Chung Wong studied LLM International Business Law at The City Law School. Since graduating in 2016 he has worked as a Senior Compliance Associate at a US Investment Bank.
Where are you from?
I am from the United Kingdom.
What motivated you to pursue the LLM?
Studying the LLM to further advance my career in Compliance in Banking. I believed that having an LLM would give me creditability, and thus, increase my chances of advancing my career or getting a promotion. My work experience prior to working in compliance was only of working in front office as a private banker for a well-respected private bank.
However, my aspiration was to work in compliance as I felt that I wanted to help the financial sector from a different angle - by protecting the bank, and ensuring that the bank follows their own policy, rules and the law.
Studying for an LLM gave me an excellent foundation in pursing my career from working in front office to working as a Senior Compliance Associate.
What were you doing before studying the LLM?
I have a degree in psychology, and one in computing. I had only held jobs in front office and teaching. After graduation I went on to work in front office, and then pursue teaching in Japan. I worked as an English language tutor for a well-respected university in Tokyo.
I enjoyed teaching in Japan and I was there for over four years prior to deciding to return to London. When I returned to London, I went back to working in front office but I felt that I wanted to do something that gave me much more of a job satisfaction. Although, I had a great time teaching, I felt that I needed to do more and have a sense of achievement.
At the time I read news articles about banks getting fined by regulators for not fulfilling their required duties. As I wanted to do something that makes me feel proud, I decided to pursue a career in protecting the bank and clients in law.
What are you doing now? How did The City Law School prepare you for your current role?
I am currently working as a Senior Compliance Associate for a well-respected US investment Bank in London. The City Law School gave me an excellent foundation to bridge the gap from working in front office to working in compliance. Without the LLM course, I do not think I would have had an opportunity to work in compliance.
Having an LLM from City on my CV open numerous doors for interviews, as the course and university is well-recognised and respected in the industry. Before I completed the LLM I was unable to secure a single interview. The course has also prepared me in doing in my current role well.
What opportunities and experiences did City, University of London offered you whilst you studied, or still offers you?
I was studying and working full-time. City is well-equipped to help students who work full-time. Tutors are very knowledgeable and are always happy to help. I found all the course tutors were always there to help me whenever I had any problems, or simply needed help with the course material.
There’s plenty of online resources to help you excel in your course. I found that this was extremely useful, as it saves one time in visiting the library to do research.
Since I graduated, I am regularly invited to attend networking events – these are useful to keep in touch within the industry.
What opportunities and experiences did The City Law School offered you whilst you were studying?
I was awarded a merit-based partial scholarship from City. It gave me strong motivation to succeed in my course. I then went on to getting the Excellence Award that is given to the two top performing students on the course. With the help from City, from administrators to tutors and course directors; I was given support and guidance to help me succeed. This demonstrates that working and studying part-time, although very challenging, is totally achievable.
I thank City for helping me complete this course successfully and for the skills I learned and that I now use at work. I feel proud to have a prestigious qualification that carries a lot of weight on my CV and an LLM from The City Law School is, in my opinion, a well-respected qualification to have.
What were your favourite modules or aspects of the LLM? And why?
I gained a lot of knowledge but mostly developed skills in the LLM. Researching and investigative skills were very useful. I believe the investigative skills that I learned are still particularly useful. I’m confident in taking on investigative work to find the root cause of issues and provide solutions backed by the information that I obtain.
I learned how to provide evidence in a very polished way to help the bank as much as possible. I have also learnt that there can be information that can be interpreted in a number of ways, but again being able to present substantiated arguments, I am able to convince the reader.
It helped me develop a critical knowledge of law; this is quite useful in my current role and in understanding the ever-changing regulatory issues in banking.
Were there any challenges affecting your decision to study the LLM? If so, how did you overcome them?
As I was working full-time, I felt that it was going to be a challenge successfully complete the course but at the same time I really wanted to do it and move away from working in front office.
There was also the risk of either failing the course, or simply wasting my time if I didn’t get a job in compliance/ legal after completing the course. I spoke to a few colleagues who studied before and they confirmed it was a big challenge and that you do want to quit at times!
I then reached out to City and asked for guidance and if they had any former students who had been a similar situation. The tutors I met at an open event gave me excellent advice such as it wouldn’t be a waste of time as the skills you gained will be with you for life - this really inspired me to join The City Law School. Speaking to former City students also gave me the confidence, and I was up for the challenge!