Jana Trifunović

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.