Testimonials

My name is Stefan Haeussler Vesco; I am an Italian student, raised in Guatemala, Central America. I applied to the specialisation of International Trade Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam around February of last year and ecstatic to find out I was accepted to the programme. I had very high expectations of the city when I first arrived to Rotterdam and fortunately they were met.

Life in Rotterdam is very relaxed and chill, with many parks and lakes to visit around. I cannot say there was once a moment where I felt I could not go on a short bike ride and find a new and beautiful place to visit. Even the most iconic landmarks in the Netherlands are a short train ride from Rotterdam’s central station.

My first few weeks of the master were a bit hectic, the pace and level of the master’s course is very high; Nevertheless, I knew from the start it was not going to be easy. The University is a very well-known academic institution through Europe and it does show by the professionalism the lecturers show during the classes. Not once I was met with a lecturer that could not answer the very hard and confusing questions that other students threw at them, which showed the experience and competence of the professors the University employs.

Students who want to apply for this LL.M. programme must know that they will be met with a great task, which is working and reading every week; whether it be by doing assignments, preparing for finals exams or constantly working on the master’s thesis. This does not mean that there’s no leisure time, there are many activities held either by the University on the campus or by student associations.

I highly recommend registering for a student association, because they not only organise professional meetings with important lawyers and advocates that work in different branches of the law, it is also a great way to meet new people and make friends that will make the journey much more pleasant during the year in Rotterdam.

The master’s degree is very internationally focused. I met people from all over the world and created great friendships along the way. Although social life was cut short for many due to the coronavirus outbreak, student associations held online meeting and games to maintain the morale of the group. Overall it was a great experience with different people, cultures, and ideas.

Last but not least the University has many facilities that make the student experience quite comfortable, even on high stress weeks, such as exams week. The lecturers and faculty are always eager to lend a hand to struggling students and will pay attention to the student’s need even on weekends. I would like to thank Erasmus School of Law for this academic year because, even through the pandemic, they rose up to the occasion to give students the education they deserve.

My name is Gonzalo Rizo Patron, I am 31 years old. I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where I did bachelor studies, got the qualification to practice law, and acquired professional experience. Before enrolling at the Commercial and Company Law LL.M. programme  at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I worked in the legal department of the Peruvian subsidiaries of multinational companies for a few years, mainly in the field of corporate law with a focus on contract and company law.

While having stable job, I felt that I needed to get out of my comfort zone, so I decided to pursue new challenges to enhance and give an international perspective to my career. I was looking to increase my knowledge and experience in corporate law, but as a native Spanish speaker I also wanted to improve my English, and overall live a life-enriching experience. I did right by choosing Rotterdam and Commercial and Company Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam for that purpose!

The LL.M. programme provides an attractive duality between company and commercial law. Courses like International Corporate Governance and Company Law and Restructuring meant learning relevant insights of the European corporate law framework, which surely add value to my career. Courses like Commercial Law and Carriage of Goods got me to explore the legal aspects of international trade at the biggest port of Europe (situated in Rotterdam); which is an interesting field for countries like Peru, with a large part of its economy based on exports.

For those enrolling in this LL.M. programme, be advised that sometimes it can be very demanding. During the first course, attendance is mandatory. Herein you will face frequent deadlines, and at an early stage you will have to start working on your thesis, so better start thinking on potential topics. The school has been struggling to better some organisational aspects and their communications to students. They have been actively collecting feedback from students and I am sure that it will just get better. They have demonstrated its commitment to improve by quickly adapting to the online format within the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic and being keen to listen to students in the whole process.

Finally, I must say that Rotterdam is an amazing city to live in, it is a really safe place and its atmosphere is pretty open-minded and welcoming to internationals. Its modern architecture and skyline are impressive, and it has plenty of beautiful parks and lakes, which together with the ‘Nieuwe Maas’ river deliver great landscapes. So when the weather is nice you will definitely want to be out! There are also plenty of cultural and nightlife activities to enjoy when you are not struggling with the -sometimes tight- deadlines. The best of all is that due to its bike friendly infrastructure, you can safely cycle to anywhere in the city in about 15 to 20 minutes. Moreover, although the official language in the Netherlands is Dutch, English is absolutely widespread, so it is a perfect alternative to experience an English-speaking life.

I am Jennifer, a 29-year-old attorney from the Midwest United States. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomatic History, as well as a Juris Doctor in Natural Resources Law. I began my career in Energy as a Judicial Clerk with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates public utilities across the state. I then spent four years working in land negotiations, project management, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance with several Oil & Gas Exploration and Production companies.

I have long had a desire to work in International Energy Policy, and therefore I chose to pursue an LL.M in European and International Public Law at Erasmus University in order to transition my career. I am excited to further this goal by working with the Gemeente Rotterdam and the C40 Climate Adaptation Academy, beginning in February 2018.

