October 21st of this year was a special day of celebration, not only for Dr. Kilian Wegner, research assistant to Professor Dr. Thomas Rönnau's Chair of Criminal Law, Commercial Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law. His doctoral dissertation - held online due to the corona pandemic, also marked a milestone for Bucerius Law School in the promotion of its young scholars: The 2009 alumnus is the 500th doctoral candidate at the university.
TRANSNATIONAL SANCTION PROCEDURES AS A RESEARCH PRIORITY
In his dissertation entitled 'Transnational Sanction Proceedings against Associations - Transnational Scope of Sanction Law, Multiple Prosecution, Cross-Border Sanction Enforcement', Kilian Wegner examined selected legal issues that arose in cross-border criminal and sanction proceedings against companies (for example by Volkswagen AG and its subsidiaries). "On the one hand, I investigated the question to what extent international law, union law and national constitutional law set limits to the claim of individual states to sanction facts that occurred outside their territory. Contrarily, the study also analyzes to what extent companies and groups of companies are protected under current law from multiple prosecution by several states in the same matter. Finally, a third focus was placed on problems of cross-border legal assistance in sanction proceedings against companies," explains Kilian Wegner.
In addition to receiving accolades from the members of the Examination Committee, Professor Dr. Christian Bumke, Professor Dr. Thomas Rönnau and Professor Dr. Karsten Gaede, Dean Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Katharina Boele-Woelki also added, "The promotion of young scholars is one of our central tasks as an institution. The 500th doctorate highlights that in the 20 years of our existence we have introduced many young lawyers to scholarly work. The excellent professional and human conditions guarantee young scientists comprehensive support and trustworthy guidance for their doctoral projects.”
ACADEMIC SUPERVISION AND STRUCTURAL SUPPORT
The Center for Scientific Qualification (ZQ) under the direction of Professor Dr. Christian Bumke is the institutional anchor for the promotion of young researchers and guarantor of the excellent framework conditions for research: All doctoral candidates are accepted into a generally structured doctoral program, which complements individual academic supervision and promotes the content of the doctoral projects. Different formats, such as workshops, seminars and colloquiums, help doctoral students master various challenges during their doctoral studies. A special platform enables young researchers to network and exchange ideas. In the course of globalization, internationally oriented research work is particularly encouraged: Bucerius Law School specifically encourages doctoral students to spend time abroad for research purposes and awards up to ten scholarships annually to cover travel and living expenses. Comprehensive support is also provided during difficult phases: professional coaching and counseling is available at all times to help students overcome hurdles together.
It is worth mentioning, the successful completion of the research work has the opportunity to receive a special honor: since 2017, the two best dissertations at Bucerius Law School have been awarded the doctoral prize every year during the academic ceremony, donated by the law firm Noerr LLP. It is possible that one year from now, Kilian Wegner will have an additional reason to celebrate.
