Mission

The aim of the Study of Law at UNICATH will be to educate Masters of Laws (sveučilišni magistar/magistra prava) during a five-year study programme. Its ultimate goal will be to educate and train the best legal experts who, immediately after graduation, will be able to undertake work assignments in the legal profession. This profession is quite broad, spanning from public administration, the judiciary, commerce, the academic community and other fields. Taking into consideration envisaged limited admission quotas (cf. more on this further in this section and in 1.1.5 below) and, relatedly, an enhanced possibility of individual follow-up of students during the course of the entire study programme, this guarantees even more so a high level of competence and, thus, employability of new UNICATH Masters of Laws. The mission of the Study of Law at UNICATH is to prepare students who, upon graduation, will not only be able to successfully perform assignments within the legal profession but will also know how to respond to ever more complex legal and ethical challenges of modern society. This will be an added value of the Study of Law at UNICATH: it will put emphasis not only on the students’ knowledge of legal techniques but also on the values of legal ethics. 

This mission of the Study of Law is inseparably linked to the mission of UNICATH as a whole, which is based on promoting values in society and their connection with social morality and justice. The UNICATH mission is to continuously seek the truth through research; preserve and transfer knowledge for the good of society, and pay special attention to whole person development in the Catholic tradition and spirituality, drawing on the Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities Ex corde Ecclesiae. For this reason, the Study of Law is modelled after similar study programmes in Europe, yet respecting the specifics of the Croatian context in higher education and society at large. The study programme for the Study of Law at UNICATH is meant to be complementary to and not competitive with already existing study programmes of Master of Laws at other universities in Croatia. There, one should look for synergies and possibilities of cooperation with other faculties of law in Croatia, fully respecting their specifics and traditions.


Vision

The aspiration for the Study of Law is to be recognised both in the national and international framework for its contribution to legal science and openness to change, on account of its programme and the content presented through it, and on account of teaching methods. Lawyers educated at UNICATH Study of Law will distinguish themselves by their mastery of the fundamental postulates of legal disciplines, competences in practical work, experience in volunteering and competitiveness at the demanding labour market of Croatia as well as that of the European Union. The Study of Law will be open to Croats living abroad and foreign students, since a portion of the enrolment quota will relate to this potential student population. The objective of the study programme is to educate lawyers for work in the private sector (as attorneys-at-law, notaries public or company legal counsels), in Croatia’s judicial institutions and public administration, in European judicial institutions and international bodies (including international organisations and international judicial bodies) and the academic community. 

Therefore, the focus of the study programme will be on acquiring knowledge and skills in European and international law, including case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights and other international judicial bodies such as the International Court of Justice. These are areas of special significance in the context of comprehensive protection of human rights in the circumstances that Europe is currently facing (considering e.g. COVID-19, depopulation, migration, artificial intelligence and similar challenges). The role of the lawyer in facing such challenges should not be merely reactive, but rather proactive: in initiating and designing as well as applying regulations and standards aimed at efficient governance while always respecting the rule of law and human rights. Therefore, the focus of the curriculum will include acquiring competences in the area of human rights, which is interdisciplinary in itself, since it encompasses almost all the special branches within the discipline of law. 


Values

During the Study of Law, there will be special emphasis on nurturing the values that underlie UNICATH activities, in addition to transfer of knowledge. These are:

  • whole person development – to help in the development of persons who are prepared to act responsibly in society on the basis of Catholic heritage, upbringing, studies and knowledge;
  • Catholic identity – the Catholic identity is not an obstacle, but rather an enrichment and orientation in scientific, research and university work that aspires to broader horizons of truth;
  • integrity – we practice what we preach: our words and our deeds are a reflection of reliability, honesty and truth to which we aspire;
  • attainments – the excellence of each individual and the university community as a whole in achieving the set goals;
  • prudence – knowledge and wisdom, freedom and truth, love and reason.
     

