Testimonials

My name is Nourelhouda Kassi. After I completed my master's degree in Company Law, I was nowhere near done learning. I wanted to give more attention to my academic research skills. And I wanted to further deepen my knowledge in diverse niche areas within the law.
Due to the LL.M programme Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies (Individual Track), I took my research skills to a higher level. I also had the opportunity to follow courses at three different universities. The basis of the programme is legal theory, which in my opinion teaches you more about the law than any other programme. It places the law in different contexts and broadens your view on the law and life.

All in all, I have now really enjoyed a fully-fledged academic education. It is by far the best second master programme you can choose. It fills the holes of the bachelor programme and of the more conventional master programmes. If it’s your first master, it will teach you, in addition to legal theory, academic thinking and it will give you tools in choosing a career path that matches your desires. 
My biggest tip is to communicate your personal learning goals to the lecturers during the entire programme. They tailor many classes and projects to your personal needs. The absence of a 'one size fits all' approach was a very unique experience for me. I got inspired by it and it made a difference in my performance.

Currently, I work as an Analyst on the financial integrity department (KYC/CDD) of Rabobank. Rabobank is one of the world’s strongest privately owned banks and has offices in more than 40 countries. Yet, I have never visited my work station. I applied during the lockdown due to COVID-19. I must say that the independence and the sense of responsibility you nurture during the Individual Track is a good preparation for working remotely. Something we can’t unthink anymore.
We research and analyse the corporate clients of Rabobank to protect the client, bank and the whole financial system in light of financial integrity and ethics. Considering amongst others the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act.
My work involves making many complex analyses. In order to do this I need to stay in close contact with colleagues, other teams and corporate clients. The communication skills that I gained during my education, in addition to the research skills, are really paying off. 

My name is Jonathan Ruff, and I graduated from Erasmus School of Law in 2008. My keen interest in international matters and surroundings has ‘drawn’ met to follow the predecessor of the current International and European Union Law LL.M. programme. I very much enjoyed the rich and stimulating academic programme, which entailed a broad variety of themes and sub-areas within the ambit of Public International Law and European Union Law, resulting in a deepening and broadening of my knowledge and understanding of these fields of law. Next to legal theory, this programme provided ample opportunities to further develop my writing, legal research and collaborative skills.

Against the background of the modern and cosmopolitan campus of Erasmus University and the vibrant city of Rotterdam, the current International and European Union Law LL.M. programme offers an inspirational and captivating palette of international and EU law courses, an international classroom featuring tailored small-scale teaching, proper attention to practical legal skills alongside theoretical knowledge and an open and welcoming atmosphere that fosters the exchange of ideas and dialogues between students, lectures and guest experts.

Public international law and European Union law can be practised in various professional contexts. I have been working as an attorney since 2009, mainly focusing on international matters in the fields of public international law, private international law and international arbitration. Next to private legal practice, national and international courts, international organisations, academia, non-governmental organisations and diplomacy are examples of organisations and career fields that may offer exciting opportunities to practice, study and research public international law and European Union law.

My advice to prospective master students is to follow their heart: when choosing a master programme, a professional career, and - generally - in life. Your time at university is an excellent period to acquire deeper knowledge about your interests, qualities and passions, which in turn can help you identify and formulate your ideas and vision for a future career path, and navigate towards it. Elective courses, the activities of various student associations and foreign exchange programmes, to name a few options, offer excellent opportunities to discover new horizons, meet new people and grow as a person. I also encourage you to do one or more internships at an organisation you feel enthusiastic about, in order to experience the daily life and work at such organisation. In sum: university life offers a great number of chances and opportunities, waiting to be seized by you. I believe that dedication, confidence, joy, courage, perseverance and authenticity will be helpful companions along the way in creating your own, unique path, imbued with happiness, meaning and energy.      

My name is Rubilita Hooff. I’m Dutch and I studied Maritime and Transport Law while being a mom and running a legal office. This is my introduction for saying that I that was an older student during the 2019-2020 master. This is also my introduction for telling everyone who works in the transport industry, and everyone who wants to make a career switch in the field of law, that this LL.M. programme is definitely worth giving up one year of your life.

After having finished my bachelor’s degree at the Open University, I decided to do this master programme for the following reasons. I have working experience in this sector. Once I stepped into this world of shipping, it instantly fascinated me. Furthermore, I have the ambition to practice law either at an insurance company or other related business where specialised people in the maritime and transport sector are highly appreciated and needed. Moreover, I have experienced from my job at the claims department of a shipping company, that there is a lack of qualified legal advisors in this area. So, combining all these reasons, it was only a logical step to sign up for this course. Also, knowing that I would meet people from all over the world was a big bonus.

