LLM Students in Europe

Themis Margaritis (UK)

I chose the LLM because it is a world-leading program, well recognised in both the UK and international markets. IISTL consists of prominent academics, who take a practical-oriented approach to teaching and are very attentive to their students’ needs.

Since graduating, I have qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales, and the solid foundation in English law I gained during my time in Swansea was invaluable in that respect. Without any hesitation, I would strongly recommend Swansea University to anyone considering a career in maritime law.

Zoya Mehandzhiyska (Belgium)

Following my graduation I secured a job in a shipping company, Euro Marine Logistics Belgium, one of Europe’s leading short sea RoRo carriers, in the Marine & Technical department. Some of the things I handled were bunker disputes, stowage planning, project cargo & some legal disputes.

For almost 2 years now, I have been working as an Assistant Underwriter in the marine team in Brussels, for CNA Hardy, a leading specialist insurer. I consider myself extremely privileged to have met and to have been taught by some of the best lecturers who have published many academic materials.

Puneet Sareen (UK)

Coming from a background of working at sea for 15 years, I chose Swansea University with the faith of being able to pivot my career in the field of maritime law. The networking developed during this course helped me secure a job amidst difficult global circumstances.

I have since then worked as a claims executive at an IG P&I Club and presently working in a reputed international shipping law firm as an in-house consultant, while being trained to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Pino Musolino (Italy)

Completing my LLM in Swansea represented the starting point of a very rewarding and very rapid career in the international shipping environment allowing me to, in the course of a decade, work in Antwerp, Singapore and then, with C-Suite jobs, back in Italy in places such as Venice and Rome. I am definitely positive that all of the above could not have happened without the invaluable teachings and the prestige of bearing a Swansea University LLM on my resume.

Martin Karst (Denmark)

From day one, you felt that the programme was structured to provide you with the very best overview and content and the teaching staff were not only engaged and invested in each of the students and their development but also recognised experts within their respective fields of research.

Years later, I am happy to acknowledge that my time at Swansea gave me a critical foundation and advantage when pursuing a career in shipping and international trade. Today, I work at a Tier 1 law firm in Copenhagen, Denmark specialising in shipping, insurance and dispute resolution.

Kirsten Jackson (UK)

At Swansea you will be taught by the academic leaders within the sector. It is comforting to reference an academic text in practice which is written by someone you were lectured by.

Since completing my LLM I have relocated from South Africa to the United Kingdom and qualified as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. I am an associate at a specialist shipping law firm in London, MFB Solicitors. I hope to play an active role as a Swansea Alumni and to inspire future generations to consider undertaking an LLM at Swansea University as well as considering a career in shipping. 

Lea Fournier (France)

Surrounded by enthusiastic teachers which, for some, have become role models, I was able to thrive in a field I never thought I would venture into. And today, 5 years after my studies at Swansea University, I am a project finance lawyer (a term I never heard of before my LLM!) working for a British law firm based in Paris, with a specialty in the renewable energies sector, and more specifically in offshore wind power. All roads lead to the sea.  

Huseyin Kilcik (UK)

Swansea University's LLM in International Maritime Law was the key to me reaching my dreams so early, even before graduation. I secured my first job in London while I was still studying at Swansea. It was stunning to see how much recruiters and employers appreciated the maritime law studies at Swansea.

The program's reputation certainly didn't happen by accident, and it made a huge impact on my career. Having gone through it, I can attest that the Swansea LLM gives you a thorough knowledge of all aspects of maritime law, but it also enables you to link this knowledge to the practical side of the marine industry. In my opinion, this is the main advantage of Swansea compared to other similar programmes and makes it the leading option for the LLM in Maritime Law.

Fabio Cerasuolo (Monaco)

I completed the LLM in International Maritime Law in 2020. Afterwards I joined d’Amico, a major shipowner active both in the dry and tanker sectors, and I currently serve as Maritime Legal Manager at the Monaco office.

I assist the commercial teams of the group with the drafting/revision of contracts and deals with a wide range of P&I, FDD and other shipping disputes. The LLM provided me with the absolutely needed solid foundation in maritime law (England and Wales) thanks to a top-notch teaching staff with a down-to-earth approach and who possess a thorough knowledge of a wide range of both theoretical and practical issues arising in the shipping sector.

David Vajnai (UK)

One of the things that impressed me was that lecturers didn’t treat us as just ‘one of many’ despite the large number of students. The academic support was outstanding, especially during the dissertation.

After graduating, I stayed in London and established a career as an insurance broker, specialising in marine, offshore oil and gas, and power risks. What I learned at Swansea is applicable to my work and enabled me to progress my career.

Ozan Güler (Turkey)

Ozan is a graduate of Bilkent University (International Relations) and studied the LLM in International Maritime Law at Swansea University.

