Janet Kočo (25) was born in Frankfurt a.M. and graduated from the Quirinus Gymnasium, Neuss in 2015.

 Before starting her studies in European Legal Linguistics at the University of Cologne, which she successfully completed, she spent a month in an English language summer school in Eastbourne.

During her legal linguistics studies with a main focus on the European Union and the French language, she also took Spanish and Turkish language classes. She was always passionate about languages, since she grew up in a family environment with three first languages: French, Bosnian and German. At the same time, she also wanted to study law, that is why she enrolled in the Faculty of Law right after obtaining her bachelor’s degree. During her Legal Linguistics studies, she first encountered international law, which sparked her interest immensely to specialize in International and European Law. She also spent a month abroad as an intern in an international law firm in Istanbul, where she gained some insight into the job of a lawyer. As a Legal Linguistics student, she gained first experiences speaking in public as she had the opportunity to give a talk in the European Parliament in Brussels and in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg during a university seminar class.

Participating in The Leiden Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition is a unique opportunity for her to improve her argumentation skills and to deepen her knowledge in international law and air law. She is looking forward to work with a team that is interested in the same field of law as she is and to meet like-minded students from all over the world.

Malte Amelung (22) was born in 1999 in Venlo (Netherlands). After moving to Germany at the age of three, he grew up near Frankfurt (Main) where he finished his high school (A-level) at the Albert-Einstein-Schule, Schwalbach am Taunus. He grew up in a bilingual environment (German and Dutch).

From the very early stages of his student life, he developed an interest in the fields of logic and debating, which led him to his first internship, at a corporate law firm in Berlin which emphasised on the fields of regulated markets (energy, healthcare, media and telecommunications), in the area of venture capital and policy-related issues.

Being inspired by this experience after finishing school he immediately started his law studies at the Goethe-University Frankfurt in 2017. As he wanted to learn more about the various aspects of law, he did many different internships, for example at the district court of Frankfurt in the special field of psychiatric care, where he learned about the different tasks of a judge and the procedures of the court. Following the above, he pursued another internship in a renowned law firm which specialised in the fields of tax law and commercial law, where he polished his skills in the areas of researching, assisting on cases and contract drafting. After his 6th semester he decided to enrol at the University of Cologne for the second part of his studies, in order to focus more on international law.

After two semesters there, he applied for the Sarin Leiden Moot Court in order to get further practical experience in international law and to get in touch with people with the same academic interests. He is really looking forward to delve into the amazing world of aviation law and to enrich his associated knowledge and skills.

In his leisure time, Malte likes to play the violin, something that led him to participate in the Frankfurt University Orchestra. He also is a passionate handball player and a coach for youth teams.

Natalija Djaković (21) was born in Altötting in 2000 and graduated from the Ruperti-Gymnasium Mühldorf am Inn in 2018.

After she completed her A-Levels she had an internship in the Serbian Embassy in Berlin, where she attended various conferences held by the Aspen institute, embassies and other hosts. Her duties included, the writing of reports about the aforementioned events and translating articles. Natalija, was eager to learn about the topic of Eastern European expansion of the EU and did a lot of research about current political developments. Furthermore, she enjoyed working in the field of the law of nations and decided to go to law school at University of Cologne in order to learn more about international law.

After her internship, she spent three months in Ghana and worked at Maranatha High School in Accra as a teacher. Currently she is in her third year of law school and works as a student research assistant at the chair for international relations and foreign policy. As student research assistant, she edits scientific surveys, essays and book reviews which are consequently published in a scientific journal. Furthermore, she participates at the Certificate in US Law Program, as she is always keen on learning about different legal perspectives from all over the world.

Besides English and German, she additionally speaks fluently Serbian and French and used the pandemic to attend French classes in order to improve her skills. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, skiing, boxing and reading.

Natalija, appreciates new challenges, enjoys working with her Leiden Sarin Moot Court Team and can’t wait to meet experts and like-minded students from all around the globe, who are interested in the same areas of law as she is.

Das Leiden-Sarin Moot Court Team 2020

v.l.n.r. Fortios Zarotis, Ben Riedel, Luke Thomas

Fotios Zarotis was born in Cologne and successfully completed a bilingual school education with classes taught in English as well as German in 2017.

He currently studies law at the University of Cologne in his third year and has successfully completed his basic studies. In an internship at a lawyer´s office Mr. Zarotis had the opportunity to experience the application of legal provisions from several areas of law in practice as well as to witness the work of a lawyer.

In his opinion, the Sarin-Leiden Moot Court presents a great opportunity to compete with and learn from students from other countries and broaden his horizon by deepening his knowledge on international law and aviation law.

Ben Riedel grew up in Bad Krozingen, a small town near Freiburg. There, he visited a school until the 10th class before changing to a sports boarding school in Essen in 2010. He finished high school and graduated later in 2013.

Following that, he participated in a one-year volunteering programme in southern India with Service Civil International (SCI) an organization in which he is still a current member of the board. The year in India turned out to be his first encounter to international cooperation. The decision to study law with public international law as a focus subject was highly influenced by the experiences made during the year.

In the summer of 2019, after having finished the state’s examinations, Ben Riedel made the decision to engage in the Sarin moot court, as this would be a great opportunity to have practical experience concerning public international law.  Furthermore, this participation would not only improve English language skills but also his rhetorical abilities in a foreign language. Since aviation law had not yet been a field that was tackled during his studies, Ben Riedel also hopes to gain the ability to easily engage in any legal issues encountered for the first time.

