Margarita Bartzi
Business Development Manager, Margetis Maritime, Piraeus
Margarita attended the Swansea LLM Career Fair where she made useful contacts with representatives of the shipping industry. As a result of these contacts, she was offered the opportunity of an internship with M Taher & Co Solicitors. Taher & Co is an international law firm based in the Lloyds Building, which specialises in all areas of shipping, aviation, insurance and international trade. In the course of her internship, Margarita dealt with a number of cases involving, inter alia, European sanctions, a topic she has developed a particular interest in. Margarita is now employed as Business Development Manager at Margetis Maritime in Piraeus.
Gonzalo Arreche Castellanos
Claims Handler, Claims Handler, Hispania P&I Correspondents, Barcelona
As a newly employee of a P&I Club, I started handling a variety of cases focused on cargo claims, dealing with issues like cargo damage and liability disputes. This experience allowed me to apply the knowledge I have gained at Swansea University. I am grateful to the University for the strong foundation it provided, enabling me to tackle such real-world challenges with confidence.
Pablo Constenla
Head of Cyber Coverage and Claims, AON, Madrid
Pablo is a Spanish and English qualified lawyer and following his LLM, worked as a Wordings Lawyer Team Leader at Beazley and Head of Cyber Claims and Products at Marsh. Previous to this, Pablo worked at AXA XL and international law firms. He is now Head of Cyber Coverage and Claims at AON. Pablo completed his LLM in Swansea and has developed particular expertise in marine, financial lines and cyber (re)insurance over the years.
Aida García de Diego
International Legal Counsel, Erhardt, Madrid
Whilst working on her dissertation, Aida was offered an internship at Meana Green Maura & Co (MGM), the oldest and most respected maritime law firm in Spain. During her five-month internship, Aida was involved in high profile shipping cases brought before the Spanish courts. As her Swansea LLM has opened her the door to a wealth of professional opportunities in this fascinating sector, she strongly encourages future students to study at this institution which provides shipping lawyers with the necessary tools to succeed in the exciting field of Maritime law. Aida now works as International Legal Counsel at Erhardt.
Marine de Geofroy
Legal Counsel, Metinvest International SA, Geneva
Just before completing her LLM studies, Marine was offered an internship at Metinvest International SA, a trading and distribution company- part of a steel and mining group with facilities in Ukraine, Europe and the US, and exporting its steel products to over 1000 customers located in more than 75 countries through its broad international sales network. According to Forbes, Metinvest is the largest company in Ukraine and occupies the 4thplace among the largest companies in Central and Eastern Europe.
During her internship, Marine made good use of the knowledge she acquired during her LLM degree. In particular, she was given the opportunity to apply the principles she learnt while studying International Trade Law on a number of occasions, e.g. she was assigned with the task of drafting and reviewing sales contracts for steel and iron ore transactions, as well as purchase contracts of coal-all governed by English law- and she contributed to the development and improvement of clauses incorporated in sales contracts, such as Force Majeure, Sanctions and Indirect losses, Consequential Damages Exclusion clauses etc.
Moreover, she put into practice the knowledge she acquired at her Carriage of Goods by Sea, Land and Air and Charter Parties courses as she had the chance to deal with a number of legal issues arising out of multimodal transport contracts (i.e. rail and sea carriage) of products sold by Metinvest. Her internship led to a permanent position as Legal Counsel at the company’s Head Office in Geneva.
Neele Eiken
Global Risk Manager, ADM, Hamburg
After completing her LLM degree at Swansea with distinction, Neele joined the insurance department at Hamburg Süd in Hamburg. She is now with ADM - one of the largest commodity trading companies in the world. She is responsible for the coordination of the marine, cargo and warehousing insurance program on a global level. Neele has very good memories of her Swansea experience and is confident that her Swansea LLM degree has been instrumental in opening several doors to her in the shipping and insurance sectors following her graduation.
