students you engage with here, not just in terms of intellect, but also the genuineness of personality and perspectives on the world. They have an immutable passion for making change in the world — and it spreads. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve changed my perspective on issues, and even adjusted things I want from my life.”
Jordan Louie Samaroo – Canada
Jordan Samaroo LL.M. ’24 studied law and business at the University of Ottawa and then clerked for Justice Michael Moldaver and, following his retirement, Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin of the Supreme Court of Canada before coming to Harvard Law School as a Frank Knox Memorial Fellow. He is interested in constitutional law and appellate advocacy, and after the LL.M. plans to work as a commercial litigator while maintaining ties to academia. At Harvard Law School, Jordan assists the Equal Democracy Project, conducting research for an NGO fighting voter intimidation. He’s also a member of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology Submissions Committee, plays squash and club tennis, and is active with the Catholic Law Students Association, the Canadian Law Students Association, and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Student Government. “One of the highlights of my year was attending an oral argument at the First Circuit Court of Appeals with J.D. friends as guests of Chief Judge David Barron. I’ve also loved the wonderful opportunities for the LL.M.s to engage closely with faculty and interact socially with each other, especially during Orientation.”
Wei-An Tsai – Taiwan
Wei-An Tsai is a second-year S.J.D. candidate from Taiwan working on disinformation and internet governance with professors Yochai Benkler, Jack Goldsmith, Vicki Jackson and Ya-Wen Lei (sociology). She studied literature and then law at National Taiwan University, where she was heavily involved in the Taiwan Innocence Project. After graduation, she worked as a law firm trainee associate and then as a legal advisor to the Legal Affairs Minister without Portfolio in Taiwan’s Executive Yuan (cabinet). In that role, Wei-An discovered a love for research and a commitment to address Taiwan’s challenges. When she started her HLS LL.M. in 2021, her interest in the S.J.D. was quickly confirmed by her interactions with professors. “It’s so important to be at Harvard right now. There is so much going on here — it’s really helped me get a better sense of the international narrative about Taiwan.” As an S.J.D., Wei-An has enjoyed advising LL.M. students and collaborating with other S.J.D. students: “It’s amazing to have a space where we can grow and support each other.”
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