Germany – Alice
Student: Alice
Course: Bachelor of Laws
Program: Short-term partner program
Describe the city you were living in: the landscape, the culture, the weather etc.
Hamburg is a maritime city filled with winding canals, striking brick architecture, and green spaces centred around the Alster lakes. The weather during the summer programme was warm, perfect for long evenings unwinding by the water after lectures. Hamburg seamlessly blends its historic trading legacy with a modern tech scene, making it an inspiring place to study.
Describe a normal day in your life overseas: your university, your work placement or your study tour?
A typical day at Bucerius Law School involved fast-paced learning at the forefront of legal technology. Mornings began with lectures from global figures on topics like agentic workflows and European AI regulations. We also worked in groups testing AI Legal tools like Legora and evaluating automation models. A highlight was our study trip to Berlin, where we visited powerhouses like YPOG, RA-MICRO, and Flightright to see first-hand how legal tech scales under frameworks like the EU AI Act.
How did you make friends and what sort of things did you do together?
Our cohort included law students, lawyers, and specialists from Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Working in cross functional teams during workshops and our hackathon built trust and deep friendships quickly. Outside class, we explored the city, shared meals, and navigated the canals together. Sharing how we automate visa workflows Down Under helped me form lifelong global connections with peers passionate about legal innovation.
How did you decide which study abroad opportunity to do?
As a final year law student working as a migration agent at Matilda Migration, an AI native startup, I wanted an overseas opportunity aligned with my career. The summer programme at Bucerius Law School stood out globally as a premier destination for legal tech. Learning directly from experts like Prof. Daniel Katz and Dr. Jenni Hakkarainen made it the clear choice to sharpen my skills and bring best practices back to Australia.
What is the one big thing you will always remember from your experience? Or one big lesson that you learnt?
My key takeaway was realising that scaling an AI native practice is as much about process reengineering, ethics, and compliance as software engineering. Unpacking language models alongside European regulatory standards taught me to deploy AI strategically without compromising precision. Working under tight deadlines during our hackathon proved how rapidly an international multidisciplinary team can align on complex problems when united by a shared mission to make legal support accessible.
How will your trip add value to your studies ie. Did you gain credit? Was it to increase your employability?
This experience enhanced both my academic understanding and professional employability. By immersing myself in AI governance and process automation, I returned to Melbourne with tools that directly elevate my daily work. It broadened my perspective on regulatory compliance and bridging legal doctrine with software development. Seeing how legal AI is deployed internationally gives me a distinct edge as I finish my degree and build tech driven legal solutions.