My experience with this master programme can be best described as a marriage of ten months. You must be fully committed to make it work. The first eight weeks are very confronting, and I have experienced these weeks as very intense. However, this period prepares you for the rest of the programme. You have to do presentations, work with other students, debate, upload assignments continuously (throughout the whole year), perform in a moot court and submit your mini thesis. After that, the programme is divided into different courses which aim to fully master you in every aspect of maritime and transport law.

To those of you who are more mature, and who are seriously considering signing up for this master, I would like to leave you with some thoughts. Be convinced that you want to achieve your goal in the end. Know that you will encounter a very stressful year, and you will want to give up at least three times. However, bear in mind that this programme will reap the rewards for the rest of your life. In the end, it is worth it.

Since the very beginning of my studies at my Law School in Italy I have always been interested in an internationally oriented career. After obtaining my master’s degree in Italy I decided to pursue my education at Erasmus School of Law with the LL.M. programme in International and European Union Law. In between my legal studies I also focused on learning foreign languages as I always thought this can be a key ingredient for an international career. I studied Russian in Moscow and French between Strasbourg and Nancy.

The LL.M. programme in International and European Union Law is very well designed as it offers you to explore both International and European Union Law and has a very practical and interdisciplinary approach that gives you a broad picture of both disciplines.
During the fourth block I specialised in International Economic Law and decided to write my thesis on a topic related to EU external relations. The combination of both led me to my first professional experience as a trainee at the European Union Delegation in Singapore, at the Trade and Economic Section. The experience was extremely enriching, and it was really useful to put in practice all the knowledge I had gained throughout the LL.M. programme. I found myself at the EU Delegation right at the time of the signature of the free trade agreement between the EU and Singapore, which was a very interesting first-hand experience.

South East Asia, which I had the opportunity to discover extensively, is in general a very fascinating region, both from a professional and historical point of view. The passion for the region took me to my next adventure, at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific where I am still working as a consultant in legal affairs. At the Trade Policy and Facilitation Section I am especially dealing with the legal aspects of trade facilitation, such as the readiness assessments for paperless trade legal frameworks in member states.

Another important aspect of my experience in Rotterdam is the university social life. Erasmus University Rotterdam is a very lively and dynamic environment with students from all over the world. During the LL.M. programme I had the chance to make life-lasting friendships which I am very grateful for. Hence, if you are interested in an international career and looking for a comprehensive master’s programme, this LL.M programme will be the right choice for you.
The next chapter of my professional career will start in September, when I will move to Brussels, to the Office of the Legal Advisor at NATO HQ. Ad maiora!

Hello, my name is Yannick Leen. After completing a double bachelors in Law and Economics and choosing a masters in Policy Economics, I wanted to select a legal masters programme that suited my background whilst teaching me to answer new and interesting questions. How do we ensure tech giants don’t interfere in our democratic process? How can we investigate systemic biases in our legal system? Do we have a moral obligation to future generations to preserve natural resources? Is the law what is written down, or do some moral codes apply regardless of the texts we find? These questions were for the most part put aside during the doctrinal courses of the bachelor of Law. In this master programme, these questions were put front and centre, and I got to engage with the academic side of law.

Legal Theory & Socio-legal Studies focusses on the philosophical foundations and societal effects of the law. It contains three distinct tracks to choose from, but really you are free to choose any courses that are qualitatively sufficient. The Socio-legal track contains courses that implement the insights of social sciences (sociology, psychology, economics) and investigates what these insights can teach us about law and its impact. The philosophy track contains courses focussed on questioning the nature of justice, authoritarianism and what it means to have a rule of law. The recent legal developments in countries like Hungary and Poland and the democratic backsliding that has occurred there, make courses such as The Rule of Law in the Global Legal Context exceptionally relevant for identifying and assessing current global trends.

After some shared introductory courses, the individual track allows you to cherry pick courses that fit your academic interests. These courses can be at Erasmus University Rotterdam or elsewhere, and the coordinators of the master programme will guide you during these choices to ensure the courses you have selected are suitable. Despite (or because) of my background in Policy Economics, I found myself drawn to the philosophical and individual tracks, forcing myself to engage with problems in a new and unfamiliar way. This master programme has perfectly complimented my master programme in economics and will allow me to argue both the economic and moral sides of public policy. If you take the time to select courses that truly appeal to you, you will certainly be rewarded. In two excellent courses focussed on the law and policy of European integration, I was able to satisfy my curiosity for the European Union, applying the theories of law that I had learned thus far to a legal system that now more than ever seems to dominate the public debate.

