Student portrait: Lukas Mönter - The representative of interests

When Lukas Mönter packed the big law books on criminal and public law into his bag after a long day at university, he realised: this is not how he had imagined studying. "I realised that the profession of a classic fully-fledged lawyer was not the right one for me. I'm much more interested in what's behind the text of the law than just working on it," explains the 23-year-old. At the time, he was still studying in Berlin. Since then he has been working part-time in his father's office: "He is a civil engineer and works in the real estate industry. You learn a lot about entrepreneurship there." Business and civil law therefore remain exciting for Lukas Mönter. 

And he has a second hobbyhorse - politics: "I'm interested in democratic processes. That's why I was looking for an internship with a political party." Shortly before the 2017 Bundestag elections, it worked out at Konrad-Adenauer-House. Lukas Mönter was part of the CDU election campaign team led by the then Secretary General Peter Tauber for a few months. The student experienced how campaigns are planned and was a guest at the CDU election party at the end of the internship. "I dived head over heels into the Berlin political bubble back then," Lukas Mönter remembers. And stayed there for the time being: he worked at the CDU/CSU's SME and Economic Union and took care of event management, among other things, at the federal office in Berlin.  

But he was still unhappy with his studies: "The practical experience encouraged me to look for another subject." Behind politics, he was interested in theory. At the same time, he did not want to give up law altogether. Lukas Mönter searched and came across Leuphana: "Through the study model, I can combine law and political science and graduate with a Bachelor of Law. This degree has international weight," says Lukas Mönter. Studying law (corporate and business law) at Leuphana prepares students to deal with legal issues in companies, associations or politics. Students learn to develop legal solutions for concrete cases and to integrate interdisciplinary and international approaches. Lukas Mönter is now in his fifth semester and can also imagine a career abroad thanks to many English-language modules: "Leuphana was the right choice. Interdisciplinarity is also becoming increasingly important in the working world.  

His intended profession requires him to be broadly positioned: Lukas Mönter would like to become a lobbyist. "Unfortunately, this occupational field often has negative connotations in Germany. Yet these people only represent the many concerns that exist in a pluralistic society like ours. Someone has to represent them. Otherwise they won't find their way into politics," the student explains. 

As part of the complementary module "Basic Programme Practical Phase", he was able to expand his experience at a business and interest association. Lukas Mönter was with the Central Association of the German Construction Industry, which represents owner-managed, medium-sized companies. "I find the interface between politics and business incredibly exciting. My combination of major and minor gives me the knowledge to be able to work in this field later," says Lukas Mönter. 

Political science helps him to better understand democratic processes: "The largest professional group among members of the Bundestag are fully qualified lawyers. Their main task is to formulate laws. In addition to legal understanding, the theoretical level of politics is just as important," explains the student. For his career aspiration of becoming a lobbyist, he also needs to know the structure of parliament well: "You should know which level in the political process has to be approached so that an issue gets on the agenda in the first place."

He is not yet sure where he would like to get involved in terms of content: "Since I have been studying at Leuphana, sustainability has become more and more important to me. Together with my family, I have now set up a small organic farm in the Uckermark region," he reports. The 15 hectares of arable land were previously used for maize, but now the family farm grows old varieties of grain. Flower strips are planted on other areas. The company BeesPlace was founded to make these particularly insect-friendly. His knowledge of business law was very helpful for this.