Where did you study before coming to Bucerius Law School?
I studied LLB at National Taiwan University (NTU).
How is studying different here?
Back in the bachelor uni time, the courses were mainly traditional legal studies i.e. civil, criminal, administrative laws and procedural laws. The LLB courses were essential for the bar exam. We spent a lot of time learning theories and judicial findings from the courts. In MLB, the courses focus on international commercial laws and are relatively practical oriented. The program is offered in collaboration with WHU, meaning that we have some business courses which prepare us to work as an in-house/ commercial lawyers or in business sectors.
What has been the biggest challenge for you?
It is hard to get involved in German students (undergrads) body as we don’t speak same languages and from different backgrounds and with different level of work experience. Life-wise, it has been very hard to find proper Asian food for me, while, in turn, I started cooking myself, which I seldom did in Taiwan – so it’s actually not a bad thing.
How does you experience in Taiwanese law benefit you professionally?
Taiwanese laws have some level of similarity with German laws, as most of our preceding scholars studied in Germany and/ or Japan. It makes it easier for me to understand the classes when they relate to German statutes and the rationale behind. Profession-wise, as I work in renewables industry, it is relatively international, having legal background helps me understand easily terms and conditions and risks behind.
How did you like the exchange student program?
It was a great program which gave me a taste of studying in Germany. The program was nicely designed for students interested in business laws. It gave us insights about international business laws and the faculty was outstanding as well. Each course was designed bite-size so I could learn broad and tried out the areas that I never took courses in. In general, it was the best I could ever have for my exchange term, especially it was short (3 months) and still allowed me to go back for bar preparation.
Why did you decide to come back to Bucerius Law School?
Because I had very good experience from my exchange term – program administration, course quality, lecturers credibility and strong career service. BLS had dedicated admin team for exchange students and handled everything from visa, housing, to day-to-day German life queries. The courses and lecturers were superb, nicely designed curriculum and informative contents with prestigious professors from different jurisdictions. The career service was excellent even to exchange students, there were a couple of us landed internships after our exchange term with the help of career center. And all of the above is something that I know I can expect in my master program, hence, I decided to come back.
Why did you choose a master’s degree in law and business?
MLB program is the only legal master program (LL.M.) that truly offers business courses and focus on practical aspects. I did not want to attend a program that only aims to give certain jurisdiction’s statutes and theories, the practicality and internationality of the course contents MLB offers was just perfect match for me.
What opportunities and challenges do you see in that field?
With legal background, having basic understanding of business essentials will benefit me in providing advice to the clients. For example, when it comes to my current job, when shortlisting suppliers for wind farms construction, we always look into their financial profiles, hence, the knowledge of interpreting balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement would be very handy in this regard. On the other hand, speaking the ‘business’ language could also help me better communicate with management or financial consultants.
Do you make plans for after graduation?
I was relocated by my employer from Taipei to Hamburg since the beginning of MLB. Hence, it is part of our plan to base myself here in Hamburg after graduation.
How do you like Hamburg, compared to Taipei?
I really like Hamburg, it ranks no.1 amongst German cities. Especially I like the buildings, with a mix of new and historical ones. Hamburg offers a lot of cultural events – operas, museums, theaters and so on, these are something not as common in Taipei. Hamburg gives me a big town vibe, that the pace of life is more balanced and people seem to be less capitalist. In comparison to Taipei, it is a big city, and commonly in Asia, with dense population and hectic pace. For me, staying in Hamburg gives me fresh mind as it is just completely different from my life in Taiwan, cultural-wise and life-wise.
