Page 20 / De iure September 2018
Graduate Spotlight
At Home
Mustafa Senel has spent
his career pursuing his
passion for law. Having
graduated from the law
faculties of Istanbul Bilgi
University and Freie
Universität Berlin, he has
been able to experience
the academic world at
a truly international
level. We caught up with
Mustafa, originally from
Turkey, for a chat about
his experiences at TAU
Law and why he feels at
home here.
After completing his LL.B., Mustafa
Senel began working at one of the most
reputable law firms in Turkey. He then
earned an LL.M. in Business Law from
Freie Universität Berlin. With a strong
interest in technology, he decided the
Parasol Foundation International LL.M.
Program was the next step to take in
reaching his goals. A fresh graduate,
Mustafa completed the program in the
Law and Technology track in 2018.
What attracted you to study at Tel Aviv
University?
“It was more of a personal reason to begin
with. I didn’t know much about Israel or
Tel Aviv University; I was in Berlin, I
had completed my previous master’s and
on board to commence my PhD… but
I didn’t like the academic approach in
Berlin. Let’s call it stylistic differences,” he
smiles. “My girlfriend was in Israel and
we decided to give it a go. We considered
her coming to Istanbul, where I am
from, or me coming to Israel. Eventually
we opted for the latter. I was already
interested in technology law, privacy
and data protection, and having carried
out extensive research I found the best
place to pursue these fields in Israel is the
International LL.M. Program. It really
paid off.”
How does TAU Law differ academically
to other institutions you have attended?
“Well, I studied mostly in Turkey, then
in Germany and a term in France, so
it’s worth noting that my remarks are
limited by my experience. But what is
fascinating to me is that the professors
are always approachable and available
here; they embrace students. Plus, if
you’re up to the task and want to delve
into a particular field, then they give