Paweł Mateusz Gadocha, is a CESL double graduate of both 2020 and 2022. Having first entered the China-EU School of Law (CESL) in 2017 (for the Chinese Law Taught in English program), in 2020 he obtained his first master’s degree in European and International Law granted by the University of Hamburg (UHH), and in 2022 he obtained his second master’s degree (taught in English) in Civil and Commercial Law conferred by the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL). His master thesis was awarded the excellent thesis by CUPL in 2023. At present, he furthers his education at the bar association in Warsaw, Poland, to become an advocate in Fall 2024. Mr. Gadocha currently an associate at the Polish office of the international law firm Clifford Chance LLP (a magic circle law firm), provides legal assistance in the field of dispute resolution and arbitration. He also advises clients on regulatory matters under Polish and international laws. In this article, Mr. Gadocha shares his experiences from CESL.
I started my adventure with Chinese law back in Fall 2017, when as an undergraduate Polish student I moved to Beijing for a 4-months long Chinese Law Taught in English program (the CLTE). Then, I learned about another program available at CESL, which was the Master of European and International Law (the MEIL). I was determined to continue my education in China after finishing my law studies in Poland, therefore in Spring 2019 I applied for the program. At that time, CUPL was commencing another LL.M. program – the International Master of Chinese Civil and Commercial Law (the IMCL). I therefore considered that if I were to move to China, I might as well pursue two degrees at the same time. Therefore, I applied for IMCL admission as well. Having obtained positive recruitment results from both UHH and CUPL, all I had to do was to convince both institutions that I could handle studying both programs. After lengthy discussions and everyone’s effort, I can now say that I have a double LL.M. This sounds pretty cool.
International Students from Chinese Law Taught in English program in 2017
I have always thought that the key to successful studying is to manage oneself first, and the rest will come in its natural course of events. Having organized my schedule, I was able to start my day at 7 am, travel for an hour to the Changping campus (for MEIL classes) and study until late afternoon (sometimes 6 pm). The other days, I had to move from the Changping to Haidian campuses, which is another one-hour route. There, I stayed until 9 pm and came back home past 10 pm. As bad as this may sound, it remains one of my best experiences.
Without my Chinese studies, I would not have been in the place where I am now. My study at CESL provided me with many useful skills, such as legal research, analysis and writing (until today I use the Bluebook citation form for my writings, even when I am writing in Polish), as well as the ability to work under pressure and cope with stress (which is one of the most desirable skills one needs to obtain in order to work for major clients in an international law firm). These skills have been necessary for my job-related tasks.
Having studied both the MEIL and IMCL, I got the ability to think “broadly”, which proves to be useful when assisting international clients in the legal proceedings in Poland or providing them with legal advice on Poland-related regulatory matters. Skills obtained at CESL allow me to better understand the clients’ actual needs and to work out the most beneficial solution for them. In my view, this ability is difficult to obtain, and with the experience in studying foreign laws (such as Chinese for myself), the learning process becomes faster.
Paweł Mateusz Gadocha at CESL in 2017
Throughout my studies, I wrote two papers on international law and comparative law (Contractual Penalty under the CISG Sales Contract and the Party Autonomy – Comparative Analysis of the Chinese and European Approach), both of which required of me to conduct broad research through numerous scholarly works, including Chinese. The knowledge learned at CESL is definitely helpful for me on a daily basis, where I usually have to look up answers to provide legal advice for clients. CESL gave me some invaluable abilities, and those allow me to now work at my best.
Although my studies were accompanied by the Covid-19 pandemic (for which I had to continue my studies remotely), CESL still allowed me to think that obtaining a Polish law degree should not be the end for my academic development. After graduating from CESL, the doors to a more successful law career have opened for me. I worked at two well-respected international law firms (at the first as an intern, and at the second as a junior lawyer) and I have never second-guessed the value of my CESL experience. When working in an international environment, there is always a moment when knowledge of foreign legal system becomes not only useful, but is sometimes necessary. With CESL, I have the knowledge of both European and International Law and the Chinese Law. This allows me not only to understand how something works in China, but most importantly to identify the differences to other legal systems and understand clients’ needs.
Wen Jiabao, China’s former Prime Minister, expressed his hope that the Chinese students in CESL can become competent in both Chinese and Western law. I think that there is even more than that. In my view, this should work in a twofold manner. The European students should also become more competent in Chinese law. That way, Chinese and European legal systems may benefit from one another, and this could (and in my view would) induce the level of cooperation between China and the European Union. The future lies not only with the economic and trade relations, but also the understanding of each other’s legal framework (which secures not only the economic growth, but most importantly – mutual understanding of the other party’s needs). It is not possible to build business relations without knowing the legal framework underlying given behaviors. CESL is an initiative established long before the China-EU trade agreement negotiations, and I am certain that the School’s existence and functioning will carry on for much longer.
Therefore, if I were to provide any advice for the new law students (in particular Europeans considering studying in China), I encourage you not to be afraid and take your career into your own hands from the very beginning. By pursuing the LL.M. program in China you can only benefit, both educationally and professionally. Any scholar working at CESL, whether from one of the partnered European universities, or CUPL, can attract your interest into becoming an international lawyer, with broad perspectives.
News | Paweł Mateusz Gadocha
Photo | Prof. ZHANG Liying
Editors | MA Anna, Monty Silley
