Who are we?
The QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association serves as a hub through which Senior Status LLB alumni can stay connected with each other and with the School of Law post-graduation. Our aim is to provide a platform where our alumni can receive guidance on their NCA qualifications, network with each other through reunion and career events, and undertake graduate career opportunities with alumni-affiliated firms. We are here to help you push your graduate law career forward.
Meet the executive committee
President
(Class of 2020)
konstantin.knezic@lawseniorstatusalumni.com
Konstantin-Luka Knezic graduated from the Queen’s University Belfast: School of Law, as part of the Senior Status LLB Class of 2020. He is the founder and current President of the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association. Currently, Konstantin works as a Legal Professional with Allen & Overy Belfast. He is in the process of writing the SQE and is expected to qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales January 2024. You can connect with him via LinkedIn here.
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Prior to his time at Queen’s University, Konstantin graduated in 2017 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto: St. George with a major in History and Philosophy, as well as a minor in Political Science.
As a student in the Senior Status LLB program, Konstantin co-founded the QUB Senior Status Law Society and served as its President from 2019-2020. The idea behind the society was to provide a representative body that would work with Dr. Kevin Brown to develop and push the new LLB program forward. Konstantin also competed in the 2019 ELSA Maynooth Negotiation Competition and finished as a semi-finalist with his partner, Stefan Jakovljevic. In his second year, Konstantin helped coach both the 2020 Queen’s ICM Mediation Paris team and the 2020 ELSA Maynooth Negotiation Team, who finished as semi-finalists. Upon graduation, Konstantin founded the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association in 2020 with the intent of creating a strong and reliable network for Queen’s NCA graduates across Canada and Senior Status LLB graduates in Ireland and the UK. He hopes the Association will provide fellow Alumni with a platform that will enable them to foster successful careers in law across the globe.
Vice-President
(Class of 2020)
stefan.jakovljevic@lawseniorstatusalumni.com
Stefan Jakovljevic graduated from Queen’s University Belfast: School of Law, as part of the Senior Status LLB Class of 2020 and is the current Vice President of the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association. Currently, Stefan is articling at Kotak Personal Injury Law, and is in the process of writing the Ontario Bar in 2023.
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During his time at Queen’s, Stefan co-founded the QUB Senior Status Law Society and served as its Vice President from 2019-2020. Stefan also served as the Course Representative of the Senior Status LLB Program for two years and suggested improvements to the program to senior lecturers and heads of the School of Law. With his strong interest for mediation and negotiation, Stefan competed in the 2019 ELSA Maynooth Negotiation Competition and progressed to the semi-finals with his partner, Konstantin Knezic. During the following year, Stefan was elected the Competitions Officer of the ADR Society where he overlooked both internal and external competitions. He also mentored and lectured participants in various mediation styles.
Back home in Toronto, Stefan is a Licensed Paralegal with the Law Society of Ontario. Stefan has worked at Kotak Personal Injury Law and Marler Law Firm with experience in Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Wills & Estates, Family Law, and Immigration.
Communications & Events Officer
(Class of 2020)
kristina.maheral@lawseniorstatusalumni.com
Kristina graduated from Queen’s University Belfast: School of Law, as part of the Senior Status LLB Class of 2020 and is the current Communications & Events officer of the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Castleton University in the States and her Masters of Arts from Carleton University in Canada. Currently, Kristina is an Intellectual Property Legal Assistant at Pinsent Masons in Dublin.
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During her time at Queen’s, Kristina was involved with a number of different societies. She was a member of the QUB Law Society, QUB Women in Law, and regularly volunteered with QUB Lawyers without Borders. She was also a founding member of the QUB Senior Status Law Society and served as its Communications & Events Officer from 2019 to 2020. Having also had a strong passion for sports, Kristina was a member of the QUB Women’s Soccer Team. Her previous work experience includes The Ottawa Hospital, Government of Canada – Privy Council Office, NHS Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, and Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP.
Secretary & Treasurer
(Class of 2021)
bleen.sharma@lawseniorstatusalumni.com
Bleen Sharma graduated from Queen’s University Belfast: School of Law, as part of the Senior Status LLB Class of 2021 and is the current Secretary & Treasurer of the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association. At present, Bleen is employed at a law firm in her hometown, Wilson Rasmussen LLP, which specializes in Business, Real Estate, and Wills and Estate, amongst other areas of the law. Bleen works as a full-time Legal Receptionist and is currently writing the NCA exams to become an accredited lawyer in Canada.
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Originally from Surrey, B.C., Canada, Bleen chose to study in Northern Ireland because she fell in love with the Irish coastline while on her previous travels through Europe. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from the University of Victoria.
While at Queen’s University, Bleen was elected as the First Year Liaison of the QUB Senior Status Law Society and was selected to be a member of the Social Committee of the QUB Law Society. Simultaneously, Bleen worked as a Student Assistant in Development and Alumni Relations at QUB, with her role primarily consisting of fundraising for the Queen’s Annual Fund. During her second and final year at Queen’s, Bleen was elected President of the QUB Senior Status Law Society and elected as Secretary of the QUB Law Society. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both roles heavily consisted of administrative work as well as organising virtual events for law students to participate in. In addition, Bleen was given the opportunity to be a contributor to the QUB Law Society’s publication, the Verdict, with her piece being selected to be featured on the cover of the Law Magazine.
Bleen is thrilled to be playing a leading role in the QUB Senior Status Alumni Association and hopes that students and future students will benefit from the work she does.
Graduate Liaison Officer
(Class of 2019)
austin.roncali@lawseniorstatusalumni.com
Austin Roncali graduated from Queen’s University Belfast: School of Law, as part of the inaugural Senior Status LLB Class of 2019. Austin graduated ranked joint 1st in the program among his peers. Prior to law school, Austin received his Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Public Policy from the University of Guelph. After completing his NCA exams’s and passing the Ontario Bar in 2022, Austin is now working as an Associate at Pace Law Firm. He currently serves as the Graduate Liaison for the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association.
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As a student at Queen’s, Austin was part of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society, served as a content editor for the Student Law Journal, and was a mentor for the Queen’s University Belfast International Buddy Scheme. Austin also served as a staff analyst and content editor for DefenceReport, an online news agency focused on providing analysis related to topics such as defence, insurgency, public policy and relations on the international stage. He also volunteered to assist students at both the Masters and PHD level, in preparing finalized thesis’ for publication.
Following his graduation from Queen’s, Austin worked as an administrative assistant in the Health Law Group at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, while completing his NCA examinations. After completing his NCA exams’s and passing the Bar, Austin is currently working at Pace Law Firm.
Chief Technology Officer
(Toronto Metropolitan University BTM 2024)
andrej.knezic@lawseniorstatusalumni.com
Andrej Knezic is a 3rd year Business Technology Management student at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. He is the current Chief Technology Officer of the QUB Senior Status Law Alumni Association.
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Andrej is a member of the Ted Rogers Student Society at Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as the Information Technology Management Students Association. He has taken part in many Case Competitions including finishing second across Ontario in the Canada Comeback Challenge.
With the goal of helping restaurants recover from the impact of COVID-19, the idea of a weekly and small outdoor street festival in various neighborhoods throughout Canada was created. Giving businesses the chance to attract new and old customers into returning