Upon completion of his LLM degree, he immediately got a job at OMNI Brokers which is a leading maritime insurance brokerage firm in Turkey with a great global reach. He is currently working for OMNI Brokers in Istanbul as a broker for domestic and international markets.

Ozan remembers his time at Swansea fondly and is confident that it prepared him for his career progression by exposing him to various opportunities at the maritime sector.

Angeliki Kappatou (Greece)

Angeliki is a skilled Legal Counsel with over a decade of experience within the shipping sector. For the past few years, she has been holding a demanding position as Legal Counsel at Celestyal Cruises, a major cruising company in the Eastern Mediterranean, providing expert and strategic legal advice to the Executive Board as well as Top Management on all high-level strategic projects and business plans of the company.

Angeliki has strong business acumen and possesses both a commercial and rational outlook as an in-house Legal Counsel, which is integral to the operation of a company, to provide practical and cost-effective business solutions. Angeliki has global experience and has worked in New York, Greece and Cyprus. She had lectured at Frederick University of Nicosia. She had been selected as the country representative of Cyprus in the European Association of Corporate Council Europe for a period of 2 years and is a member of WISTA.

Eleni Baxivanou (Greece)

Eleni graduated with an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2013. She was the winner of the IISTL Prize for the best dissertation (awarded January 2014). After graduating she worked for over 6 years at a major Greek law firm specialised in commercial and maritime law, and is currently an Associate at the Piraeus office of Hill Dickinson International, a leader in the shipping sector.

Eleni specializes in shipping finance transactions, mainly in the preparation and negotiation of loan agreements and other finance documents. She also represents maritime companies in the acquisition and sale of new buildings and second hand vessels. She is qualified as a lawyer in Greece and in the process of qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Francisco Camps Bas (Spain)

After completing his LLM at Swansea in 2016, Francisco joined the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome where he worked first as an intern and then as a legal consultant in the maritime, transport and insurance branch of the Programme’s legal office. In 2017, Francisco joined one of Spain’s oldest maritime law firms in Madrid. Since 2019, Francisco has been working in MA Abogados, a multidisciplinary law firm where he practices commercial law, maritime and transport law, as well as litigation and arbitration.

Christian Beinis (Italy)

Christian completed his LLM in 2018 and today he is a legal specialist of Confindustria Emilia, the main association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy. He provides legal advice to the companies especially on disputes concerning contract law, labour law and industrial relations. He has also collaborated with the Chair of Maritime and Transport Law at the University of Bologna.

John Patrick Svelund (Norway)

I studied the LLM in International Maritime Law at Swansea University. After graduating, I was offered a job as a claims handler at G2 Ocean in Bergen, Norway. The company has the world’s largest fleet of open hatch ships and makes thousands of port calls each year in more than 70 countries. I handle, negotiate and administer cargo claims, and address legal disputes related to charterers’ liabilities and marine delay issues. Recently I have moved to Norwegian Hull Club as Claims handler. The LLM in International Maritime Law was tailor-made for the job and made it possible for me to qualify for it even without any prior relevant work experience.

John Kure (Denmark)

John graduated with an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2010. In the course of his LLM degree, he also undertook an internship at the Standard P&I club. Since his graduation, he has worked for Torm as a Deputy Demurrage Manager and for P&I Scandinavia as Claims Handler. In June 2015, John joined Danish P&I in Copenhagen as Claims Handler and is currently the Managing Director of Danish P&I. John is responsible for all the daily commercial activities and handling of claims, client business as well as corresponding assignments.

Elizaveta Yurina (Russia)

Elizaveta completed her LLM at Swansea in 2011 and has been working in the maritime/insurance sector since then. She is currently the Head of the Insurance Department at JSC Atomstroyexport based in Moscow.

She is responsible for providing consultancy and guidance on insurance issues as well as obtaining appropriate insurance cover for construction projects of nuclear power plants abroad, including CAR/EAR, marine cargo, liability risks and others.

Hakan Tufecki (Turkey)

As a Turkish qualified lawyer, Hakan has over 16 years experience in all maritime and commercial related legal matters working for shipowners, charterers, bunker companies, brokers, insurers, agricultural traders, as well as banks. Hakan regularly speaks at international commercial law and international maritime law events as well as providing in-house seminars to his clients. He has had numerous articles published in law journals in Turkey as well as in the UK. Hakan is a Member of the Ethics Committee at the Turkish Football Federation.

Kiki Akrita (Germany & Greece)

Kyriaki completed her LLM studies in International Maritime Law in 2019. During the course she participated in the well recognised Swansea Moot Court Competition held in HFW, where her team managed to win first place. The Swansea experience helped her obtain to a two week internship in the HFW London offices, where she sat with partner Richard Neylon. HFW is a leader in the shipping sector and this internship gave her insight to the legal approach of a top firm, consulting expertise and highest level legal knowledge. She is currently a claims handler in Interunity, a top specialist gas, chemical and product tanker, and container vessel operator providing safe and reliable deep-sea vessel management, having served both in the Greek and German offices. Kyriaki deals with claims and is responsible for providing legal advisory services, and legal consultancy and assistance in contractual risks. She strongly believes that her studies in Swansea, which successfully balance theory and applications, equipped her with the needed specialized theoretical background that allowed her to successfully deal with day-to-day challenges.

