Meeting with Liana Cercel, Graduate of LLM in Transnational Arbitration & Dispute Settlement, 2018

In a word, I would describe my profile as 'foreign'. As a Romanian New York Attorney with an English law degree, a French postgraduate parcours and Spanish-based work experience, it remains characterised as such wherever I go. In the words of one of my former professors, I am "everywhere and nowhere at the same time."

My experience at the Sciences Po Law School started in my undergrad when I got accepted into an exchange program organized with my university in London. I have the fondest memories of my English university, but will never forget the feeling of 'home' I got when I started at Sciences Po - and that prompted me to return less than a year later for my LLM, as the first-ever generation of the LLM in Transnational Arbitration & Dispute Settlement (TADS) program. Sciences Po first and foremost cultivates an indescribable sense of community, from our classmates and alumni to our professors and management. For me, it was the bonds I build here that truly defined my career - and continue to do so - along with the ironclad knowledge that the Law School launched me with.

I am currently working in international arbitration, which has been and remains my calling. After working in several great teams in Paris (along with, or led by, Sciences Po colleagues, alumni and professors), my next adventure led me to Madrid, working in a leading boutique of arbitrators. Working closely with Prof. Dr. Juan Fernández-Armesto, I have had the privilege of being involved in many high-profile, complex arbitrations - but also to return to Sciences Po as a teaching assistant, in the same TADS program I was in.

Be patient, trust yourself and never give up. As stimulating and instructive as the course may be, it is also an intensive program. Moreover, finding your first job or returning to one can be challenging. For me, it was a road full of rejections, trying moments and testing dilemmas. Nevertheless, nothing is as rewarding as the door which finally opens after the key did not fit the other 50 before; you will not be the same person you were when you first started knocking. My advice is to be prepared to capitalize on your abilities as well as your weaknesses, both from an academic as well as professional perspective. Aside from a solid skill foundation and access to a stellar network, the practical nature of the program offers the opportunity to build personal strength, perseverance and ultimately confidence.