Sciences of Legal Services

General information
The main goal of the study programme is to provide students with a general knowledge of law before they choose one of the four learning tracks in their third year. In fact, the last year will provide more specialised knowledge in the topics covered during the first two years, by examining them from a professional angle. Moreover, the programme will provide a hands-on experience through the internship, where students will test and further develop the knowledge acquired during the first two programme years. In short, the Bachelor's degree programme in Sciences of Legal Services aims to train students in the different fields of law. To do so, the programme is divided into 4 tracks (curricula):
A. Corporate legal affairs expert
B. Public administration legal affairs expert
C. HR legal affairs expert
D. Non-profit legal affairs expert
Each of these curricula provides sector-specific competencies to train students for specific legal professions. Before the third programme year, students have the chance to take part in dedicated meetings, which are held annually by the study plan tutors, in order to get acquainted with the career opportunities envisaged by each curriculum and decide which one best suits their skills and aptitudes.
Corporate legal affairs expert
Job function
The Corporate legal affairs expert curriculum provides students with legal and professional knowledge in different business sectors, with a particular focus on financial markets and their relevant actors (banks, insurance firms and financial intermediaries), to pave their way to become fully-fledged legal and economic specialists. Graduates in this curriculum will provide legal assistance and consultancy to companies, and contribute to finding solutions to legal and corporate problems, as well as to business management and organisation both within and without the company.
Professional skills
The study plan contemplated for this learning track analyses different economic and corporate profiles, enabling students to acquire specific legal and professional knowledge, with particular reference to banking, insurance and financial law. These areas are in constant and rapid evolution, and are marked by an increasing focus on both in-court and out-of-court resolutions (including the more recent ABF and ACF dispute-resolution methods).
Career opportunities
A natural career path for graduates in this curriculum can be found at banks, insurance companies, financial companies and, more generally, in investing and brokering services. Potential activities include compliance consultancy and assistance, contract management, customer relationship management and pre-arbitration. Graduates will have also acquired the necessary skills to work as freelance professionals in the fields of insurance and financial intermediation (agent, broker, consultant, etc.).
Public administration legal affairs expert
Job function
The Public administration legal affairs expert curriculum, based on a study plan that explores the main topics of public law, as well as the methods to draft and understand Public Administration documents, is designed to equip students with the skills needed to work in a variety of positions within public entities. The positions that graduates in this curriculum can hold revolve around the diverse and complex duties of public administrations in the current social and economic context. These high-level positions can be found in a variety of areas such as: integrated safety management, territorial administration, cultural heritage conservation, environmental and public health protection, public service provision and public procurement. Within this context, and in addition to other fundamental duties, graduates will possess the skills needed to hold positions related to the internal organisation of public offices, and to manage administrative tasks. More specifically, they might be called upon to gather data and information, handle institutional relations and provide support for administrative proceedings through the acquisition, analysis and enforcement of the documents under investigation. Moreover, they will be required to appropriately interpret the legislation applicable to statutory cases, collaborate to final decisions in administrative proceedings and draft the relevant provisions.
Professional skills
In order to carry out the aforementioned functions, the Public-Administration legal affairs expert should have a solid understanding of public law and regulations, with specific reference to the organisational structure of public authorities and their active administration functions. To this end, in addition to a solid understanding of the most important principles of administrative law, these experts should have specific skills in terms of the special regulations applicable to the areas of intervention of public administrations Additionally, students must develop more general acumen in the area of civil law, as entities of Public Administration also handle instruments of private law, such as contracts and corporate forms. The aforementioned legal knowledge likewise requires complete understanding of the legal implications of harmonising Italian and EU and international law. Within today's work context, it is crucial to possess a good knowledge and expertise in the use of new technologies, as well as a good command of English. To acquire these professional skills, theoretical study must be complemented with an internship at a public entity.
Career opportunities
The most obvious career opportunities for graduates in this curriculum are to be found within the different types of public administrations, notably: territorial administrations (national, regional and local), public entities, publicly owned companies, independent authorities and administrations working in the areas of environmental protection, cultural heritage and immigration. Moreover, this track allows graduates to access a multitude of professions within private entities which, in various capacities, work with public administrations in the implementation of public contracts, public services, and in the areas of environmental protection, cultural heritage and urban development.
