LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights: What our Students Say

17 January 2019

In this interview, Jörn Eiermann, currently enrolled in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, tells us about the programme and life in Geneva.

About Me

My name is Jörn. I spent the last seven years working in the field of international law at the United Nations (UN) in New York, where I represented a Member State as legal adviser. Before that, I obtained my Master from the University of Bath, Science Po Paris and Humboldt Universität Berlin as part of a joint degree programme. I did my Bachelor at Maastricht University.

Why did you choose the LLM at the Geneva Academy?

Several of my colleagues working at the UN had completed this LLM programme and spoke very highly of it. I choose to enrol because I wanted to get a deeper insight into international criminal law, international humanitarian law, human rights and public international law. At work, you often do not have time to properly study the cases, theories and points of controversy.

What are you particularly enjoying about your studies?

I like the group of students, which is super international and the atmosphere is very cooperative. Many people have worked before and bring a different point of view to the table. I was a bit concerned before starting that I might be one of the oldest (I’m 33), but it turned out not to be the case. I see the strength of the programme in the different areas of law, which slightly overlap and thereby allow me to study an issue/incident from various angles, possibly applying several branches of international law.

How is the Teaching?

Overall, the teaching quality is good. It is an interesting mix of practitioners and academics. The teaching assistants are all great, very approachable and oftentimes more structured than the professors themselves.

What are you planning to do next?

In parallel to my studies, I am currently working part-time as a Legal Officer at the UN in the field of international criminal law. Ideally, I plan to switch to full-time once the programme is over. It would also be great to explore opportunities to gain more field experience in the next couple of years and to continue working in academia on the side.

Why did you choose to be photographed on top of the Palais des Nations?

With this photo, I tried to encapsulate my love for the outdoors as well as my professional interest to work internationally.