Ashlee Xi (London)

Ashlee received First Class Honour for LLB at Swansea University in 2015 and a Distinction for LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2017. During the LLM, she was rewarded with the HFW Prize in Carriage of Goods by Sea, Land and Air for receiving the highest mark in that module.

After completing the LPC in 2018, Ashlee secured a position at Tatham Macinnes, a shipping specialist law firm in London, who has now offered her a training contract. Ashlee is involved in a wide variety of work, including charterparty and bill of lading disputes, wreck removal and salvage, bunker dispute, groundings and collisions, and shipbuilding.  

Emmy Ameloot (UK)

Emmy completed an LLM in International Commercial and Maritime law at Swansea in 2009. Subsequently she worked at two leading IG P&I Clubs before joining BDM Law LLP in 2016, where she qualified as a solicitor. BDM is a boutique law firm which focuses on shipping and insurance matters.

Pernille Eriksen (Denmark)

Pernille completed her LLM studies in International Maritime Law in 2014. During her studies, she was a member of the LLM Swansea mooting team, which reached the Final of the Commercial/Maritime Mooting Competition. Following her graduation, she started working as a Claims Handler with a Shipowner in Denmark where she gained experience in various claims relating to P&I, FD&D, H&M and sales of vessel. Recently she has been awarded the Graduate Diploma of Law and she will commence the Legal Practice Course in 2019. Thereafter, she will commence as a trainee at a London Maritime Law firm.

Sonja Lorentzen (Norway)

Sonja completed her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2017, and graduated with Distinction. While attending Swansea University, she was awarded the Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) prize in Admiralty Law, for best academic performance in her class. Subsequently, she went on to work for Aker Solutions, an international products and service provider to the oil and gas industry, where she was employed in the Corporate Risk Committee. She is now set to commence work in the Norwegian law firm SANDS (Steenstrup Stordrange) as an associate, where she will work in M&A Finance.

Margarita Bartzi (Greece)

Margarita completed her LLM studies with distinction in International Maritime Law in 2014. She has been awarded with the IISTL prize for best law project for the year and she secured an internship with M. Taher and Co. Solicitors, a major international law firm specializing in shipping, aviation, insurance and international trade, based in the Lloyds Building in London. She had been actively involved in the legal field as a consultant at Alpha & Omega Marine Ltd and then later, she joined El Hamamsy Marine Services Ltd., a P&I and H&M Correspondent in Egypt. Through her current role in the Greek office, which involves legal and business development, as well as claims consultancy and assistance to owners and charterers, she supports the company’s national exposure globally.

Jorge Chávez Aréstegui (Belgium)

Jorge completed his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2016. After finalising his courses he did an internship at the Barcelona office of Blas de Lezo Abogados, a leading Spanish law firm specialised in maritime and commercial law. Currently, Jorge is a lawyer at Eric Van Hooydonk Lawyers in Antwerp (Belgium), a law firm with an orientation on maritime law and a specific expertise on the law relating to ports. Here Jorge specialises in advising clients on all aspects of maritime law, including the national and international regulatory framework applicable to the shipping industry.

Christos Vezouvios (Cyprus)

Christos completed his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2007. Following his admission to the Cyprus BAR in 2008, he is currently employed as Senior Advocate with Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC, the largest and a leading law firm in Cyprus. His main areas of practice, inter alia, include immovable property matters, foreign investment in Cyprus, international tax aspects of establishing residence in Cyprus and competition law. Christos is also the co-author of the Second Edition of the «Neocleous Introduction to Cyprus Law», which is going to be published by the end of October 2009, the «Handbook on the Laws of Cyprus», published by Nomiki Vivliothiki, Athens, December 2008, ISBN: 978-960-272-555-9, and also of  «The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Product Liability», Cyprus Chapter, Global Legal Group, ISBN: 978-1-904654-60-5.

Nadia Zorba (Greece)

Nadia obtained her LL.M. in International Maritime Law in 2014. She joined Hill Dickinson’s Piraeus office as Attorney at law after working as in-house lawyer for major shipping companies in London and Greece. During her training in an international law firm, she has assisted in a broad range of disputes in respect of Charterparties, B/L, MoAs and FDD work, P&I and H&M claims and developed experience in shipowning companies. Her non-contentious experience includes sale and purchase and ship finance projects. During her studies at Swansea, Nadia was involved in mooting activities and was part of Swansea team which finished as runner-up in the Inaugural Commercial and Maritime Law Mooting Competition (2014) hosted by 7KBW.      

