Utrecht University graduate Louis Lambrechts shares his experience with environmental law and law of the sea

Louis Lambrechts, a graduate of Utrecht University with an LLM in public international law, was interviewed about his academic career, what brought him to Utrecht and what he has been doing after finishing her LLM in Utrecht, and he reflects on how he is developing his career.

Could you tell us something about your academic career before starting the master in Utrecht?

“Before starting the Public International Law master program at Utrecht University, I studied Law (LLB) at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. To me, the law is one of the most powerful tools to drive meaningful, lasting change, and it is this belief that steered my academic and professional decisions.”

Why did you choose to pursue the master PIL at Utrecht University and why the OES track?

“Throughout my LLB, my main interest was in human rights, which led me to write my dissertation on climate-induced migration and human rights. Through this research, I discovered one of the many examples where environmental and human rights issues are intrinsically connected. This triggered my curiosity for environmental justice, and it became clear to me that I wanted to explore this further. When I stumbled across the UU PIL master and discovered it was possible to dig into both environmental law and law of the sea, while having the possibility to take a few human rights related courses, it felt like – and certainly was – a perfect fit.

When I mention having studied the law of the sea to people, many have little to no idea about this field. To be completely honest, neither did I when I started. As it turns out, it rapidly captivated me, and still does. I ended up writing my thesis on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, yet another issue where environmental and human rights challenges are intertwined, this time with the added layer of fisheries management and governance.

Long story short, I knew what I was coming into the master for – but certainly had not foreseen all that I’d get out of it in the end.”

What has been your career path after finishing the master?

“I graduated from Utrecht University amidst the COVID pandemic, and first started by writing articles and conducting research from the comfort of my home for different NGOs, such as ClientEarth, OurFish and the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements. These were small but important opportunities, which I got by reaching out directly to many – really, many – NGOs I was interested in, offering my help.

Soon after, once travel resumed, I moved to Cape Town to work for Natural Justice, a South African NGO, where I met a wonderful team of lawyers working to protect communities’ environmental and human rights across Africa. My human rights specialisation during my undergraduate studies paired with what I learned throughout the OES track at Utrecht University were therefore instrumental. After that, I eventually moved back to Belgium to join the oceans team at the WWF European Policy Office.

While I miss working directly with and for communities, I now have the incredible chance to spend my days working to protect what I am most passionate about – the ocean. As my work is focused on IUU fishing, amongst other topics, I am also lucky to continue working on subjects I am particularly interested in (and, thanks to the OES track, knowledgeable about). Funnily enough, I now work closely with all the people who offered me these first small opportunities I mentioned earlier.”

What would you like to share about your experience in your current position?

“My current work is a hectic mix of research, advocacy and campaigning. I feel very privileged to work on topics I’m passionate about, some of which I discovered at UU. For instance, through the OES track, I learned about the BBNJ Agreement, and I then contributed to the WWF campaign around it through advocacy efforts towards EU decisionmakers; I learned about IUU fishing, and now I’m working with governments to improve (or introduce) laws designed to fight IUU fishing; I learned about regional fisheries management organisations, now I’m attending their meetings – and so on.

And all this time I’m meeting truly inspiring lawyers, scientists, politicians, activists, academics, and working with an extensive network of experts from all over the world. Working with a well-established NGO also meant I was rapidly invited to speak in panels, in conferences or at the European Parliament for instance. This comes with a healthy dose of stress, naturally, but most importantly, provides me with opportunities to meet and exchange with experts from all horizons.

At the same time, legislative processes are very slow, complex and sometimes tedious, especially at the EU and global level, and I’d be lying if I said that it isn’t often challenging to stay motivated and driven. You can spend months working on a few sentences if not words in a legislative proposal, which may sound ridiculous to some, but these few words can have a huge impact. The extremely political dimension of the work is another challenge. You can spend years developing detailed, robust legal and scientific analyses to inform policy makers, but whether the message gets across depends on a plethora of factors you often have little control over.”

Any advice for students who want to pursue a career in the field of OES?

“Ironically, for a field dedicated to facing the biggest challenges of our generation, getting that first job can be difficult and competitive. Everyone graduating from this master has what it takes, without a doubt, but it’s crucial to seek and seize any opportunity life throws at you. For me, it all started with writing a short blog article after having sent hundreds of emails to all organisations and people I could think of, and one thing leading to another, I found a job I am thrilled about.

Having a clear objective as to what you want to work on is important of course, but make sure not to let it narrow your focus too much. It is an extremely complex field, and a topic which may seem uninteresting can quickly become fascinating once you dive into it. To me, something like fisheries management seemed quite dull at first… now I can’t get enough of it.”