HR legal affairs expert
Job function
The goal of this curriculum is to train future labour law experts who, also backed up by a general knowledge, become skilled professionals in the area of HR administration and management, union relations and collective bargaining, social and corporate welfare. These professionals should be able to: manage employment relationship; collect information on the legal provisions on work, social security and labour assistance; provide internal/external consultancy services with regard to labour and social security litigation. Job functions include managing individual and collective bargaining, and contributing to the fulfilment of the company's employment needs, taking into account new hirings, internal mobility and exiting staff. Moreover, these experts contribute to setting quantitative and qualitative standards for new hires by identifying the required job profiles and dealing with the search and recruitment of professionals, including by backing up heads of departments seeking for new staff during technical-specialised interviews. They handle union disputes, negotiating agreements with workers' representatives, and provide support to generating and developing plans for the on-boarding of new employees. Lastly, they are called upon to set compensation policies, and develop health and safety-related programming for the workplace. Students of this curriculum can carry out the first 6 months (out of 18) of the mandatory professional traineeship for accessing the regulated profession of Labour Consultant during their study programme. Early traineeship must be completed at a labour consulting firm identified by the relevant Provincial Association of Labour Consultants.
Professional skills
In order to perform the job functions described above, these experts should have a good general knowledge of labour law and corporate organisation. Moreover, they should have a good grounding in accounting, tax consulting and contractual assistance in relation to the relevant legal framework These professionals are expected to have effective communication skills, which include active listening, negotiating techniques, the ability to work in team, as well as a problem-setting and problem-solving mindset. IT skills and English proficiency are also needed. Students will acquire these skills by passing their course exams and by completing a professional traineeship at a labour consulting firm, HR division or legal office within a private company, trade association, trade union, public entity or institution.
Career opportunities
HR legal affairs experts can work as freelance labour consultants or as employees and labour consulting firms, since this curriculum gives access to the professional traineeship in order to sit for the State exam to qualify for this regulated profession. Moreover, graduates can find employment in the following settings: HR management divisions of private companies; union or industrial relations offices of private companies; trade associations; lobby groups; trade unions; bilateral entities; temporary-work agencies; recruitment agencies. These graduates can also work as public employees at employment centres and administrations dealing with labour policies, training, social policies and welfare services. They can work for welfare agencies and supervisory authorities, or as experts in workplace safety, privacy, data processing and corporate compliance. Lastly, they can work as researchers and/or instructors for research or professional training centres focused on labour and union relations issues. This curriculum qualifies for the profession of Labour Consultant.
Non-profit legal affairs expert
Job function
According to the latest statistics provided by ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics) the non-profit sector is thriving at both a national and regional level. In Lombardy, there are over 57,000 non-profit entities, providing employment to over a million people serving in a variety of roles.
Within this context, the Non-profit legal affairs expert curriculum aims to train future jurists who will be able to work within foundations, NGOs, associations and cooperatives, bringing to bear the skills needed to provide an effective response to the legal issues that the third sector is facing, which are becoming more and more complex.
Professional skills
The study plan is aimed at providing students with specific expertise on the issues relating to the evolution and legal governance of the third sector within the Italian legislation. The programme focuses on human-rights protection, social policies in the Italian welfare system, and the organisation and management of religious and non-profits entities. Moreover, the programme enables students to hone their knowledge of the rights of one or more socially disadvantaged groups (people with disabilities, minors, prisoners, immigrants) whose protection represents one of the main goals of third-sector entities. Students of this curriculum can carry out their internship at public institutions, religious entities or private businesses operating in this field.
Career opportunities
This curriculum provides a variety of career opportunities in the third sector. This includes NGOs, social enterprises, cooperatives, foundations, associations, etc. Along with the support of volunteers, the role of professionals in the third sector ? which is in constant growth ? is becoming more and more important, also in light of the latest reforms. The curriculum provides a wide set of competencies enabling graduates to work as legal consultants or administrative and management employees (including by holding managerial positions) in a number of areas, such as:
- human resources;
- planning, management and development of national and international projects;
- fundraising;
- assessment and measurement of social impact generated by the non-profit entity;
- internal audit and risk assessment;
- health and workplace safety protection.
Moreover, graduates can hold positions related to the management of non-profit entities, both in terms of administrative processes as well as of the implementation of the specific actions to fulfil their mission. In particular, private social enterprises operate in the area of protection of individual and social rights both at national and international level. Actions can range from assistance to vulnerable people (e.g. people with disabilities, poor people, migrants, etc.) to health and social-health services, from environmental protection to the promotion of culture.
The curriculum also trains students to work as employees at public entities, and in the field of social services.

Employment statistics (Almalaurea)