This week, Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) Law School Dean Prof. Lyra Jakulevičienė presented the Law School's Annual Report for 2022.
According to the Dean, “2022 has been a year where the geopolitical context has re-shaped the priorities of the Law School overnight shifting activities towards consolidation of support for academic staff, researchers and students from our partners in Ukraine through the efforts of the Baltic-Ukraine Center, promptly providing the public with expert assessment on the ongoing aggression, attracting the support of the international community for the evaluation of acts of aggression and initiation of research."
"The Mediation Law LL.M program, which was launched for the first time, was dedicated exclusively to Ukrainian practitioners.”
Despite the external difficulties of the year, one of the main challenges and priorities was the preparation of self-analysis for the accreditation of 29 law programs implemented by the Law School. At the same time, annual activities were consolidated, scientific results enhanced, new partnerships created, and new study programs opened.
In the field of studies, for the first time in the history of MRU, a Law Bachelor's program in English (Law and Global Security) was created and launched, responding to today's challenges of ensuring the rule of law and security in the world; and private scholarships for studies were mobilized. The Law School admitted 407 new students and 102 other participants. The number of foreign students has been increasing and 168 degree and 96 Erasmus students from 17 countries were studying in 2022. The first micro-credential course in the field of anti-money laundering and terrorism prevention (AML) was launched in partnership with the Lithuanian Centre of Excellence for Anti-Money Laundering.
In the field of research, 6 new postdocs started their activities. Research production has been growing by 38% and the number of monographs increased by 87%. The priorities of the new research strategy were consistently implemented, especially in the field of law and sustainability, and the first monograph in English in a prestigious foreign publishing house was published. Last year, 34 projects were implemented for approx. 2.8 million EUR (total project value was 29-mil EUR), which represented a growth of 44%. Commissioned research increased significantly, including in the areas important to the Lithuanian legal system (judicial process, asylum system, mediation), and more than 15 scientific conferences were organized. Experiential learning was strengthened through legal argumentation initiatives, as well as academic literacy through the revitalization of the student research initiative, "Legal Thought Festival", and mentoring of PhD students continued. The Law School has offered its students over 150 mentors from various areas of legal practice.
According to global rankings, the Law School remained among the top 250 law schools in the world and No. 1 in terms of employability of law graduates among Lithuanian universities.
During the presentation of the report, challenges that the Law School needs to address and priorities for 2023 were also highlighted and discussed. While expressing her gratitude to all the colleagues for the excellent results of the year and the management of the University for opportunities and support, the Dean invited to meet with openness and enthusiasm our new and meaningful challenges for 2023.
