Hello All,

I am Osman from Ankara. I am a senior at Gazi Law. I am thinking of applying for an LLM program abroad, but I couldn't decide the subject.

Mari-time has always been the first option for me. My reason is simple: To be able to practice in my hometown and make a decent living. ( BTW I am from Black Sea region)

My second option is energy. I studied Electrical Engineering for 3 years, before I started studying law. I have a general knowledge of energy production and distribution. (FYI I didn't complete engineering program :) )

My third option is competition. Honestly, I have very little knowledge about this.

I wanna focus on these three subjects, because there are very few people who are working in these fields. Before transferring to law school I thought I could turn my english skills and my international experience into an advantage.

Which subject/subjects would you recommend to me? And why? I would like to get a better understanding of career prospects.

My priority is to study in a program that instruction is english.
UK, USA, and Germany are countries that I wanna study, but I am open for different suggestions.

Thank you in advance!

Greetings from Ankara,
Osman

Hello Osman,

I wanna focus on these three subjects, because there are very few people who are working in these fields.

Which subject/subjects would you recommend to me? And why? I would like to get a better understanding of career prospects.

Hello flori,

Thank you for the reply. It's very kind of you.

I am actually from Samsun, and I'd like to practice in Samsun.

By "few people" working in these subjects I mean that there are few people who specialized in these subjects. Competition level is relatively low compared to classic law disiciplines.

There are well-known law firms who work in the field of maritime law, but in energy there is almost nobody, and for competition and antitrust we can say the same.

These big firms are located in Istanbul as you might guess, and I liked the idea of maritime because I'd not be limited by Istanbul.

I have read a lot of your posts before registering to this site. And I kinda decided to apply Swansea's Maritime program after reading your reviews.

I'd like to get more information about these fields in order to sort out which one fits me best. I really wanna enjoy my profession. Therefore, I won't have to work a day in my life :D

I really wanna be among the best in my field, so I'm researching meticulously.

BTW, a research assistant from my department applied to Swansea, but he didn't receive anything in 3 months. He was admitted to Southampton and his admission process were completed within 3 days.

It got me questioning the professionalism of Swansea...

Hello Osman,

just some ideas (in no particular order):
1. Professionalism of Swansea: At least in my days the admission procedure was handled very professionally and with the utmost dispatch. Probably a case of bad luck...
2. Being among the best in your field: Oxbridge + some maritime law books for the summer holidays ;-)
3. Personal view of the legal areas:
If you have stumbled upon some of my more recent postings, you will have noticed some postings with very favorable views towards "Oil&Gas"-law programs in Scottland ;-)
4. Personal view towards the maritime law program in Swansea:
It's been a while, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Swansea and I assume that you cannot go wrong with this program. (You cannot go wrong with the program offered by Southampton, either -> Southampton as a place to live is a different issue, though...)


Bye
flori

Hello Flori,

1) He must have been very unlucky. He sent his documentation 3-4 times repeatedly. He even tried to contact the chair person. He didn't get any answers.

2) I need more book names! :) I wanna read a lot in my summer holidays :)

3)I haven't read them, yet. But I will definitely do that soon. ;)

4) The place that I'll be living is a very important factor for me. I don't think I can suck it up for one year for the diploma's sake. I wanna be in a pleasant environment where I can live comfortably.

What do you think about University of Hamburg's Maritime program? It's my back up plan :)

Hello Osman,

What do you think about University of Hamburg's Maritime program? It's my back up plan :)

http://www.jura.uni-hamburg.de/en/issr/overview/

I really like Hamburg :) I met a lot of people from Hamburg during my travels, and I got along well with them.

On the other hand, I have a dear friend in Konstanz, but there is no sea there :D

I do know the institute located at hamburg university law school - however I am not aware that they are currently offering a LLM program. http://www.jura.uni-hamburg.de/graduiertenprogramme/ does not include a maritime law program either...

There is no sea at Hamburg, either ;-) They have an - admittedly wide - river and a lake inside the town.
Konstanz is very nice and Lake Constance is almost by the sea...

Don't get me wrong, I do not want to keep you from going to Hamburg. I have lived there myself during my time as a trainee lawyer, still there is no sea and - as far as I know - no LLM maritime law program.

Bye
flori

I sent you a long PM :) Please reply earliest convinience.