In 2014, Ernesto Forero married and moved to London to study Maritime Law at The City Law School. Ten years later, Ernesto’s publication Manual of Port Law is the first book in Colombia on port law as an autonomous legal branch within the national legal framework.
“I live in Santa Marta, a coastal and port city located in northern Colombia on the Caribbean Sea. It is a city that combines extraordinary landscapes with significant maritime and port activity,” Ernesto Forero (LLM Maritime Law, 2015) says. “Now that I think about it, maybe Santa Marta instilled in me a love for the sea without me even realising it.”
Whether or not Ernesto’s hometown could be held accountable for his interest in maritime law, Ernesto wanted to specialise in the subject and knew exactly where he needed to go.
“When I decided to pursue an LLM in Maritime Law, London was always my only option due to its strong maritime tradition. Before making a decision on which university to apply to, I spent several months researching the curricula of law schools that offered this program. The City Law School stood out among them because of its approach, the calibre of its professors, and the University’s tradition, which dates back to the 19th century.”
Ernesto, who studied to become a lawyer at Universidad Externado de Colombia, specialised in Commercial Law at Universidad de los Andes, and Tax Law at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, has incredibly fond memories of his studies at The City Law School.
“It was truly an amazing experience because I got married, and immediately, together with my wife, we flew to London. We spent our first year of marriage studying and enjoying the city,” Ernesto says.
But it wasn’t always plain sailing. Studying a challenging subject in a foreign language, Ernesto quickly felt his confidence get knocked.
“On the first day of class, I had a hard time understanding the professor’s lectures. During one of the breaks, while having a coffee, a classmate approached me and asked what was wrong.”
Ernesto admitted to his classmate he worried he’d overestimated his English, maybe it wasn’t strong enough after all, but his classmate dismissed his concerns, cracked a joke, and told him to relax.
“Since then, I have considered myself an ad honorem ambassador of both London and the University.”
After graduation, Ernesto returned to his home country and continued to work in the legal sector.
“I believe I have been fortunate enough to experience different facets of legal practice. I worked in the courts, in a public entity, as a lawyer in a law firm, in-house at a major company, as an adjunct professor, and finally, eight years ago, I founded my own law firm. This has given me a more comprehensive perspective on legal practice.”
It was in this context, and with 15 years of experience in port and maritime law, Ernesto began to consider the need for more comprehensive literature on port law in Colombia.
“About six years ago, I realised that there was only one book written on port law in Colombia, so I set out to write one that would present port law as an autonomous branch of law,” Ernesto explains.
“Six years later, I managed to finish it and convince the publisher that there was a great opportunity in publishing this book for future generations of port lawyers, and they believed in me.”
The book; Manual de Derecho Portuario, is published by Tirant lo Blanch, a publisher specialising in legal works.
“I aim for port law [in Colombia] to be consolidated as an autonomous branch of law, with its own legal framework, principles, and evolving jurisprudence. Port law has often been misinterpreted through the lens of other branches of law, distorting its true scope,” Ernesto says.
Ernesto describes the book as more than just a compilation of norms. It is a manual that organises and explains the institutions that shape this legal field and allows readers to fully understand their functions and practical application. Key topics include general principles, port concession contracts, the main obligations of the parties, the tariff system, the sanctioning regime, and the termination and liquidation of port concession contracts.
“For port operators, concessionaires, and authorities, it provides clear tools for the proper application of regulations in the management of their contracts and activities,” Ernesto explains.
Asked what advice Ernesto would give current law students and recent law graduates, his answer is to the point,
“My advice is not to be afraid of studying, researching, working hard, and questioning everything – always with respect for the thinkers who came before us.”
He is equally as succinct when describing what he hopes to achieve in the future,
“To see my family grow while working in a field I am passionate about.”
A big congratulations to Ernesto Forero Fernández de Castro for the publication of his book Manual de Derecho Portuario!