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.