Bruno Cunha and Kushagr Bakshi in Australia, where they first met in 2024.
By Annie Hagstrom
Michigan Law
It is not uncommon for students in Michigan Law’s LLM program to form close ties. For most, it seems inevitable given the intense curriculum, the commonality of being in new surroundings often far from home, and living quarters positioned only a stone’s throw away from the lecture and dining halls.
Two LLM alumni, in particular, embody this. The only difference? They attended Michigan Law five years apart.
Bruno Cunha, LLM ’17, and Kushagr Bakshi, LLM ’22, first crossed paths in Australia in 2024, at the winter school for junior scholars hosted by the International Society of Public Law. Upon discovering they had both attended Michigan Law’s LLM program, they vowed to keep in touch after the conference through WhatsApp.
“We’ve now also met up at conferences in Austria, Italy, Texas, and Brazil, and we’re already planning for next year,” said Bakshi.
—————
Finding their niche
Cunha was working as a state attorney and law professor in Brazil when he applied to Michigan Law. At that time, his wife, Claudia, was four months pregnant.
“I wanted to fulfill the academic interests I still had, and I knew Michigan was the right place for me to do that,” he said. “But one week before moving, I nearly backed out—I started to think it’d be too much for my growing family.”
He called the Office of Graduate Admissions about his concerns and was quickly reassured that the environment would not only suit his interests but also welcome and accommodate his wife and child on the way. Cunha’s daughter, Melissa, was born at U-M’s hospital in the middle of his program.
“Pursuing an LLM program in another country with a newborn meant a lot of reading, studying, and changing diapers on very little sleep,” he said. “It was the greatest joy and the biggest challenge of my life.”
Fast forward five years: The COVID-19 pandemic had just occurred, and Bakshi was working for a corporate law firm in India.
“Days blurred into nights, and I realized I couldn’t keep doing [my current work],” he said. “I wanted to continue studying and figure out what interests me.”
Bakshi applied to a number of law schools in the United States and decided on Michigan Law because of its small LLM class size. “I got to know everyone in my batch, and we’re all still in touch—some are friends for life,” he said. “The environment and people became a home away from home.”
Amid their respective LLM experiences, Cunha and Bakshi were drawn to the same focus: international and comparative law.
Cunha went on to complete his PhD in constitutional law at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil this past August, with a primary focus on how the Brazilian Supreme Court utilizes foreign precedents, particularly those from the US Supreme Court. He continues to work as an attorney in Brazil.
For Bakshi, finding an interest in the subject was unexpected.
“When I was an undergrad, I thought constitutional law was a mind-numbingly boring subject,” he said. “However, a good teacher can change your perspective on things, which is especially true at Michigan Law. There, I have had the best teachers of my life.”
After earning his LLM, Bakshi began working on an SJD at Michigan Law; he is focusing his doctoral studies on comparative constitutionalism. In fall 2025, he began a visiting assistant professorship at Tulane University School of Law.
—————
The Michigan [Law] difference
For Michigan Law students interested in international and comparative law, Cunha and Bakshi recommend networking with classmates, connecting with colleagues at the Center for International and Comparative Law, and remaining open to opportunities in and outside the Law School.
“What people call the ‘Michigan difference’ is shown through the opportunities to create long-lasting connections,” said Bakshi. “The LLM selection for each class is very intentional; they make sure to put together a class that represents diverse perspectives.”
As the friends reminisced about each place they have connected around the world, they began to count. “We’ve met in five countries across four continents,” said Cunha. “And there will be a lot more in the future.”
Bakshi added, “I have been fortunate to become friends with people who are spread across the world. I suppose the way I look at it is there’s a Michigan home for me on every continent now.”
Michigan Law
It is not uncommon for students in Michigan Law’s LLM program to form close ties. For most, it seems inevitable given the intense curriculum, the commonality of being in new surroundings often far from home, and living quarters positioned only a stone’s throw away from the lecture and dining halls.
Two LLM alumni, in particular, embody this. The only difference? They attended Michigan Law five years apart.
Bruno Cunha, LLM ’17, and Kushagr Bakshi, LLM ’22, first crossed paths in Australia in 2024, at the winter school for junior scholars hosted by the International Society of Public Law. Upon discovering they had both attended Michigan Law’s LLM program, they vowed to keep in touch after the conference through WhatsApp.
“We’ve now also met up at conferences in Austria, Italy, Texas, and Brazil, and we’re already planning for next year,” said Bakshi.
—————
Finding their niche
Cunha was working as a state attorney and law professor in Brazil when he applied to Michigan Law. At that time, his wife, Claudia, was four months pregnant.
“I wanted to fulfill the academic interests I still had, and I knew Michigan was the right place for me to do that,” he said. “But one week before moving, I nearly backed out—I started to think it’d be too much for my growing family.”
He called the Office of Graduate Admissions about his concerns and was quickly reassured that the environment would not only suit his interests but also welcome and accommodate his wife and child on the way. Cunha’s daughter, Melissa, was born at U-M’s hospital in the middle of his program.
“Pursuing an LLM program in another country with a newborn meant a lot of reading, studying, and changing diapers on very little sleep,” he said. “It was the greatest joy and the biggest challenge of my life.”
Fast forward five years: The COVID-19 pandemic had just occurred, and Bakshi was working for a corporate law firm in India.
“Days blurred into nights, and I realized I couldn’t keep doing [my current work],” he said. “I wanted to continue studying and figure out what interests me.”
Bakshi applied to a number of law schools in the United States and decided on Michigan Law because of its small LLM class size. “I got to know everyone in my batch, and we’re all still in touch—some are friends for life,” he said. “The environment and people became a home away from home.”
Amid their respective LLM experiences, Cunha and Bakshi were drawn to the same focus: international and comparative law.
Cunha went on to complete his PhD in constitutional law at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil this past August, with a primary focus on how the Brazilian Supreme Court utilizes foreign precedents, particularly those from the US Supreme Court. He continues to work as an attorney in Brazil.
For Bakshi, finding an interest in the subject was unexpected.
“When I was an undergrad, I thought constitutional law was a mind-numbingly boring subject,” he said. “However, a good teacher can change your perspective on things, which is especially true at Michigan Law. There, I have had the best teachers of my life.”
After earning his LLM, Bakshi began working on an SJD at Michigan Law; he is focusing his doctoral studies on comparative constitutionalism. In fall 2025, he began a visiting assistant professorship at Tulane University School of Law.
—————
The Michigan [Law] difference
For Michigan Law students interested in international and comparative law, Cunha and Bakshi recommend networking with classmates, connecting with colleagues at the Center for International and Comparative Law, and remaining open to opportunities in and outside the Law School.
“What people call the ‘Michigan difference’ is shown through the opportunities to create long-lasting connections,” said Bakshi. “The LLM selection for each class is very intentional; they make sure to put together a class that represents diverse perspectives.”
As the friends reminisced about each place they have connected around the world, they began to count. “We’ve met in five countries across four continents,” said Cunha. “And there will be a lot more in the future.”
Bakshi added, “I have been fortunate to become friends with people who are spread across the world. I suppose the way I look at it is there’s a Michigan home for me on every continent now.”
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