Eleni Zitouni (Greece)

Eleni obtained her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2006 and is currently working as lawyer at Geronymakis & Partners Law Office (P. Faliro/Greece). The office has a diversified Greek and international practice. She is working in the Maritime Section where she is dealing with the establishment of shipping companies in Greece and abroad, sale and purchase of yachts, registration of yachts and mortgages thereon, chartering, leasing, yacht building contracts and also on matters concerning the management of yachts and the establishment in Greece of branches of foreign management or related companies under the general ordinary provisions or under special laws granting beneficial tax status to the operation.

José Zaragosi (Spain)

José Zaragosi completed his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2015. Following the submission of his LLM Projects, he started working as Claims Handler at Hispania P&I, that is the Spanish leading correspondent representing most of the P&I Clubs of the International Group, ITIC Insurance and TT Club. José deals with all kind of P&I cases, especially cargo and personal injury claims. He also provides legal advice to ITIC’s Members.

Jessica Wearing Evans (UK)

Jessica obtained her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2008, and also completed the Legal Practice Course at Swansea during 2009-2010. Jessica undertook an internship at The Standard P&I Club in 2010 which was gained through our annual law fair aimed at LLM students. Jessica spent three months on internship at Ince & Co LLP in their Shanghai office where she helped advise a Chinese client on piracy issues, assisted in drafting a manual on charterparty terms and their implications for a ship-owning client, and also assisted in collecting evidence from a vessel involved in a collision. Jessica then undertook a training contract at Ince & Co LLP in their London office, during which she was involved in a large energy dispute, researched contracts of carriage and prepared a presentation on the contracts available for transportation of specialist equipment used in the construction of offshore projects, and researched conflict of laws issues for a client involved in international arbitration. After qualifying as a Solicitor (England & Wales), Jessica was employed by M Taher & Co Solicitors, a law firm specializing in all aspects of shipping, aviation, transport, insurance and International trade. She then moved to Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd, where she works as Claims Executive (Americas).

Philippe Van Dijck (Belgium)

Philippe Van Dijck obtained his LLM degree in International Commercial and Maritime law in 2011. The combination of both commercial and maritime law provided him with the necessary expertise to work in the maritime legal sector. He is currently working as a lawyer at the Belgian firm Ambos NBGO. The firm has branches in the three main port-cities of Belgium: Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge, and they are advising in several national and international maritime cases. His main areas of expertise are ship arrests, collisions, cargo claims and other maritime and port-related issues. He is also a member of several maritime associations and he often visits international seminars and conferences.

Ioannis Tsaplaris (Greece)

Ioannis obtained an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2008. He is currently employed as Post Fixture Analyst at Navig8 Group, a major shipping company controlling a substantial fleet of Product Tankers out of offices strategically located in London, Singapore, USA, Dubai, Shanghai, Mumbai, Oslo and Athens.

Eftychia Tsakou (Greece)

Eftychia graduated with an LLM in Commercial and Maritime Law in 2004. Following her graduation, she started working in a Greek shipping company first as Assistant Insurance/Claims Handler in the bulk carriers department and then as Insurance/Claims Officer for the company's tankers. In 2011, she moved to Columbia Ship Management Ltd. in Cyprus where she worked as Commercial/Pool Ship Operator, being responsible for the operation of 10 tanker vessels (6 spot and 4 pool). On 1^st November 2014, she joined Gearbulk UK as a Senior Claims Handler and on 1^stSeptember 2015, she was promoted to Insurance/Claims Executive. Gearbulk fleet has 53 owned vessels, 32 long time charter in vessels (>10 years), and fixes approximately 25 to 30 vessels (<1 year) on the spot market. Eftychia is handling all the FD&D cases including COAs, Stevedore Agreements, CP disputes, Bs/l etc. and supervises all cargo claims. She is also responsible for renewing all the insurances together with the company’s Norwegian office and handles all insurance contracts of the UK offices.  

Mardyros Tsakirian (Greece)

Mardyros is a Master Mariner holding a Master Degree in Marine Policy who extended his legal knowledge in the shipping industry by obtaining the LLM in International Maritime Law in 2014. He is currently employed by Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited in the Operations department at the tankers division. He operates the tanker fleet and monitors the satisfaction of the terms and conditions of the Charter Parties. He also handles disputes that may arise during the execution of the charterparty. Mardyros’ research interest focused in the slow steaming clauses and their interference with the doctrine of reasonable dispatch and in the fraudulent claims and devices in the Marine Insurance Law. He is a member of the Average Adjuster Association since 2013.

Carlo Psilopulos (Italy)

Carlo graduated with an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2013. Since his graduation, he has obtained wide work experience in the shipping sector, working first as lawyer/claims executive for BseaG and then as Senior Executive Claims at P.L.Ferrari & Co. S.r.l.,the leading independent specialist P&I broker. At Ferrari, Carlo is dealing with both P&I and FFD matters, such as all types of marine cargo claim, charterparty disputes, collisions and pollution casualties. He also provides assistance to Ferrari’s  members (both Owners and Charterers).