Strategic Objectives

The objectives of the Study of Law will be pursued through cooperation and partnership with all the relevant institutions of public administration and the judiciary. Courts of law, state attorneys’ offices, the Croatian Bar Association, the Croatian Chamber of Notaries, the Croatian Association of Court Expert Witnesses and Valuers, the Judicial Academy and other institutions are of equal importance in this regard. Instead of memorising facts and legal provisions, the basis of education for Masters of Laws at UNICATH Study of Law will be teaching the fundamental institutions of law so that they may be properly understood and adequately applied in practice. Strategically, the Study of Law will link theoretical and practical forms of teaching, however the emphasis will always be on acquiring the fundamental postulates of legal disciplines and on the approach of legal scholarship during the course of studies. Part of the curriculum will take form of practicum consisting of practical training in the field including the couching of legal practitioners in their offices. This will enable students to get insight into the work of the judiciary through compulsory practical exercises as an important part of the study programme. The Study of Law at UNICATH will enable student as well as academic staff exchanges within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme and other corresponding international exchange programmes. The strategy for achieving the objectives of the Study of Law will be based on encouraging interdisciplinarity through cooperation with other scientific disciplines (e.g. biomedicine and healthcare) and other branches of social sciences and humanities (e.g. history, economy, sociology, demography, philosophy). There are plans to teach part of the programme in foreign languages, particularly in English, in order to develop the students’ linguistic competences. Moreover, the study programme is structured in a way enabling outgoing and incoming mobility of students, especially in the fifth year of study where it is possible to teach courses in English, with a high level of electiveness. Furthermore, students will be encouraged to work in small groups such as discussion groups, mock trials, etc., supported by mentor's guidance. Emphasis on a continuous work of mentors with students is one of the important features of the study of Law at UNICATH.

The UNICATH’s contribution to the society will be demonstrated through various aspects of the Study of Law. Cultivating an academic environment that contributes to whole person development of students will ensure the education of lawyers with high standards of personal integrity and ethics. The entry of such lawyers in judicial institutions will have an impact in terms of promoting high standards in the legal profession, and indirectly in terms of greater citizens’ trust in the judiciary.

With launching this Study of Law, a further incentive will be given to attaining a strategic objective of UNICATH, namely its stronger involvement in the international academic community and its internationalisation. In line with its 2025 Strategy and since its beginnings, UNICATH has been developing international cooperation with higher education and scientific institutions. A number of international cooperation agreements have been signed. Among them are the following that offer study programmes of law: University of Mostar (Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Institut Catholique de Toulouse (Toulouse, France), Université Paris 2 Panthéon Assas (Paris, France), Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris, France), Pontificia Università Lateranense (Rome, Italy), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan, Italy), Università di Macerata (Macerata, Italy), Università di Padova (Padua, Italy), Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem (Budapest, Hungary), Uniwersytet Przyrodniczo-Humanistyczny w Siedlcach (Siedlce, Poland), Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie (Kraków, Poland), Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II (Lublin, Poland), Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine) and Fordham University (New York, United States of America). With those and other universities (e.g. Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, Portugal; Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid, Spain), UNICATH will continue to cooperate in legal studies and research as well.


Patron Saint

Saint Martin of Tours (Savaria (today Szomabthely, Hungary), 316. or 336. – Candes (today Candes-Saint-Martin, France) 8th November 397.), Catholic saint, bishop of Tours. His feast day is celebrated on 11th November, on the day of his funeral. Saint Martin was born as a son of a Roman soldier, and against his will joins the Roman cavalry unit. Probably the most famous story of his life is connected with his generosity towards the beggar, when he cuts half of his cloak in oder to give it to the poor man. In his dream during the next night he had a vision of Christ saying: 'I was covered with this cloak by Martin'. He was always close to the poor, needy and presecuted and for that reason he encountered numerous persecutions and preasures. He dedicated his life to the unity of the Church and the care for the most disadvantaged. He is known as a peacemaker and his abilities to reconcile devided clerics of his time. He entered the Heaven as a poor, modest and gentle priest who fought for Christ for all of his life..