Dank je wel dat je tijd voor ons hebt. Je komt uit India. Hoe bevalt het je in Nederland?
I grew up in Mumbai and studied in New Delhi in India. Each of these cities are home to more than 25 million people, more than the entire population of the Netherlands. Clearly, coming here was a big cultural shift!
However, after one year of living in the Netherlands, I have completely fallen in love with the Dutch culture, traditions, and cities, not least, Leiden.
I tell my international friends and family that the Netherlands might not have one thing that stands out as a 10/10, but it excels in almost every aspect with a 9/10, making it a wonderful place to live overall. Be it how international and welcoming it is to expats, the rich culture I explored last year, the focus on social well-being in society, the healthcare system, or the celebrations – Leiden Ontzet, Kingsday etc. I came to learn that the Dutch work hard and celebrate harder!! Having travelled across Europe, Brazil, North America and Asia, I can say that this place has the highest quality of life. I did not imagine I would love my time here so much, so as to consider this ‘a second home’.
Waarom heb je specifiek voor de Universiteit Leiden in Nederland gekozen?
Leiden University is a very popular name in the international law field and considered highly prestigious back home in India. It is also the number 1 university in the field of Air and Space Law.
I had received other admission/scholarship offers for a master’s in law from the University of California – Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania School of Law, Cornell Law School, University of Humboldt, but decided to join Leiden Law School eventually.
One reason was that this programme is globally renowned for producing some of the finest minds in air and space law – a community I aspired to join. Another reason was my dream to develop a career in a European country with a high quality of life during the early stage of my legal career – and of course, the Netherlands is second to none in that aspect.
I am delighted to say that one year hence, this was the best decision of my life, and I have cherished every bit of my time in Leiden. I am grateful to the International Institute of Air and Space Law (IIASL) at Leiden Law School for making this possible by offering me the Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS), which substantially covered the tuition fee for the programme.
Kun je wat meer vertellen over de Adv Master Air and Space law?
The Advanced Master’s in Air and Space Law is one of the top international master’s offered by Leiden Law School and is highly selective with its entry requirements. This programme combines public air law – focussing on inter-state engagement, bilateral and multilateral air service agreements, operation of air services, aviation safety and security, environmental considerations etc., with private air law – focussing on passenger protection, airline liability, insurance etc. In the niche field of space law – the programme has a clearly defined European and international dimension, focussing on international treaties, national space laws and commercial space activities. It also explores the intersection of air and space law with finance, procurement, anti-trust/competition, dispute settlement, and sustainability.
The program is unique because it involves lectures by the expert faculty at Leiden and weekly guest lectures from industry experts, thus exposing students to both academia and industry. During the master’s year, we had guest lectures from more than 50 practitioners in this field and a conference hosted at the law school with a leading international (aviation) law firm, especially for the advanced LLM students, bringing together law firm partners, airline counsels, airport legal teams etc.
The number 1 ranking of Leiden in this field is owed mainly to the esteemed academicians leading the program – Prof. Steven Truxal (Director, IIASL) and Dr. Tanja Masson-Zwaan (Deputy Director, IIASL), perhaps among the most globally renowned names in aviation and space law respectively. Further testament to the programme’s success is that it got the gold medal for the best study programme in the Netherlands, as per the annual study of Dutch EW Magazine in collaboration with ResearchNed which compares 2,000 bachelor and master’s programmes across the country.
Waarom heb je voor deze internationale Adv LLM gekozen?
I chose this advanced LL.M. because I have been interested and working in the area of space law for the last three years. However, I was pleasantly surprised during my time at Leiden – as I developed a deep interest in aviation law.
While to some, air and space law might seem niche or far-fetched, this area is one of the most rapidly advancing and dynamic fields of law – and any young lawyer with an eye on the future can gauge the potential and scope if one were to specialise in the field. For instance, it is well known that India landed on the moon last month. Activities concerning space tourism, satellite constellations and space resource utilisation have been on the rise both in the US and in the EU in the last years. International civil aviation is booming once again post covid with greater liberalisation across regions, while new challenges in terms of environmental protection, cybersecurity, drones, etc., continue to emerge.
