Utrecht University graduate Louise Roche shares her experience with environmental law and law of the sea
Louise Roche, a graduate of Utrecht University with an LLM in public international law, was interviewed about her academic career, what brought her to Utrecht and what she has been doing after finishing her LLM in Utrecht. She also reflects on how she is developing her career.
Could you tell us something about your academic career before starting the master in Utrecht?
“Before coming to UU, I attended Paris-Nanterre University in Paris and earned a bachelor’s degree in law, and specialised in Public Law in Clermont-Ferrand, my hometown back in France. I did three years of Bachelor before moving to Angers, for my first year of Master, to specialise in International and European Law. Then, not knowing what I wanted to specialise in, I decided to take a gap year in Bristol, in the UK. There, I continued going to some classes of international law, but I mostly perfected my English as I knew I wanted to work on the international scene.
This gap year paved the way to my second Master year, where I decided to move to Paris. I specialised in international law and studied more in-depth international law and climate change. I also had the chance to participate in an international negotiations moot where, over the course of 24 hours, student teams face a series of major international crises. We represented governments, international organisations, businesses or NGOs in dealing with a variety of legal issues providing legal opinion, advising a client, negotiating on behalf of a client or elaborate diplomatic or judicial strategies. That is how, through the Master and the moot competition, I discovered the international law of the sea, studying cases regarding maritime delimitation, but also the protection of the marine environment.”
Why did you choose the Master PIL at Utrecht University and why the OES track?
“Having touched upon law of the sea and the environment during my second year of Master in Paris, I decided that I wanted to know more. This is when I landed in Utrecht, which seemed to me one of the best and the only master offering that specific combination of specialisations. Utrecht’s LL.M with its track in the Environment, Oceans and Sustainability proved to be the right fit! Furthermore, I knew that my two previous years of Master had been particularly general, I wanted to branch out and specialise myself to make sure I have all the strings on my bow to enter in international organisations. It led me to apply to Utrecht University and chose this academic career path.”
What has been your career path after finishing your master program at Utrecht University?
“While being on the final road of the Master, writing the thesis, I applied for an internship to the European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD), an NGO based in Brussel that is organising events for Members of the European Parliament on environmental and sustainability issues currently under discussions in the European Union. It is where I fully started to grasp the reality of how the European Union is functioning. It was interesting to witness how the European Parliament was working and interacting with NGOs but also with the European Commission and European Council, among others.
It seems strange that I ended up in Brussels, as the Master in Utrecht was much more focused on the international sphere – although European law is part of it – and I was more focused on entering into international organizations or international courts. I decided nonetheless to apply to the European Commission’s traineeship which ended up a success as I was selected for a traineeship in DG MARE (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries). I worked in the unit in charge of Fisheries management in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the same unit I am now employed in.”
What would you like to share about your experience in your current position?
“Working at the European Commission provides a unique insight allowing to grasp how the legal and political sides are getting together to make the “machine” work. Most of my academic career was focused on legal studies, of course, while also touching upon politics and diplomacy, but you never get a clear idea of how it concretely works in practice. Now, as a policy officer in fisheries management for the Mediterranean and Black Sea, I can apply what I have learned through all my studies, but also adapt my work to political and diplomatic demands, which is fascinating. I get the opportunity to discuss on the ground with fishermen, stakeholders, NGOs, but also representatives of Member States to apply the best management measures not only regarding the law and science, but also the socioeconomic impacts.”
Any advice for students who want to pursue a career in the field of OES?
“Go for it, it is filled with immense career opportunities. Going to UU and specialising in the field of OES was one of the best decisions I made. It opened an immense diversity of opportunities, now more than ever, considering the circumstances in which the world is evolving. Not only will you have a strong basis in and knowledge of international law, but you will also have a clear knowledge of how to use it in the context of OES. Another advice would be to never stop exploring this fascinating ocean and environment world, too often unknown. From marine biology, marine geoengineering, energy transition to environmental law or international conflict, a range of interconnected job positions and opportunities are opened. A last general piece of advice would be not to get engrossed in building a linear or straight career path. Every job and every experience bring you skills and knowledge you never thought you could touch upon and that would be useful for the roads to come.”