Georgia Patinioti (Greece)

Georgia obtained her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2013. Following her graduation, she was employed as Assistant in Operations and Claims/FDD department at Polembros Shipping Ltd. She is currently working as Associate with Stephenson Harwood LLP, dealing mainly with ship finance cases.

Andrea Pardini (Italy)

Andrea obtained his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2011. He is currently employed by the European Central Bank(ECB) as Senior Legal Counsel.

Selin Begum Ozturk (Turkey)

Selin obtained her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2011. After her graduation, she started working as Associate in one of the leading maritime law firms in Turkey, Gur Law Firm in Istanbul. Selin advised local and foreign clients, such as shipping companies, P&I Clubs, cargo interests with respect to maritime issues including but not limited to marine cargo claims, charterparties, marine insurance, collision disputes, sea pollution, maritime litigation and arbitration. In 2013, Selin moved to Allianz (Istanbul), one of the top insurance companies, where she is currently working as a lawyer.

Eske Munk (Denmark)

Eske started his LLM in Maritime Law at Swansea Law School, after completing his LLM in Denmark (including one semester at the Scandinavian Institute for Maritime Law in Oslo). Eske joined Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association (managed by Tindall Riley Ltd.) as Assistant Claims Manager in October 2012 and first worked in the Scandinavian Team and later in the Taiwanese Team. He primarily assisted members with P&I and CLH matters. He then transferred to the club's Hong Kong office, The  Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association (Hong Kong) Ltd, where he currently works as Claims Manager, assisting the club's Asian membership with P&I & FDD matters. 

Despina Mourati (Greece)

Despina is a Swansea Law graduate who also furthered her law studies through an LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2006. She is currently employed as In House Legal Consultant with a Privately Owned Oil & Gas company in UAE, working on international E&P activities, advising on asset acquisitions and disposals, joint operating agreements, farmouts, construction and tie-ins, transportation arrangements and licensing issues. 

Konstantina Morou (Greece)

Konstantina Morou obtained her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2008. Since her graduation, she has worked as attorney for Blue Star Ferries, a passenger lines shipping company, Arista Shipping SA, a dry cargo shipping company, GasLog SA, gas& oil shipping company and she has successfully represented P & I Clubs. Konstantina has handled MOA negotiations, delivery of vessels, charterparties, P&I litigation, including passenger claims, crew claims, cargo claims, marine insurance matters. She is currently employed by Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., a NYSE oil shipping company. Konstantina is an Accredited Mediator for international legal matters qualified by the Greek ministry of Justice and the Pepperdine University, USA.

Theodora Kostara (Greece)

Theodora completed her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2015. She is currently working as Claims Handler in Shipserve (International) Inc. in Piraeus, a company acting as Correspondent for a number of International Group Clubs as well as other P&I Insurers, providing immediate expert assistance and advice covering every P&I contingency throughout Greece and its environs. Theodora deals with a variety of claims (cargo/personal injury and others), making use of the knowledge she gained in Swansea on a daily basis.

Maria Kostala (Greece)

Maria obtained an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2014. Following her graduation, she started working as a lawyer at the Legal and Commercial Departments of MARITECH, a company providing services & technologies for subsea installations and marine works, including turnkey Subsea Installations & Trenching, Survey & Seabed Mapping, Offshore Support & Diving Services, Inspection-Maintenance & Repair, Seabed Dredging & Excavation, HDD Installations and Engineering & Manufactured Products for subsea works. She found the core maritime courses chosen (admiralty, carriage, charter parties, marine insurance) very helpful for the practice she is involved in. Maria’s duties include dealing with legal issues arising out of charterparties bills of lading and insurance, contract drafting/review, s&p, as well as communication with worldwide customers and operators. In January 2016, Maria joined the Claims Department of Fender S.A., a Specialty Insurance Brokerage Firm which provides intermediary services and consultancy to the Shipping Community in all Marine Insurance related aspects. 

Ivaylo Kosev (Bulgaria)

Ivalyo completed his LLM in Maritime Law in 2012. Even before the completion of his LLM, Ivalyo has secured a job in the handy tankers segment in Maersk Tankers as a chartering trainee. His duties involved chartering of their vessels on a daily basis, researching and evaluating market freight rates and dealing with various parties as charterers and shipbrokers and negotiating effective charterparty terms. Ivalyo then moved back to the UK to work in the Chartering Department of Union Maritime Ltd.,a UK based owner and operator of chemical tankers. He is currently working as CPP Tanker Broker at POTEN & PARTNERS, a company specialising in ship and commodity brokerage, research, business intelligence, consulting and commercial advisory in the energy and or ocean transportation industries.

