26 October 2022

The Court of The Hague offers a maximum of twelve students the unique opportunity to follow an eight-day masterclass on the inner workings of the court. Who are the people working here? How do they come to a decision? And what goes on behind chambers’ doors? The masterclass will be spread out over a six-week period in February/March 2023. 

Programme

The programme consists of eight days of classes as well as an internship of two days per week and will be taught in Dutch. You will spend those two days a week following a judge, a legal assistant, or a staff lawyer. The first meeting will take place on Thursday 9 February 2023 and the final meeting will take place on Tuesday 28 March 2023. You will be allowed to prepare and attend hearings, be present during deliberations in chambers, and contribute to the formation of a decision. 

Who can apply?

The masterclass is open to:

• Third-year bachelor students at Leiden Law School with a minimum of 120 EC, with the exception of the bachelor Criminology.
• Master students at Leiden Law School, not including criminology students

What do we ask of you?

You are expected to be available during the above-mentioned period, have a good knowledge of the Dutch language, and possess excellent written and oral communication skills. 

Who are we?

The Justice serves everyone and has three societal functions: to adjudicate offences, to settle disputes, and to supervise. The Court of The Hague processes well over 150,000 cases each year and has a number of special competences. It is the only court in the Netherlands qualified to handle cases in the domain of the International Criminal Act, the Intellectual Property Law, and civil proceedings against the State. The Justice serves everyone and strives to be a good representation of society. Students of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to apply. 

Interested?

Are you interested in the legal system? This is your chance! You can apply by sending a motivation letter, resumé and recent grade list to honours@law.leidenuniv.nl to the attention of Ms K. Penders. Deadline: 8 November 2022. The interviews with the selection committee will take place in week 46, on 17 and 18 November 2022.
 
In your letter, we would like you to motivate your suitability as candidate and make mention of any noteworthy, extracurricular societal experience you have gained. You can indicate a preference for two fields of law.

If you know already that you will be unavailable for certain dates during the period of 9 February – 28 March, please indicate this in your letter. If you have questions, you can address them to the e-mail address mentioned above. Depending on the number of applicants, invitations for interviews will be based on letter selection.