Sharon Dinah Chavala (Comparative and International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2026)

2 January 2025

Tell us about your background and you did before your studies at Centre for Commercial Law Studies?

My name is Sharon Dinah Chavala, I am from the southern part of India, from the state of Andhra Pradesh. I have completed my B.A.LLB Honours back in India in 2023 and I was enrolled with the Bar Council of India and my state in 2023; I received my license the same year. I was practicing as a junior advocate under my father, who is also an advocate.

My dad has been an advocate for 30 years now and my mother is a lecturer in English. I was told that I had to follow the same path as my father and take up Judiciary. But I was pretty sure that I did not want to get into Judiciary work right now. I wanted to pursue a master's abroad. I’ve heard from my seniors during my undergraduate studies that it is not only respected when you do a master's in the UK, but that it also gives you a lot of opportunities and it exponentially broadens your perspective in life. Therefore, I became adamant about doing my masters in the UK.

In addition, I have two years of work experience prior to pursuing my master's this year. I was involved in civil and criminal litigation. I also had the opportunity to work as a review attorney conducting review for relevance, privilege, and responsiveness for UK and US-based companies. Apart from that, I had an exciting fellowship opportunity where I was working with the Indian Political Action Committee. In my role I acted sort of like a bridge between the state leaders and the general public helping to address their issues at grassroots levels and provide viable strategies in order to resolve them.

What do you study and how is your course going?

I am doing my LLM in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution and all of my modules specifically focus on Arbitration. I would definitely be lying if I say it is not a bit hectic and challenging. The faculty here are the leading names in their field, who are really approachable and the classes are very interactive. Prior to starting my course I have noticed that every one of my seniors in my undergraduate course have pursued this same course in Queen Mary and everyone spoke of how renowned it is. They said it provided a doorway to a plethora of opportunities, and they were not lying because it is not just the theory part of the course it is the practice that stands out. During my undergraduate, it was mostly theory and only during my internships I was able to engage with the practical side of law. However, in this LLM, theory and practice go hand in hand; the simulations, the tutorials, everything makes the course very holistic. I’m new to this field of law, so it is definitely a bit challenging, but I'm enjoying every bit of it as it is making me ready for my professional journey.

Why did you choose Queen Mary, CCLS and London?

The main reason I specifically chose CCLS was because it is very diverse. I've heard from many people that it is very warm and not restrictive. I have seen situations in other places where people of certain backgrounds, sex, culture and race are a bit judged, but I was told that it is very welcoming here. London is also a hub for Arbitration: you have the LCIA and the Royal Courts of Justice which is very close to the CCLS campus. There are also a lot of opportunities to network in London; I was fortunate enough to attend London Arbitration Week and participate in the activities taking place, even on campus we had events in which I was able to actively partake in, all of which made my choice of CCLS fortunate.

How were things before you received the funding?

When you look at my application ID, it starts with the 24, meaning,  I had applied to Queen Mary in 2024. The primary reason I was not able to start in September 2024 intake was because I wasn't able to arrange my funding. I had to defer my start date to January 2025, despite the deferral I was still not able to sort out my funding. During this period, I had been rejected by almost 15 banks. There were many issues with the result of every application, and none of them seemed plausible. This setback made it pretty sure for me that I wouldn’t be able to get funding. While looking onto the QM Website, I saw the scholarship on their page saying that you get a 50% tuition fee waiver, so I thought to give it a try. I applied for it on the last day, I still remember, May 19^th, 12.00 IST was the deadline to submit and I submitted it around 9.00 IST, closed it, prayed about it and just left it. I was pretty sure I was not going to get it because there are a lot of people applying globally. And at this point I was just negative about everything because I had been seeing a lot of negative things happening already.

There was also a Queen Mary event happening in my nearest city at the same time. I decided maybe I should go and talk to the delegates so as to see what the prospects of my application would be like, because I had an unconditional offer by the time, but I had no funds.

The night before I was leaving for the event, I received an e-mail saying that I was selected for the scholarship and I just could not believe it. I was shaking with the phone in my hand. I was like, “I got it. I think I'm going to do my master's finally.”
Financially I was pretty much at zero when I started this process. If not for the scholarship, I don't think I would even come here in the first place.

How did you feel when you heard you got the funding and has it made an impact for you?

I was verbatim shivering, no exaggeration. I was showing it to my parents and I was like, it's done. The scholarship provided the 50% waiver of the fees, for the rest I received a loan from Prodigy Finance who saw the significance of it and my application. I was able to support my loan application due to this scholarship and they sanctioned the same stating the merit in my application. Hence, they gave me the other 50%. If this scholarship wasn't there in the 1st place, I don't think I would be able to secure a loan for the other half.

Do you think financial worries weigh heavily on students?

Definitely, I would say so. I would say they weigh on students’ minds more than it is voiced out. It's not, just that you are going to a new country and figuring out things on your own. But in order to figure out you need some fuel and that fuel - you don't have it if there are no finances. The primary reason students come here is to study and you're not able balance life if there are financial constraints. And I think that really takes a big toll on students.

What are your plans for the future?

I did have a different plan before coming here. I was thinking of getting into a couple of other areas in my field, but after studying specifically in the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration field, I now want to gain some experience in Arbitration. It is very much respected in our country to get an LLM, especially from the UK. Many of my peers, even my professors from my earlier university also mentioned that the School of International Arbitration is very well known for its world class education. I think this LLM will open various opportunities for me back at home in arbitration. I hope to establish a firm specialising in dispute resolution, as this course has completely changed my perspective and inspired me to pursue this career path.

What would you like to say to those who donated to provide these awards?

Thank you would definitely be an understatement for sure. A person from a small town like myself, I would have never imagined that I would come to a place like London and study. It is not just a big dream, it is a very expensive dream. And it's not something I could do in my own capacity, for sure. I would definitely say God's grace, and the generous and kind donations of the donors. If it wasn't for them and this initiative, I don't think I would even be here in the first place. So in my entire journey until this point, all I can feel is gratitude, and nothing will be above that.

 

 

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