This master programme will allow you to engage in fundamental legal issues in a motivating environment within a small, diverse group of students. If these are the issues of law that matter to you, no other programme will suffice. You will be guided intensively by academics leading in their fields, who view this master programme as a passion project and are ready to help you jumpstart your legal career.

PS If these topics interest you, Sui Generis is the legal study association for you. Regardless of your choice of master programme, we welcome students with an interest in legal theoretical questions, and organise drinks, interactive seminars, book clubs and more. Contact suigeneris.esl@gmail.com for more information.

My name is Jana Trifunović and I am a graduate of Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus School of Law), class of 2016. I am currently 28 years old and working in Maastricht as a second-year PhD researcher at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Law, Department of Public Law. I am, moreover, affiliated with the Montesquieu Institute Maastricht. In the context of today's data-driven information societies, my doctoral research is aimed at exploring the legal and social implications of a practice called independent judicial research. Questions that I address include whether judges confronted with non-routine or factually complex legal disputes may google any supplementary information regarding the dispute’s factual background. 

I obtained my bachelor in Dutch Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus School of Law) and graduated cum laude from the LL.M. programme International and European Union Law. I started working for Maastricht University in September 2016 in the capacity of lecturer in law, primarily teaching courses belonging to the LL.B. European Law School (ELS). I currently teach a course on European Human Rights to third-year ELS bachelor students and exchange students from all over the world. Prior to joining Maastricht University, I assisted in the defence of General Ratko Mladić before the former International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

I am certain that I would not have ended up where I am today had it not been for the LL.M. programme International and European Union Law at the Erasmus School of Law. Specialising in international and European law was something that I had been drawn to at a rather early stage during my university studies. Whilst I deliberated enrolling in an LL.M. programme abroad, I eventually settled on staying in Rotterdam. Looking back, I would not have had it any other way. The LL.M. programme International and European Union Law enabled me to excel academically and to develop certain practical skills that proved valuable all throughout my professional career. I felt positively challenged by the contemporary and engaging curriculum, and would express nothing but praise as to the guidance, expertise and intellectually stimulating environment offered by the university’s professors and teaching staff. Moreover, the programme’s small-scale and highly international learning environment made the experience all the more enjoyable. It allowed me to work together closely with colleagues from nearly all continents of the world and facilitated a dynamic educational approach tailored to students’ individual needs. In conclusion, I would highly recommend the LL.M. programme International and European Union Law to anyone, including my own students, given its outstanding academic staff and the exceptional learning experience that it offers.

My name is Nick Rurangwa Nshimiyen and I am a 22-year old Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies student. I am originally from Rwanda, and grew up in Belgium where I did all of my pre-university schooling. For my bachelor’s I attended Tilburg University and completed the LL.B. in Global Law. This programme was heavily focused on training students for a career in law at an international level. With the help of Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies, I was able to further substantiate my interest in an international career in law through a study of its theoretical foundations. My main focus has been on topics within the philosophical track of Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies.

I chose this LL.M. programme because the curriculum offers a great variety of options for those with a non-traditional interest in law. I felt convinced that this would allow me to delve into my various legal interests without having a strict specialisation in a single area of law. In addition to that, I had plans to continue my legal studies after the LL.M. programme, which made it easier to choose one that is as theoretically-concentrated as Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies.

I have greatly enjoyed the LL.M. programme. Before starting the LL.M. programme, I never thought I would become as interested in legal philosophy as I am today. At first, the LL.M. programme felt like a big challenge due to the amount of readings and intensive classes, but this all took a positive turn once I got acquainted with the teaching style of the professors. The small classes and emphasis on class discussions offer an opportunity for students to not just learn from their lecturers, but from their fellow students as well. This organisation of the LL.M. programme reassured me of my own skills and abilities throughout the year in great new ways. One thing that I do remain critical of is the age of the LL.M. programme. Since the LL.M. programme is still fairly new, I struggled to feel confident about my career possibilities with the degree. However, I was recently informed that a solution is in the works which I am excited about. The faculty is working towards establishing an alumni network for Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies graduates where experiences can be shared directly between alumni of Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies and students participating in this programme. I think it is essential that prospective Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies students have someone to talk to when insecure about the job perspective with a degree as theoretical and broad as Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies.

The only significant tip that I have for prospective students is to make sure that you organise your time carefully. Although you will learn a great deal, you must remember that the LL.M. programme is demanding in terms of mandatory literature that needs to be read in preparation for each class. To ensure that you still have sufficient free time next to your studies while living in the great city of Rotterdam, you have to use your time carefully and remain organised throughout the year!