Kristoffer Snaprud Johannessen (Norway)

Kristoffer is currently employed by Assuranceforeningen Skuld (Gjensidig) as a Senior Claims Executive. Kristoffer is a part of the P&I and Defence (FD&D) team in Skuld’s Bergen office. He takes part in the club’s People Claims group, as well as providing top quality service to ship owners and charterers in all kinds of P&I and FD&D related matters all around the world.

Arthur Jasnault (France)

Arthur Jasnault joined the LLM of International Maritime Law in September 2011 after completing his qualification as Master Mariner. He is now working in the Energy Sector for Total Trading where he is in charge of demurrage claims for refined products pursuant to trading and shipping contracts for the Far East region. He is in charge of drafting and negotiating clauses with counterparties and of applying them to the demurrage claims at non-contentious and contentious levels. His position puts him in contact with all the people involved in the trading chain from traders to oil terminal, refineries or oil tankers.

Gülşah Işık (Turkey)

Gülşah Işık obtained her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2011. Upon completion of her LLM, she spent two months at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as an intern and also had an opportunity to spend time as a trainee at Ulgener Law Firm in Istanbul. She then went to work at the Legal Department of Moore & Stephens Turkey as a legal consultant on the subjects of foreign investment, business consultancy, international commercial law disputes. Gülşah is currently employed by Omur Marine LTD as lawyer, whilst at the same time she is working towards her PhD degree at Yeditepe University, Istanbul.

Jaime Albors (Spain)

Jaime completed his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2011. He is the winner of the IISTL Prize for the best law projects (awarded in January 2012). He worked as an Associate (English & Spanish Qualified) at the London office of Clyde & Co LLP until 2016,  working in the MIT1 Marine and International Trade Department. His practice involves charterparty disputes, marine insurance, commodities and large scale litigation with special focus on Latin America and Spain. He is now employed as Associate  (Spanish & English Qualified) with  Albors Galiano & Portales, a leading Spanish maritime law firm.

Jaime Soroa Garcia (Spain)

Jaime obtained his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2006. Jaime is currently working as Managing Partner at Meana Green Maura SLP, the oldest maritime law firm in Spain. Before returning to Spain, he was employed in the City of London as Claims Executive within the Eastern Syndicate and for the Shipowners Protection Ltd, as well as Consultant at Swinnerton Moore, LLP.

Aida García de Diego (Spain)

Aida obtained an LLM in International Commercial Law in 2015. Upon completion of her LLM, she started working at Carreira Pitti PC Attorneys (Carpit), a law firm in Panama, a country that has jurisdiction over the largest merchant navy in the world. Aida act as consultant and advisor on different aspects of maritime law. Her job entails mapping the legal strategy to be followed in each case, drafting pleadings, working on providing evidence (“discovery”), researching and compiling jurisprudence, providing support in trials either in the first instance maritime courts or in appeal, as well as producing a legal response to any particular query of the firm’s international clients.

Neele Eiken (Germany)

Neele obtained an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2014. She is also the worthy winner of the HFW Admiralty Prize. In the course of her studies, she was also involved in mooting as a member of the LLM Swansea mooting team, which reached the Final of the prestigious Commercial/Maritime Mooting Competition held under the aegis of 7 King's Bench Walk, the leading Temple shipping and commercial chambers, and Informa Law, the leading publishers in the maritime field. Following her graduation, she started working at the Operations Department of RHL Reederei Hamburger Lloyd GmbH & Co KG where she obtained a practical insight of the day-to-day business of a ship owner before moving to Hamburg Süd as Claims Specialist. At Hamburg Süd she is responsible for the handling of international maritime and multimodal P&I claims which are brought against the carrier. Likewise she takes care of the supervision of colleagues handling claims in the regional offices of the company to ensure a smooth and favourable settlement of claims. Neele strongly believes that her studies at Swansea University provided her with a profound in-depth knowledge of Maritime Law and definitely were helping her in starting a hopefully successful career in the shipping industry.

Didem Dogan (Turkey)

Didem completed her LLM in International Trade Law in 2013. She is now employed as Legal Consultant / Attorney at Law at K&P Legal Law Firm, one the leading commercial law firms in Turkey. Didem's job involves advising both overseas and domestic clients on investing and doing business in Turkey, as well as providing legal consultation to Turkish companies on expanding their business abroad. Furthermore, her job entails, drafting and vetting contracts including but not limited to; every kind of International Trade Contracts (Incoterms), sales contracts, distribution contracts, joint ventures, shareholders contracts, service contracts, Transportation Contracts, Agency Agreements, and etc.

Georgia Demetriou (Cyprus)

Shortly after completing her LLM in international Maritime Law in 2009, Georgia undertook an internship (stage) at the European Commission DGMOVE, Maritime Transport and Ports Policy, Internal Market and Inland Waterways, focusing on European maritime transport policy issues and objectives. She then moved back to Cyprus where she worked inter alia as Legal Officer for the Cyprus Union of Shipowners and Advocate at Montanios & Montanios LLC. She is currently working as a lawyer at the OSM Maritime Group, being responsible for providing legal advisory services, as well as for ensuring effective management of legal and contractual risks.