Erasmus University has been a PERFECT fit. The cost is incredibly reasonable for the quality of education. The pace is challenging, the subject matter interesting, and the professors are clearly experts in their field, each having a wealth of knowledge to contribute in the classroom. The programme also allows me enough flexibility to conduct research within my own field of interest. I am pleased with my choice both academically and personally, as Rotterdam is an incredibly vibrant city filled with nightlife, quirky architecture, a welcoming international community, sprawling bike paths, local markets, delicious food, and a plethora of job opportunities.

I consider myself an outdoorsperson, with a penchant for adventure. Travelling, hiking, and footraces fill my spare time. And I have the same motto, whether it refers to climbing mountains in Montana and Malawi, to trail running in Tulsa, to ice climbing in Norway, or to academic and professional pursuits: ‘Limits are for those who need them’.

I obtained a scholarship from the ESL TalentFund, which offers students from developing countries the opportunity to pursue an LL.M. at Erasmus School of Law. Since September 2016, I have been increasing my legal knowledge by following ESL’s LL.M. in Commercial and Company Law.

I come from Rwanda, and my first name is Emmanuel, which means God with us. My other name is Mugagga, and in our local language it means a very rich person. In God, I consider myself rich, although not currently in terms of money, but in many other wonderful ways, and the opportunity to study at Erasmus School of Law is just one of them, and a means to others.

Generally, no matter where lawyers live, they often have the same mindset and ideologies. The quality of education at Erasmus School of Law is very high, and the School’s pedagogical system motivates students to work hard. My LL.M. curriculum is good, providing students with structure and with the motivation to prepare well for class. In addition, Erasmus School of Law has excellent facilities, including an online library with a broad range of sources, to which students have access. In addition, there is a special library for law students − Sanders Law Library – with its selection of good books, magazines, and study areas. In my country, current legal resources are unfortunately scarce, and the system does not encourage or fully facilitate students to the extent that Erasmus does.

I have already been thinking about what I will bring back to my home country. In my opinion, it will be good to take the methodology and structure of the LL.M. of Erasmus School of Law as an example. I should be able to collect good literature, to prepare myself to give lectures and seminars, and to make sure that students can access the prescribed literature and are motivated to prepare themselves. This means that in the end, we can, together, raise the quality of lectures to a higher level.

Every week, I try to find time to walk around and to explore many different things in the city: for example, parks, museums, and the harbour. I also play soccer in a Dutch soccer team. In addition, I love to ride my bike from home to the university; it gives me the freedom to see a little more of the city, and I enjoy being outside, although it is a bit difficult for me to get used to the cold Dutch winter weather.

The process of applying for a scholarship takes time, so be committed and take the application very seriously. You also need to be patient. I did not receive a scholarship the first year that I applied, but I tried again, and in the second year I received one, which brought me to Erasmus School of Law in Rotterdam. It was absolutely worth the time and the effort!

Goedendag! I am Antonia Solini, a 26-year-old LL.M. student in Commercial and Company Law, and  from the beautiful and always sunny Greece. Studying at Erasmus School of Law has been an experience better than I could ever have imagined! Let me explain why. 

During my prior studies in the Faculty of Law at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, I realised that I wanted to specialise in Commercial and Company Law. I believe this is a fascinating field with many perspectives, and it has a significant impact on most important aspects of society. Following the advice of one of my professors, I began to look into the Erasmus School of Law. I knew immediately that I was closer to my goal of becoming an outstanding lawyer, and that this Master Programme would be an excellent starting point.

First of all, the high standards of research programmes at Erasmus University present a perfect opportunity to fulfill your professional ambitions. Meeting esteemed faculty members will turn your journey into an extraordinary period of learning. In addition, the wide range of modules on offer will greatly enrich your studies and help you in your prospective career.
In my opinion, the best part consists of the visits to law firms where you can see in practice all the theory that you have learned. It is also a tremendous opportunity to expand your networking even further. 

Rotterdam is one of the most important economic centres in The Netherlands, hosting some of the biggest multinational corporations and shipping industries in Europe. There is no better place to study this discipline. Moreover, studying in an international environment will give you the privilege of creating new bonds with people from all around the world. It is amazing how similar we are, even if we grew up in countries as far from each other as, for example, Greece and Ecuador. 

Rotterdam has many parks and lakes to visit on those lucky days when it happens to be warm. It is also the best city in which to ride a bicycle, as every street has a cycle path, and there are many bicycle parking spots around the city. All in all, cycling is an easy and a cheap way to explore the modern city of Rotterdam.

A quote that I particularly like, and that gives me strength in difficult situations, is this: ‘If you dream it, you can do it!’ To all prospective students, I recommend that you apply to Erasmus University now, and do not miss the chance of having the most exciting lifetime experience. And make the most of all the many fantastic opportunities that the University offers. 