Chloe Guilfoyle
Executive Director/COO, FBA – Femmes Business Angels, Paris
After completing the LLM in International Maritime Law at Swansea University, Chloe was selected for Marsh’s Graduate Program in Paris, a two-year talent training scheme. She advised clients involved in international trade on risk management and the implementation of bespoke marine and cargo insurance policies. Chloe now works as Executive Director/COO at FBA, the leading network of female business angels in France and Europe, investing in startups.
Martin Karst
Assistant Vice President, Skuld, Copenhagen
“Studying an LLM at Swansea University will not only provide you with an in-depth knowledge of maritime law but it will also enhance your employability prospects. Throughout the year, the Department of Shipping and Trade Law arranged several visits to leading London commercial and maritime enterprises and organisations, invited visiting lectures, held career fairs and put LLM students in direct contact with senior professionals at various companies.
The close links the Department enjoys with practice presented LLM students like me an opportunity to apply for a research internship at Watson Farley & Williams, a well-esteemed international law firm in London. This opportunity was unequalled and I was fortunate to be offered a full time internship over the summer. Working side-by-side with a partner in a big law firm on a maritime-related law project has given me not only a practical knowledge of a new field but also vast experience in general methodology, research and legal writing skills. In addition, I have made personal and professional contacts which would otherwise have been impossible for an LLM student to acquire. A great experience!”
Martha Kazantzidou
Lawyer, Martha Kazantzidou Law Office, Athens
Martha was offered an internship with Zaiwalla and Co Solicitors, a London Law firm specialising inter alia in shipping law. In the course of her internship, she was assigned a wide range of tasks relating to different aspects of maritime law. In particular, she drafted and lodged lawsuits related to shipping law, prepared the necessary documentation to be submitted to the courts and also attended trials. She also dealt with general matters of maritime law, such as ship sales and purchases and vessels’ mortgagees and auctions. Martha found her internship an invaluable experience which gave her the chance to put into practice the knowledge she gained during her LLM. Martha now works as a lawyer in Greece.
Katerina Kokkala
Legal Consultant, UN World Food Programme, Athens
Katerina completed her LLM degree at Swansea University with distinction and was selected to work as an intern at the UN world programme in Rome. She is now a Legal Consultant at the UN World Food Programme.
Her job involves providing legal advice to the organisation’s internal clients, focusing on contractual arrangements, maritime issues and commodity disputes.
Theodora Kostara
Legal Officer, European Research Executive Agency (REA), Belgium
Theodora was offered a summer placement at Norton Rose Fulbright Greece, in Athens, a global legal practice, whose clients include Greek and multinational corporations, particularly in shipping, insurance and renewable energy sectors. During the summer placement she dealt with general matters of maritime law and she was assigned with tasks in the shipping litigation and shipping finance departments of the firm (i.e. drafting and proofreading legal documents and preparing the necessary documentation to be submitted to an arbitration tribunal).
During this time, Theodora developed her understanding of shipping law from a practical point of view while getting at the same time an insight of how a leading law firm operates. Theodora currently works as a Legal Officer at the European Research Executive Agency.
Magdalena Oriol Lapetra
Business Office Manager, Tecnologías NavalSub, Pontevedra
Magdalena worked as a senior lawyer at top Spanish law firm Uría Menéndez, in the Transport and Shipping Department, and is now a Business Office Manager at Tecnologías NavalSub. She completed her LLM at Swansea University and was a finalist in the University Moot Competition. Prior to studying the LLM, Magdalena was a junior litigation lawyer at the Spanish law firm Vázquez Padura Abogados, based in Madrid. She holds a degree in Journalism and a law degree from the Madrid University Carlos III.
Zoya Mehandzhiyska
Marine Assistant Underwriter, CNA Hardy, Brussels
Zoya considers herself extremely privileged to have met and to have been taught by some of the best lecturers, partners and publishers of many academic books and other many sources whilst studying her LLM at Swansea. Shortly after submitting her dissertation, she began her professional journey at Euro Marine Logistics Belgium, one of Europe’s leading short sea RoRo carriers, in the Marine & Technical department. Zoya is now employed as a Marine Assistant Underwriter at CAN Hardy
Zoya has dealt with bunker disputes, stowage planning, high & heavy study and acceptance. During her LLM studies, Zoya was also one of the Student Representatives of the course and represented Swansea as an ambassador in the 10-day Cultural Exchange programme in Nanjing, China.
