Off to new horizons!

Wrapping up the 17th Program in International and Comparative Business Law

News EN |

How quickly time can pass in a life measured in semesters… With the year drawing to a close, so too ends another chapter in the annals of the Bucerius Exchange Program—a chronicle of internalization that began back in 2002. Though it feels as if the Law School community just welcomed the 96 students to campus, it has in fact already been a third of a year that they have spent getting to know Hamburg, Bucerius and their peers.

While members of the bachelor’s cohort who began legal studies in 2016 made their way across the globe, guests from 93 partner universities traveled to Hamburg to take possession of the lockers and desks left unoccupied by the students bound for a term abroad.

A diverse list of subjects taught by a faculty of both academics and practitioners recognized within their respective fields was assembled: courses focusing on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (mediation, negotiation and arbitration) as well as a seminar on international mergers and acquisitions were again quite popular.

New for 2018 was a course to treat international commercial litigation. The investigation into the subject was led by Prof. Dr. Peter Huber of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, a familiar face on campus who has lectured numerous times within the Bucerius Summer Program in International Business Law.

To get a feel for Hamburg and smaller towns across the North of Germany, students took part in an extracurricular program that included walking tours, visits to museums and the yearly study trip to the capital. Special highlights for participants included a guided tour through the Elbphilharmonie and, while in Berlin, an opportunity to gain insight into "the heart of democracy in the Federal Republic" during a visit to the German Bundestag.

An additional diversion from the demands of legal coursework came in the form of German classes in which visiting students were able to acquire or expand their language skills.

Continuing the trend, program evaluations by participants were again quite positive this year—a sentiment reflected in the bonds and friendships forged over the course of the months in Germany. As program participants return to their home universities, we hope they will look back on their time in Hamburg with fondness and remain in close contact as part of the Law School’s ever-growing global alumni network!

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Lena Johannes, Program Manager International Office