Student Portrait: Daniel Reineke - Two for One

2019-12-19 Daniel Reineke has made an important career leap: He is not only a specialist lawyer for public procurement law; Daniel Reineke also has his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in his pocket. With a part-time programme at the Professional School he was able to achieve both.

If a public building is to be constructed, good builders are needed. If a school is equipped with a new IT system, it needs computer scientists. If a city is buying electric buses, engineers are at the negotiating table. In addition to these experts, many larger public procurement projects also involve lawyers specialising in public procurement law. For some time now, not only German budgetary law has had to be observed when awarding public contracts. All larger public contracts must now be awarded according to the extensive rules of European public procurement law. Daniel Reineke was already fascinated by this complex field of law during his studies at the University of Hanover. The lawyer also focused on it when choosing stations during his legal traineeship. "Public procurement law is about using large sums of taxpayers' money as economically as possible", explains the 32-year-old. According to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the public sector awards contracts worth hundreds of billions of euros every year. To prevent bribery or price fixing, for example, the procedures are highly structured and legally complicated. They often last for months.

There are various ways to become a specialist lawyer for public procurement law. Daniel Reineke decided to study Competition and Regulation LL.M. at the Leuphana Professional School while working: "The specialist committee for public procurement law of the bar association recognised the Master of Laws as a specialist part. Now I am not only a specialist lawyer, but I also have an international degree. That's two for one." The three-semester course is conducted entirely in English. European Union public procurement law is part of the curriculum. 

Tuition fees paid by employer

Reineke works for a medium-sized law firm in Hanover. His employer paid the tuition fees. "He attaches great importance to continuing education. The law on subsidies is also taught in the programme, which is part of the law firm's profile", explains Reineke. State aid law regulates whether the state may favour companies, for example, through subsidies, debt relief, loans at reduced rates or the transfer of real estate. State aid law thus also serves the realisation of the European Single Market, but in contrast to public procurement law, it is exclusively regulated by European law. Thanks to the international degree, Daniel Reineke can therefore also imagine a career abroad: "The Master of Laws is recognised especially in law firms in other European countries." 

The path to becoming a specialist lawyer with an additional Master's degree was not an easy one: "Working 40 to 50 hours a week in the law firm, then cramming for another 20 hours for university. Self-discipline is part of the course", says Reineke. But the support from the programme coordinators and lecturers was excellent. "The lawyer Helge Heinrich, for example, is one of the most important experts on state aid law. In the specialised lawyer courses, on the other hand, you always hear about lecturers who are not so good", says Reineke. Flexibility was also a decisive factor for the lawyer: the Master's degree in Competition and Regulation LL.M. is offered as a distance learning programme with few attendance phases. From the new start of the programme in March 2020, it will even take place entirely online. 

Applications for this programme are still possible until 31 January 2020. 

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©Leuphana/Kersten Benecke
Vice-President Jörg Terhechte with alumni Daniel Reineke.