Mr. Friedrich Baumgaertel
Assistant Professor at Faculty of Law, Kyushu University
2013 Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Free University of Berlin
Passed the First State Examination in Law (Germany), a prerequisite
for the German legal profession.
2013 Enrolled in the German legal traineeship program (Referendariat)
at Higher Regional Court of Berlin
2015 Completed the German Legal Traineeship at the Higher Regional Court of Berlin
Passed the Second State Examination in Law (Germany)
2015 Joined Hengeler Mueller Law Firm (Frankfurt)
2016 Took a leave of absence from Hengeler Mueller Law Firm (Frankfurt)
2016 Enrolled in the Master’s Program, Graduate School of Law, Kyushu University
2017 Completed the Master’s Program, Graduate School of Law, Kyushu University
2017 Returned to Hengeler Mueller Law Firm (Frankfurt)
2018 Resigned from Hengeler Mueller Law Firm (Frankfurt)
2019 Joined Gleiss Lutz Law Firm (Düsseldorf)
2021 Enrolled in the Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Law, Kyushu University
2022 Resigned from Gleiss Lutz Law Firm (Düsseldorf)
2022 Started receiving SPRING Program support
2024 Completed the Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Law, Kyushu University
2024 Appointed as Visiting Researcher, Faculty of Law, Kyushu University
2025 Completed appointment as Visiting Researcher, Faculty of Law,
Kyushu University
2025 Appointed as Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Kyushu University
To this day
▷Affiliation While Enrolled in the SPRING program
Assistant Professor at Faculty of Law, Kyushu University
▷What motivated you to pursue a doctoral program? Please share the thoughts or experiences that led to your decision.
I wrestled with the thought whether to pursue a PhD for quite a while. After obtaining an LL.M. degree, I decided to go back an work as a lawyer in Germany for some time. However, at some point in time I felt that my academic career has not come to a wholesome end. The opportunity to pursue a PhD in Japan certainly was an attractive prospect. The financial support provided by the SPRING program encouraged me to take the bold step of pursuing a PhD.
▷Among the experiences, skills, and networks you gained during your doctoral studies, which ones do you feel have been particularly useful in your current career?
The experience of a PhD taught me the importance of self-initiative and the responsibility associated therewith. One is responsible to drive one’s project forward and towards successful completion. Patience and perseverance as in “to walk the extra mile” were also important lessons. Last but not least, I think it is important not to limit oneself to one’s area of research and stay alert and have a keen eye for what is happening in adjacent areas and on the overall plane. Even minute changes and developments in a totally different area may have rippling effects for one’s own area of research (butterfly effect).
▷What challenges or difficulties did you face during your doctoral studies? Please tell us how you overcame them.
My biggest challenge was to translate my own abstract ideas into a concrete and original research topic which took an unexpected amount of time. Eventually, it helped me greatly to go back to the basics and to get clarity on what exactly I wanted to find out and prove. Consultations with my academic advisor were also very helpful and productive. Additionally, language certainly posed a challenge for me, since I am not familiar with Japanese on an academic level, but by actively talking with everyone around me, I feel like I have somehow managed to overcome it.
▷How did obtaining your Ph.D. and participating in the SPRING program influence your perspective on your career and your approach to research?
It was helpful to gain insights into the workings of academia and to obtain the option to pursue an academic career as an alternative career path or maybe to combine both worlds (to the extent it is possible).
▷Please share a message or advice for junior students who are considering pursuing a doctoral program or applying to the SPRING program.
I think pursuing a PhD is a great opportunity to get out of one’s comfort zone and to embrace a new challenge. I would like to encourage you not to lose your curiosity, remain open to new ideas and impetus and push your boundaries in science as well as spatially beyond one’s university, city and country, while staying committed and true to one’s and academia’s ethics.
