PUBLISHED:March 31, 2011

Lior Ostashinsky LLM '11

Lior Ostashinsky '11

Interview With

Name: Lior Ostashinsky
Class Year: 2011
Home: Hod Hasharon, Israel
Law School: Sha'arei Mishpat College


  1. Where is home? What is it famous for?
    Home is Israel. Israel is located in the Middle East and has been inhabited for thousands of years. It has been considered an immigrant country with various ethnic groups living there and is the birthplace to both Judaism and Christianity. All of these diverse aspects make Israel a fascinating place to visit and learn about world history. Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, one of the world's oldest and holiest cities is known for its beauty and cultural diversity. Tel Aviv, the cultural and financial center of Israel, is known for its exciting nightlife. The Dead-Sea, the lowest place on earth, is known for its healing and rejuvenating qualities.
  2. Why did you want to pursue an LLM in the United States?
    I wanted to pursue an LL.M. in the U.S. as I strongly believed such program would serve as the best platform to enrich my knowledge of U.S. corporate and securities law, which is my desired area of expertise, and would hence allow me to be adequately positioned to start practicing law in the U.S.
  3. Why did you choose Duke for your LLM?
    I choose Duke for my LL.M. because as I was weighing in my options I had the chance to seek advice from a few Duke Alumni, who all strongly encouraged me to go to Duke for myriad of reasons, which included the reputable professors, the courses diversity, the unique social experience and the friendly-committed staff.
  4. What do you like most about Duke so far?
    The things I like most about Duke so far are the teaching quality, the state-of-the-art facilities and the beauty of the campus.
  5. You worked as a managing director of a subsidiary of an investment house while at the same time studying for your law degree. What made you decide to study law outside of your investment job? How did you balance such demanding responsibilities at the same time?
    Shortly after I started working with Meitav, one of the leading investment houses in Israel, I became deeply involved in different legal aspects of the deals I was working on. Very quickly I realized that I find a great deal of interest working with our attorneys on legal issues and solving legal problems. Therefore, I decided to go to law school. At the time, I was not sure whether I will make a career change, but it was important for me to have that option available. It was clear to me that going to law school while maintaining my demanding duties as a managing director will be tough, but I was very determined and willing to make the extra effort in order to pursue the law degree. The more I dealt with various legal issues, the more confident I felt I should become an attorney.
  6. What is your plan after graduation?
    Last June I was admitted to the NY State Bar and after graduation I plan on practicing law in New York as a corporate and securities attorney.