Page 21 / De iure September 2018
Tell me what you found unique about
the Tech track and what drew you to it.
Adv. Mustafa Senel feels at home in Israel
you everything they have. Compared to
my experiences in Turkey, Germany and
France, studying at TAU Law has been a
much more collaborative experience.”
Can you give an example?
“In France, a professor would give a
lecture, and that would be the end of it.
You would not see him again. In Germany
my experience was a little better, but
still nowhere near as collaborative. In
Istanbul, too, you knew your place. The
degree of informality and open channel
of communication between faculty and
students in Israel is something I have
never experienced before. Another
example is that Israeli professors insist on
being addressed by their first name, which
was new for me. They acknowledge your
presence on an individual and personal
level, which is amazing.”
How would you describe some of the
cultural differences and similarities
between Turkey and Israel?
“Culturally we are kind of the same.
Geographically, Turkey is just ‘up the
road’ from Israel… so we share many
cultural similarities. I can immediately
get the signals. For instance, I’m sure
you know the cliché about ‘rude Israelis’,
I know that’s not true because I know
the signals. Day to day life and social
interactions are similar. This br ings me to
the next point; if you develop a friendly
rapport with a professor, then there is
often no hierarchical difference. They
really do support you and allow you to
take your time, etc. Opening the door is
much easier here. In Istanbul, professors
are also friendly, I am still in contact with
some of my old professors, but you have to
push much harder to open that door. The
process of collaborative learning is much
better and smoother in Israel.”
“I was an arbitration lawyer; business,
mergers and acquisitions, and then I
decided to complete my master’s in
business law. At the end of it, problems
arising from big data, and data protection
and privacy, were becoming major
issues. I decided to bring privacy and
competition law together for a PhD. From
a research standpoint, while I had a good
understanding of competition law, my
problem was with data protection. I didn’t
know where to start and how to distinguish
it from consumer or competition law.
I needed to set a structure and devise a
brand new methodology. The program
helped focus my head and gave me the
tools I needed. My main courses were
with Prof. Michael Birnhack, head of
the Program. In the second semester, I
attended a workshop by Prof. Avraham
Tabbach and Dr. Shay Lavie and had to put
a lot of effort into honing my knowledge
and skills of economic analysis of the law,
but it really paid off. Aside from that, I
took American Privacy Law, which is
important because they have a totally
different approach to privacy, and some IP
issues. I am overjoyed with my experience
at TAU Law.”
So what’s next?
“Hopefully a PhD. I’m happy here. I feel
at home. Another thing I like in Israel is
the sense of humor, a kind of crude and
cynical British humor, like in Turkey. I
feel at home here. I’m at peace. You know,
people always say to me ‘Oh, wow, you
really picked the place to be at peace!’
but to be honest, in my personal life, I
am at peace… and most importantly I am
absolutely delighted with the standard of
education here.” •