Marie-Eve Delpech (France)

Marie-Eve graduated with an LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2007. She then worked as Associate (Avocat a la Cour) at DLA Piper. Her practice focused on issues related to corporations in Luxembourg, such a incorporation, liquidation, migration, acquisition of companies, restructuration of groups in relation to all types of companies (S.A., S.à r.l., S.C.A....), financial instruments issuance in the private equity, real estate and fund industry and corporate governance. In 2014, she moved to Baker & McKenzie, where she currently works as Associate (Avocat a la Cour).

Bruno Bartel (Germany)

Bruno graduated with an LL.M. International Maritime Law in 2015. Today he is working as an Offshore Broker (Chartering/S&P) at Global Renewables Shipbrokers, the first independent shipbroking house solely dedicated to the offshore renewable industry and specialist in offshore tonnage, both chartering and S&P as well as equipment. His role entails broking, drafting and negotiating offshore contracts to suit the specific needs of offshore wind farm projects from the initial construction phase until the end of O&M phase. He is also actively involved in new building/secondhand sale & purchase contracts for projects within the renewable energy industry.

Eleni Baxivanou (Greece)

Eleni graduated with an  LLM in International Maritime Law in 2013. She is the winner of the IISTL Prize for the best dissertations (awarded January 2014). She is working as an Associate with Daniolos Law Firm, a Greek firm specialised in commercial and maritime law. Eleni specializes in shipping finance transactions, mainly in the preparation and negotiation of loan agreements and other finance documents. She also represents maritime companies in the acquisition and sale of new buildings and second hand vessels.

Ioannis Batis (Greece)

Ioannis obtained an LLM in International Maritime Law in 2014. Soon after his graduation, he started working as Claims Analyst at Trafilgura, a leading commodity trading and logistics house.

Michele Autuori (Italy)

Michele obtained his LL.M. in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2010. Michele is the recipient of the IISTL Prize for the Best Law Projects (awarded in January 2010). He is currently an Associate at Watson, Farley & Williams(branch of Rome) in the Shipping Finance department. Michele areas of practice focus loan agreements, security packages, restructuring and insolvency, sale and purchase of vessels. His work experience includes, also, handling disputes and claims relating to all types of charterparties and bills of landing as well as insurance policy disputes and arrest of vessels.

Sergejs Anzinovskis (Latvia)

Sergejs graduated with an LLM International Maritime Law in 2013. After graduation, he started working as Legal Advisor for Olymp Invest Ltd, an international trade company. His job entailed negotiation, drafting and verification of international contracts, contract management for logistics sector, handling contractual and other documentary claims, as well as confidentiality agreements. He then moved to Cabot Corporation, where he worked as Tranportation Specialist. At Cabot, Sergejs arranges transportation with carriers and clients and deals with customs clearances for US and Canadian goods entering EU zone. He is also involved in  solving disputes arising out of damage to cargo and breach of the carriage contract generally. He is currently a Supplier Manager at Atea Global Services Ltd.

Javier Vigil de Quiñones Parra (Spain)

Javier completed his LLM in International Maritime Law in 2018. Shortly after finishing it, he joined ACTAM ABOGADOS, a leading Spanish maritime law firm, as legal consultant and attorney at law. His practice involves land, sea and air carriage disputes, representing major Freight Forwarders and NVOCCs, Ships and logistics Operators and Insurance companies.

Javier is also a member of the Spanish Maritime Association’s Young Section, the Spanish branch of the CMI, where he gives support to the organization in achieving its purposes of promotion of the study of maritime law, and alignment of international law. He affirms that the knowledge acquired in Swansea has smoothed his professional path in a decisive way.

Sylwia Zwolan (Poland)

Sylwia graduated with an LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2018 and she was the winner of the HFW Prize for the best performance in the Oil and Gas module. Sylwia is now employed as a lawyer with CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, a multinational law firm. She specialises in providing comprehensive legal advice to companies from the energy and natural resources sector. Sylwia advises an international mining group on issues concerning geological concessions, environmental protection law. She participated in a number of due diligence processes relating to the wind and photovoltaic farms and was also involved in solving disputes arising out of damage to cargo and breach of the carriage contract. Moreover, she is also responsible for the implementation of specific obligations of gas & oil companies resulting from legal regulations and drafting contracts.