Inadvertently, greater interest and activity in air and space necessitates the availability of specialised lawyers equipped to tackle regulatory, compliance, and dispute settlement aspects in these areas. This master’s identifies that need and bridges the gap between academia and industry with a futuristic outlook by preparing the next generation of air and space lawyers.
Wat vind je het leukst aan de Adv LLM?
This is not just a study or research master, but an actual launch pad into the industry. The institute makes great use of its established network by inviting guest lecturers, academic experts, law firms and airlines to engage with the students – in classroom, field trips, or practicums such as moot courts.
To give you an overview – in the last year, our class has attended sessions with, for instance, the President of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, the Directorate General – MOVE at the European Commission in Brussels, the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna, and conferences in Berlin, Paris, Athens etc.
Clearly, this is not just meant to be a year of study, but rather an experience of a lifetime – something almost every student reiterated on the day of graduation.
Wat is het meest interessante dat je meegemaakt hebt tijdens de Adv LLM?
The differences between the Indian and Dutch education system. Indian law schools focus a lot on rote learning and memorisation of case law. During the advanced LLM, the focus was more on socractic learning method, wherein you learn through discussions and the experiences of classmates and lecturers. Perhaps, this is only possible in the first place because the programme brought together people from 16 countries across the world – with varying levels of professional experience and different walks of life – some having engineering backgrounds, some having been supreme court litigators in their countries, while others having worked as cabin crew.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the internship and moot court –mandatory elements of this master’s programme. For instance, during the master’s year, I had the chance to make oral arguments in court before a counsel of the International Criminal Court during the Leiden Air Law moot court competition and also had the chance to undertake a 2-month internship at a premier international law firm in London.
Clearly, the programme has contributed immensely to my personal and professional growth.
Wil je verder in lucht- en/of ruimterecht?
That is a very tough question and perhaps the only complaint I have with the programme. It has left me in a very difficult dilemma to choose between these two highly intriguing but distinct fields. My background is in public international law, and in the long term, I aspire to be associated with an international organisation or the UN. Whether it is air law, space law, or somewhere in between, I leave to fate.
Je bent ‘class president’ van dit studiejaar. Waar heb je je het meest mee beziggehouden vanuit die functie dit jaar?
I had the privilege to be elected in this position and represent the students. The programme places a lot of emphasis on continuously monitoring feedback and improving structures and lectures. My role primarily concerned serving as a liasion between the students and the faculty, towards that goal. I also helped with some of the conferences and events organised during the programme and interact with some of the top air and space law practitioners, as the face of the class of 2023. My final task was to deliver the speech at the graduation last week, perhaps one of the most emotional and difficult tasks – as I attempted to summarise this extraordinary year!
I am incredibly grateful for this LLM experience – to my fellow classmates, the staff at the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden, and the Dutch society at large, for enabling international students like me to make the most out of this inclusive and welcoming culture and unparalleled educational system.
Wat staat er verder nog op je bucketlist?
In the short term – exploring the hidden gems and beautiful cities of the Netherlands before the winter sets in and trying all the specialty beers. I am also actively applying for roles with law firms and in-house at airlines/space startups in the BENELUX region.
In the mid-term – I would like to undertake advanced research in air and space law to give back, in a small way, to academia and Leiden University – which gave me such a wonderful experience.
In the long term, I aspire to be the top practitioner in this field and make a name for myself internationally, to make my professors, family, and friends in India and the Netherlands proud!
Naast wie zou jij weleens op een vlucht van 20 uur willen zitten?
Mr. Mark Rutte and Mr. Narendra Modi, to discuss how India could take a cue from the Dutch model and do many things like the Netherlands – to ensure a higher quality of life for its people – characterised by peace, stability and social welfare.
Omdat Anmol geen Nederlands spreekt en de voertaal van de studie in het Engels is, heeft Anmol in het Engels geantwoord.