Luke Thomas was born in Düsseldorf and graduated from the Gymnasium Essen Werden in 2016.

He moved to Cologne for his studies where he is currently in his 6^th semester of law at the University of Cologne. He spent two semesters studying abroad at the University College London, where he got a first insight into public international law and a foreign legal system.

Following his experience, he wants to acquire a deeper understanding of this field of law and obtain experience in practicing public international law. As a participant of the Leiden-Sarin Moot Court, he hopes to improve his rhetorical abilities in English. Additionally, he wishes to gain knowledge about Aviation Law. Luke is looking forward to achieve these goals by working in a team with people who are sharing these interests with him.

Das Leiden-Sarin Moot Court Team 2019

v.l.n.r. Kerem Öntas, Leona Coloma Rebolledo, Lenart Osten

Kerem Öntas (21) was born in Aachen and graduated bilingually from the Couven-Gymnasium, in which the courses of geography, history and politics were entirely taught in English, in 2015. Since 2016, he studies law at the University of Cologne. Currently, he is enrolled in his sixth semester.

In his free time, Kerem volunteers for the German Red Cross by assisting senior citizens. In addition, he participates in the Refugee Law Clinic Cologne, a programme which provides legal support for migrants.

Kerem applied for the Sarin-Leiden Moot Court because of his interest in public international law and his enthusiasm to dwell upon the field of air law, which is barely dealt with during regular studies. Through the moot court experience, Kerem wants to expand his legal vocabulary and further strengthen his team-work skills.

Leona Coloma Rebolledo (23) was born in Wiesbaden and graduated from Internatsschule Schloss Hansenberg in 2013. She then moved to Cologne where she is currently studying law in her 9^th semester at the University of Cologne. In 2016, she spent a semester abroad at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. During this time, she not only improved her Spanish skills, but was also able to gain knowledge of foreign legal systems. Leona already finished her state examination and is currently specializing in public international law and European law. By participating in the Sarin Moot Court, she hopes to deepen her knowledge of public international law and to gain an insight into Aviation Law, a field of law, which is given little attention in the course of regular studies. Furthermore, Leona is convinced that the Moot Court is a great opportunity to improve her English skills in terms of legal writing and speaking. She is looking forward to working in a team and to meeting new challenges together.

Lennart Osten (21) is currently in his 5^th semester of studying law at the University of Cologne. He was born in Bergisch Gladbach, where he graduated from the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Gymnasium in 2015. In 10^th grade, he attended a boarding school in Boca Raton in the United States. After graduating, he spent half a year of social service (BFD) in a retirement home. As a participant of the Leiden-Sarin Moot Court, Lennart hopes to gain insights into the practical application of law beyond the academic setting and improve his rhetorical abilities. He looks forward to intense work with his team and to diving deeper into the field of public international law.

Christian Goldkuhle (22) was born in Essen, where he graduated from the Goethe-Gymnasium. During the 10th grade, he went to a British Boarding School. After spending half a year of social service (FSJ), he started studying law at the University of Cologne. Currently he is in his sixth semester. Besides the studies, Christian volunteers at the student law clinic Studentische Rechtshilfe für Senioren (SRSK) Köln. Christian sees his participation in the Sarin Moot Court as a unique opportunity to go beyond the theoretical studies of ordinary German law studies and to increase his confidence, independence and rhetorical skills. The Moot Court enables him to extend his understanding of law from an international perspective. Furthermore, it will be a chance to improve his language skills regarding law-related terminology. As his previous courses predominately entail independent work, he appreciates the opportunity to engage in a groups. Finally, air law specifically aroused his interest and he is looking forward to participating in such a pertinent field of law.

Emilia Klix (21) was born in Neustadt (Aisch) and graduated from the Laurentius-Gymnasium Neuendettelsau in 2015. After that, she moved to Cologne where she currently studies law at the University of Cologne and is in her 5th semester. Due to her great interest in intercultural exchange, she participated in various international youth exchanges and simulations, such as Policy & International Security and Model United Nations during her time in school. Essential parts of these projects were discussing and dealing with international issues and topics with the goal of finding innovative solutions. These experiences encouraged her to study law. At University, Emilia pursues her curiosity by taking part in the CUSL-Program on U.S. American Law and most importantly the Leiden-Sarin Air Law Moot Court. Emilia aspires to broaden her knowledge in Air Law as it is an exceptional and interesting area of law. She is looking forward to intense team work and the opportunity to improve her rhetorical skills.

Jonas Klein (23) studies law at the University of Cologne and is enrolled in the state-certified examination programme in his 6th semester. He was born in Lahnstein where he graduated from the Johannes-Gymnasium in 2014. During his school days he has participated in a High School programme in Palmerston North, New Zealand at Freyberg High School and has been involved in a student exchange programme with the Fremdsprachengymnasium Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In doing so, he became a curious student, who is interested in working with people of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In addition to his studies, Jonas volunteers for the student law clinic -Studentische Rechtshilfe für Senioren (SRSK) Köln. There he acquires first-hand experience in legal consultation. As a participant of the Sarin International Air Law Moot Competition he strives to expand his theoretical knowledge in public international law. Furthermore, he endeavours to improve his rhetorical skills in the English language. Jonas is looking forward to the tasks and challenges ahead and the intense cooperation with his team members.

Photo of the Leiden-Sarin Moot Court Team with their coach Ben Scott on the right hand side.