Christina Tsoun (Greece)

Christina completed her LLM in International Maritime Law in 2007. Soon after her graduation, Christina moved to Switzerland to work for the South of England P&I Club as Claims Handler, where she was deeply involved in all types of maritime claims world-wide, such as Cargo claims, Oil Pollution, Collision, Damages to Fixed and Floating Objects, Salvage/Wreck removal, Personal Injury/Death, Stowaways, Fines and FD&D matters. Having gained considerable experience in this position, she then joined the largest and leading P&I Club, Gard, where she is currently working at the Greek office as Claims Executive handling all types of Claims, specialized in Peoples’ Claims.

Dorothee Klinkmann (Germany)

Dorothee completed her LL.M. in International Maritime Law in 2013. After graduation, she worked for DVB Bank SE in the Shipping & Offshore Sector (Amsterdam and Frankfurt) in various positions. She then moved to hsh portfolio management AöR in Hamburg, where she currently works as a Restructuring Manager. In this function, she is responsible for developing and optimising financing solutions for distressed shipping loans, and also acts as the main point of contact for clients. Dorothee benefits, in this position, from a profound knowledge of maritime law-related matters that she has gained during her studies at Swansea University in addition to her strong ship financing background.

Vuslat Ubogu (Turkey)

Vuslat obtained her master’s degree (LL.M) in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2008. Following her graduation she gained experience in several law firms in Turkey. Since 2010, she joined YILDIRIM Group where she currently heads the international trade and maritime law department as the senior legal counsel. YILDIRIM Group is one of the biggest globally diversified industrial groups in Turkey. Its subsidiaries include; Yilport Holding which maintains an enviable position amongst the top 10 port operators in the world. YILDIRIM Group also operates as a ship owner, with its own ship management companies. Other diversified areas of operation of the YILDIRIM Group include; metals commodity trading and production (mining), coal production and trade, fertilizer production and trade. Vuslat advises the group companies in all legal matters directly or indirectly related with international trade and maritime law.

Clément Petit (Luxembourg)

Clément completed his LLM in International Commercial Law in 2016. he joined the Luxembourg branch of the global law firm CMS branch immediately after and became a qualified lawyer at the Luxembourg bar in September 2018. Practicing as an Associate within the CMS Luxembourg investment fund department, he notably assists financial institutions, real estate promoters and private equity houses on investment funds structuring (regulated and non-regulated) as well as on regulatory aspects, various financing projects, securitisation undertakings and capital market matters.

Tom Goovaerts (Belgium)

After I obtained my LLM degree in International Maritime Law at Swansea University in 2016, I immediately started working as a trainee at Fransen Luyten, a reputable maritime law firm in Antwerp (Belgium).

My job fits in seamlessly with the maritime courses I took at Swansea University, which have proven to be very useful. At Fransen Luyten, I am frequently involved in many interesting wet shipping cases (especially salvage and collisions) and personal injury matters. Most of the time, we represent shipowners, charterers and their P&I insurers. Our expertise also covers assistance to Belgian or foreign banks with the Belgian aspects of cross-border ship and aircraft finance deals.

Karl Depypere (Belgium)

After studying an economically-oriented LLM in Belgium, Karl obtained his LLM in International Maritime Law from Swansea University in 2016. In October 2015, he started working as an attorney in a Belgian law firm called Roosendaal Keyzer. The firm specialises in international transport and commercial matters and has strong ties to the Port of Antwerp and its industry. Karl is involved in various maritime, transport and commercial cases, both in a national and international perspective. His main areas of expertise are maritime, commercial and cargo claims, (maritime) casualties and ship arrests. He works with several associations dealing with the maritime (legal) industry and commercial arbitration. Karl maintains strong international ties and completed an internship in 2017 at Studio Legale Mordiglia, an Italian maritime law firm based in Genova, to get acquainted with the Italian maritime legal industry.

Aikaterini Bali (Greece)

While finalizing my LLM in International Maritime Law, I undertook an internship in the United Nations- World Food Program, which was an opportunity given by Swansea University.  The LLM modules provided me with a thorough exposure to maritime law, helping me to navigate through shipping matters when drafting and/or reviewing various maritime contracts or advising on dry shipping cases. To that end, I am glad I chose to specialise in International Maritime Law at Swansea University as the LLM was well balanced between the academic and practical application of law. It is also outstanding to mention that the professors were friendly and available to contact them and ask for employability advice.

Ettore Violante (Italy)

After graduating from Palermo University of Law, Ettore enrolled in the trainee registry early in December 2014 at a Civil Law practice in Palermo.

Wanting to specialise in Shipping and Insurance Law, he studied the LLM in International Maritime Law at Swansea University. Following that, he moved to Piccinini & Partners (P&P) in November 2016.

Ettore deals with research and analysis of shipping and procedural law precedents, handles marine recoveries and general cargo claims. As a part of his traineeship program, Ettore has been seconded at Lawgical SagL (loss adjusters) in Lugano for six months and still collaborates as a legal consultant for P&I Insurance and Shipping Law. He has also been seconded at Ince & Co (London) for a period of one month, sitting in both shipping and insurance departments.