I am Lieske, 23 years old and in the year 2019-2020 I participated in the master  Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies. After finishing my bachelor’s degree in Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I wanted to get a master degree in law as well. However, in my opinion the bachelor mainly taught me how to think like a judge, and honestly, that wasn’t really my thing. I wanted to think outside of the law, approach the law from other disciplinary perspectives. As I have followed a double bachelor at the Faculty of Philosophy, I was looking for a master in which I could combine the insights from both my legal and philosophical background. Well, I found it!

The master Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies gave me a lot of freedom to develop my own interests and to discover what my talents are as a law student. The many essays I had to write enabled me to dive into topics that spur my interest, to engage with political debates and to write on topical issues. There is a lot of focus on developing skills like reading, writing and presenting. The teachers are involved with the students, and the lectures are very interactive. The small group of students made it easy for me to socialise and we had drinks together on a weekly basis.

I must admit that the master programme can be quite challenging. There is hardly any week without deadlines and the work load can be stressful. However, a lot of assignments also creates the opportunity to get a lot of feedback. Moreover, I consider myself a deadline junkie, so for me the time pressure worked really well to keep on track.

I am Ipek Yalçindağ Dursun. I was born and raised in Istanbul. After finishing my bachelor at Marmara University on Political Science and International Relations, I did my first master in Berlin School of Economics on Political Economy of European Integration.

Since 2013, I have been working at the Turkish Ministry of Trade, Directorate General of International Agreements and EU Affairs. At my job, I had always felt the necessity of a law perspective, and a good knowledge of the law of the European Union. Therefore, I decided to study the LL.M. programme International and European Union Law at Erasmus Rotterdam University.

Actually, the LL.M. programme has helped me a lot in developing a law perspective. Besides, I was able to obtain knowledge about International and EU Law. I feel quite satisfied with the education that I have obtained from the LL.M. programme, since it provided with me what I was looking for.

The LL.M. programme started with basics of International and EU law, and proceeded with more specialized courses. For me, one of the most useful courses was International Economic Law, as it mostly deals with World Trade Organization law.

On the other side, the challenging part of the LL.M. programme is the intense structure of the courses. As I come from a different background, starting a new semester with quite demanding law courses was actually challenging for me. I had to work hard to catch up with my classmates who had a more extensive law background.  After the first block, I started to feel more confident about the courses as I had built relevant basic knowledge. Yet still, the LL.M. programme required good time management, as in the last blocks of the programme, we were busy with assignments, presentations, written exams and writing the master thesis all at the same time.

Unfortunately, my studies have coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the university was quite successful in adapting itself into online courses. We were able to continue to our usual course programme. At the same time, lecturers took care about our health, and asked us to confirm our well-being on a regular basis.

I strongly recommend the LL.M. programme, especially to those who want to work at public institutions, international organisations, and EU institutions. As a person having work experience in a public institution, I believe the LL.M. programme gives relevant education in order to be able to work in the said areas. 

Hi! My name is Judith and I am one of the students of the LL.M. programme International Trade Law ("ITL"), class 2020. Before I started this programme, I followed the Law pre-master at Erasmus University. As it may be challenging to choose the right programme, I hope I can help you choose by sharing my experiences.

The decision to start the ITL programme was easy for me. I have always been interested in the global trading world. The size of the contracts, the many parties involved, and the different jurisdictions make it a dynamic area of law. Moreover, I figured English as teaching language and the interaction with international peers in this programme will help me prepare for an international career.

ITL is one of the four programmes in the master Commercial Law with a focus on trade and commerce. The programme is structured in a way that gives you a good overview of the various (international) facets of the law under consideration. In addition, common law and civil law are often compared from a legal perspective, so that you get an insight into how jurisdictions relate to each other. Depending on the type of course, you will have approximately two lectures per course per week. These lectures often incorporate real-life examples, e.g. from the news of that week or (recent) striking events, and include assignments related to everyday practice. For example, during the Commercial Contracts course we wrote an advice to a client with regard to rental/purchase agreements which was best suited to his business operations. To write such an assignment, you not only rely on your academic knowledge, but also on your practical skills. The fact that attention is paid to both aspects is something I find very valuable in this programme. Furthermore, you will be supervised by lecturers with a very thorough knowledge of their field of law, and there is plenty of room for individual contact and supervision because of the relatively small class. This master is highly recommended to follow in Rotterdam. You will visit various offices and companies, including the Port of Rotterdam. In my opinion there is no better city to study ITL. I very much enjoyed following the programme!

Are you still not convinced this programme is right for you? Feel free to visit open days and approach alumni, e.g. through LinkedIn.