Pieter-Jan Van Mierlo
Lawyer/Senior Associate, Lydian, Brussels
Straight after having graduated from Swansea, Pieter-Jan started working at a boutique maritime law firm (Bettens De Cocker Van Hemelen) in Antwerp where he mainly acted for cargo insurers in subrogation actions. He was also involved in some CMR and CIM related cases.
After working there for three years, he moved to Lydian, 2nd largest Belgian independent law firm, as a Senior Associate. He deals mainly with insurance related issues (i.e. D&O, CAR, civil and professional liability), ranging from providing coverage advice to representing insurers in court regarding important damage incidents. He is also team member of Lydian's practice group "Ports & Logistics" (listed Tier 3 for Transport by Legal 500). He also often deals with rail road incidents (derailments) on behalf of Belgium's largest rail road operator.
Marija Mihejeva
International Cargo Claims Assistant, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Latvia
Marija completed her LLM at Swansea and currently works as an International Cargo Claims Assistant in Mediterranean Shipping Company. As part of her work, she is dealing with “MSC Full Container Mishandling” cases and provides assistance on “sanctions compliance”.
She enjoyed her time at Swansea and strongly believes that the LLM in International Maritime Law not only provides a valuable opportunity to obtain in-depth knowledge on key aspects of maritime law from leading academics in the field, but also encourages students to put their knowledge into practise through case-studies, seminars, guest lectures and trips to the leading maritime companies located in London. During her time at Swansea, she also worked as a research intern on a project (Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Risks), under the supervision of Professor Soyer and Dr Leloudas.
Vincenzo Olivito
Export Area Manager, ESS-Food A/S, Barcelona
Vincenzo interned with one of the leading international maritime law firms in Italy, namely Studio Legale Zunarelli e Associati (Bologna offices) where he was given the opportunity to work with some prominent lawyers in the field. This internship provided him with valuable experience in dealing with cases involving insurance and international trade law, two of the subjects he undertook in the course of his Swansea LLM.
Vincenzo’s performance and breadth of maritime/trade law knowledge was so impressive that he was offered a chance to cooperate continuously in one of its foreign offices. He was also asked to contribute a chapter on maritime law in a book edited by Massimiliano Musi. Vincenzo currently works as an Export Area Manager in Barcelona.
Ole Ollmann
Broker, E&S Tankers, Bremen
Whilst working on his dissertations, Ole was offered an internship at Hapag-Lloyd AG, one of the oldest and most respected shipping companies in Germany and a leading globally operating container line. During his three month internship, Ole was involved in the day to day bunker procurement and bunker trade practice in the bunkering department. Ole was offered valuable inside into oil markets, trading and hedging practice as well as procurement strategies of a large container line.
He procured bunker fuels for ships, prepared the necessary documentation and also dealt with bunker claims. In addition, he dealt with general matters of the relevant law, such as general terms and conditions of sale and charter party terms pertaining to bunker fuel. Ole found his internship a great experience which gave him an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge gained during the LLM program. After completion of his internship, Ole moved to a permanent position in the chartering / operations department of a specialised tanker owner and operator. Ole now works as a broker for E&S Tankers.
Carlos Cid Parras
Socio/Legal Director, Clyde & Co, Madrid
Carlos attended an internship with Goñi & Co. Abogados (Madrid), a reputable law firm with over 50 years´ experience as an internationally recognized/respected firm that specializes in the field of Maritime Law. During his internship, he assisted Mr. Fernando Goñi, Mrs María del Amor Miranda and Mrs Carmen Codes in cases involving different aspects of shipping law, such as cargo claims, charterparties, salvage and maritime arbitration. He was tasked with assessing documents and expert evidence reports relating to marine cargo claims and also draft cargo claims letters or interpret different charterparty terms and elaborate on the validity of charterparty claims.