My name is Niccolò, and I am a 25-year-old Italian. After completing my 5-year LL.M. programme in Italy, I realised that I wanted to focus my career on Business Law. Once I started looking for LL.M. programmes in Italy and abroad, my choice soon fell on the Commercial and Company Law programme in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. I chose it because of the excellent level of education as well as its affordability. Another reason for choosing Erasmus School of Law was one of the LL.M.’s most distinctive features: namely, its double focus on both the corporate and the trade aspects of EU and international law.

I found education in Rotterdam to be more practical than the education I had followed in Italy. The Commercial and Company Law  LL.M. really gets ‘down to business’, and the lectures are frequently based on cases and on problem-solving. The lecturers often have wide experience in the field, and that is an invaluable quality. The courses are challenging, and they require commitment, but the opportunities you get are incredible. Together with three other students from different Master programmes, I represent the Erasmus School of Law in the prestigious Willem C. Vis Moot on International Commercial Arbitration. We have already attended preparatory sessions at universities and international law firms in Amsterdam, London, and Paris. In April, we will go to Vienna for the real deal: to compete against students from 270 universities from all over the world, under the watchful eye of legal experts in this field. We have already met countless amazing people, and what we learn from this experience, both personally and professionally, goes beyond what I could have imagined.

There’s no doubt that the LL.M. in Commercial and Company Law is tough. So my advice to prospective students is: Be ready. You will be expected to invest a lot of effort into your studies, but as always, the more you give, the more you get. And what you get here can prepare you for whatever career you may want to pursue in the future. As they say: Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

In March 2019 I completed the LL.M programme Legal Theory and Socio-Legal Studies. This LL.M. programme pays attention to fundamental topics of contemporary legal theoretical debate, as well as the knowledge needed for taking your own (critical) stance within these debates. The programme stands out by its special notice for interdisciplinarity in which philosophical, sociological, anthropological and legal (doctrinal) approaches complement and reinforce each other. Also, the LL.M. programme offers plenty possibilities to incorporate your own interests and insights into your curriculum. I followed several courses with a philosophical, anthropological and international legal perspective, as well as courses that enhanced my methodological skills. Because of the the wide range of elective courses, I have been able to place an accent on (the philosophy of) international human rights during the programmme. In the end, all of this came together in my master thesis, in which I conducted a critical legal-theoretical analysis of the legitimate authority of the international human rights regime.

Right after my graduation I was able to get a job as a (peak) lecturer in legal theory at Utrecht University. I was alerted to this job opportunity by one of the professors from our section. As a peak lecturer you fulfill a short nomination as a teacher, usually for the duration of a block or semester. In Utrecht I was mainly concerned with giving lectures, supervising students in writing legal-theoretical annotations and checking exams. Although it initially felt like a pretty big step (from the position of a student to a position of a lecturer), but this real life “aptitude test" demonstrated that I was well prepared due to the LL.M. programme Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies on such a position. The latter is fortunately also confirmed by a positive assessment in the student evaluations at the end of the course.

At this moment I have decided to prolong my time as a student for a little longer by embarking on a second master programme on moral and political philosophy.

Altogether I’ve had positive experiences with the LL.M programme Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies. I can recommend it to all law students who are interested in legal-theoretical approaches that go beyond the pure application of law, and students who like to formulate their own critical view on law or the legal system.

Create your own Future.

Recently a lawyer said to one of our teachers: "Not only do our trainees must have academic knowledge and skills, but also a certain personality". As an alumna and employee of Erasmus School of Law, I find this understandable, and I hear this more and more. No matter what job you will have, it is essential to be confident, to be able to take criticism, to stay committed and to keep calm in stressful times. Not everyone has these skills naturally. We all have a different personality. And that's a good thing. So, in addition to getting your diploma, you also have another challenge. The good news is: MyFuture will help you with that!

The MyFuture program is an excellent side dish to the Erasmus School of Law curriculum. While MyFuture in the master focuses on the approaching step to the labour market, the program in the bachelor focuses on your personal growth. You start by setting some personal goals. What do you want to achieve this academic year? To pass all exams of course, but you may have more specific ambitions. Rest assured, you will not be judged by it. The academic journey is full of side roads and unexpected encounters. You might even discover new passions, ambitions or surprising talents. That would be excellent!

It is good to have some direction in life. Or, as the former top football player Johan Cruijff said: "Make sure you always have a plan; otherwise you cannot deviate from anything". Dreams are not one size fits all. Your goals in life, in your education and your career, can differ enormously from the people around you. And that's good. Dreams are personal. Ambition is personal. MyFuture helps you to tailor your journey and destination.

By participating in the workshops, you will have more success in your studies, the step to the labour market will be more comfortable, and you will be more successful in your (future) job. MyFuture helps you to grow both personally as well as intellectually. These skills will come in handy both during your studies and in your step to the job market.

If I may give you one tip, I would say: drop by and join one of our workshops or programs. Invest only a few hours in yourself and notice the difference yourself.

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.