“I studied business administration at the University of Bremen and I also did my doctorate in this field,” says Bense, who advises clients of the financial and consulting group Deloitte on the IT implementation of tax regulation. As his work is closely related to legal issues, the Berliner-by-choice decided to study law at the University of Potsdam.
“I already realized during my doctoral thesis that I was lacking some knowledge in the legal field,” he recalls. “There are also a lot of legal references in tax and financial auditing.” In his private life, he has always been very interested in politics and philosophy – certainly not the worst prerequisite for studying law.
Scholarship also supports those studying for a second degree
Bense is now in his fifth semester and is quite well organized. After all, learning is also something that needs to be learned. But even with his previous experience in business and tax law, he is starting from scratch in subjects such as criminal law. The decision to study again was therefore not easy for him, he admits. “You must carefully weigh the pros and cons.”
This especially since, at this stage of his life, the East Westphalian neither qualifies for a scholarship under the Federal Law Concerning thePromotionofEducationorTraining (BaföG) nor for any scholarships from German foundations – grants that are usually tied to completing the first degree. “In my second degree, on the other hand, I am dependent on earning a living myself," Bense says.
But he is not completely on his own. This is because students in their second degree can also benefit from the Potsdam University Scholarship. This pot of money, from which Bense receives 300 euros per month, is subsidized by the federal government with 150 euros from the Germany Scholarship Program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Private and institutional sponsors contribute the same amount. In Bense’s case, these are the lawyers Dr. Constantin von Köckritz and Marc Repey. As specialized lawyers, the two Berliners advise and represent executives in employment law issues with their law firm RvK: executives of insurance companies or the chemical industry, bank managers, but also people from the tech industry and start-up scene.
Alumni of the Law Faculty stay in touch with the University of Potsdam
In addition, they are also alumni of the Potsdam Law Faculty themselves. “When I studied here in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the building in which this lecture hall is located did not even exist,” Repey recalls. What did exist, however, were lectures on labor law, which put the now 48-year-old on the right track for his specialization as a lawyer. It is a broad field of law that lies at the intersection of commercial, obligation, and contract law, between the German Civil Code and the pitfalls of individual agreements – with a correspondingly high demand for advice.
“Employment law is not so much a highly analytical area of law, but rather coaching to a large extent,” says Repey, who – this is also a difference to criminal law, for example – negotiates most of his cases out of court. “We are sparring partners for the clients and take away their feeling of helplessness. This requires empathy. It is a good feeling to be able to help someone who is experiencing an existential crisis due to the loss of their income.”
The two lawyers also provide support outside of their profession. Since 2022, they have been sponsors for the youth teams of the SG NARVA Berlin sports club. The idea of providing a scholarship at their former alma mater was therefore not too far-fetched. “We thought it was a great idea to also support students in the academic field, because we know what a challenge studying can be. Making a small contribution to this was a no-brainer for us,” von Köckritz says. In this way, they remain connected to the university as alumni and supporters.
Scholarship secures financial support for one year
The illustrious circle of supporters includes the law firm RvK Repey von Köckritz, alongside companies like SAP and Volkswagen, as well as foundations like the Protestant School Foundation in the Protestant Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia, and private individuals. Each of them transfers their donations for the duration of one year. The students, too, can and must reapply every year.
And so, thanks to his persistence, Bense finally benefits from the Germany Scholarship for which he applied unsuccessfully four times during his first degree studies in Bremen. However, the scholarship is not associated with a (perceived) obligation to join the lawyers in labor law after graduation. “My future path is open,” Bense says. “Now at 30 more than ever before.”
The law student sees a possible prospect for himself in teaching, for the improvements of which he already has ideas. “For example, legislation is not really reflected in the studies at the moment. How are norms and standards created? How must laws be consistently formulated? There is also hardly any empirical research in law on the question of whether and how standards, such as accounting regulations, are understood in society at all and why so many mistakes occur in dealing with them.”
Dr. Constantin von Köckritz is an alumnus of the University of Potsdam and a lawyer.
Marc Repey is an alumnus of the University of Potsdam and a lawyer.
More information on the Potsdam University Scholarship
With 1,800 euros, sponsors already fund an annual scholarship. If five or more scholarship holders are funded, it is also possible to select recipients, for example, according to their specific field of study.
For more information, contact: Marianna Bähnisch, 0331 977-153073, Email: stipendiumuuni-potsdampde
Donate to:
Account holder: Landeshauptkasse
Bank: Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen (Helaba)
IBAN: DE 09 3005 0000 7110 402844
BIC/ SWIFT: WELADEDDXXX
Reason for transfer: 01009020 (please indicate)
This text was published in the university magazine Portal – One 2025 “Children” (PDF).