Carlos thoroughly enjoyed interning at Goñi & Co. Abogados, as this opportunity enabled him to make good use of all of the practical knowledge he acquired in the course of his maritime LLM in Swansea. He then undertook another internship with Waltons & Morse LLP in London, in the course of which he dealt with a variety of maritime cases. Carlos is now employed as Socio/Legal Director at Clyde & Co.
Buğra Perdar
Attorney at Law, Nereus Law Office, Istanbul
Buğra is one of the founding partners of Nereus Law Office. He specializes and has extensive experience in the fields of shipping law, maritime claims, charterparty disputes, ship finance, banking, transport, commercial and corporate law, international trade and arbitration and advises local and international clients in these fields.
Richard Rio
Associate Corporate Counsel, Amazon, Prime Air, Luxembourg
Following completion of his LLM, Richard worked as a trainee at Cargolux International Airlines. He then moved on to work as an aerospace lawyer at a global law firm, HFW, renowned for its expertise in this field. Richard now works as Associate Corporate Counsel at Prime Air. Richard has dealt with matters concerning aircraft finance, transport law, passenger claims, traffic rights, slots, security, competition law and state aid.
Pieter Rombaut
Legal Counsel, Boskalis, Papendrecht
Several months before graduation, Pieter secured a training contract at a reputable shipping law firm in Antwerp. He later joined one of the leading fixed premium P&I insurers in Rotterdam, handling a broad scope of P&I and FD&D matters. Pieter then joined Vroon, a diversified Dutch shipowner, and is now employed as Legal Counsel for Boskalis. Pieter’s experience includes looking after the company's offshore tenders, large claims and litigation, compliance issues and corporate projects, plus offering general legal support. Pieter notes that his LLM degree from Swansea has given him a solid and practically relevant base for developing his career as a maritime legal professional. Whilst at Swansea, Pieter was part of a successful mooting team that took part in the Murdock Maritime Moot.
Ugur Sadikoglu
Associate, Cavus & Coskunsu, Istanbul
Following completion of his degree, Ugur found a position at a leading maritime specialist Cavus & Coskunsu Law Firm which is based in Istanbul. He assists P&I Clubs, ship owners, H&M Underwriters in collisions, cargo claims, salvage cases and charter-party disputes.
Ugur acknowledges that his LLM degree from Swansea University has provided him a solid background in maritime law and enabled him to obtain his first job in the field soon after his graduation. He also stresses that the Swansea LLM has been taught in a practical fashion by leading academics and practitioners making it easy for him to understand practical issues facing maritime lawyers and impress those in top law firms to give him an opportunity.
Elena Tsianakidou
Solicitor/Claims Executive, Steamship Mutual, Piraeus
Elena graduated from the Law Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and completed her LLM in International Maritime Law at Swansea University with a distinction.
Having qualified as a Greek lawyer with the Piraeus Bar Association, she spent 2 years in private shipping practice. She later moved to work at a global general insurance company (Allianz Insurance) in London and then to the claims department of West of England, one of the International Group of P&I Clubs, in London with claims handling responsibility for the Greek as well as international membership of the Association. Elena now works for Steamship Mutual as a Syndicate Claims Executive.
Ioanna-Maria Tsoka
Claims Executive, UK Defence Club, Piraeus
Ioanna-Maria graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Law School. She then studied for her LLM in International Maritime Law at Swansea University from which she graduated with distinction. She also received two prizes, one for the best performance among LLM students in Part 1 of the LLM programme and one for the best performance among LLM students in the module of Carriage of Good by Sea.
Shortly after completing her studies, Ioanna joined Transport Counsellors International Ltd of Piraeus, a team of English Maritime law advisors, which recently have entered into association with the C Solution Group of Companies. She now works for UK Defence Club as a Claims Executive. Ioanna has dealt with all issues related to dry shipping including but not limited to charterparty disputes, cargo claims, issues related to bills of lading, performance claims and laytime-demurrage disputes. She has been involved in numerous arbitrations. Ioanna has represented ship-owners, operators, charterers, P&I Clubs, traders, cargo interests and insurance companies working also closely with adjusters, brokers and surveyors.
