Masterclass at Court of The Hague: ‘All judges have their own way of working’
Twelve law students are currently discovering what goes on behind the scenes at the Court of The Hague. They are taking the Honours College Law course ‘Masterclass rechtbank Den Haag’ which runs until March 2025. Students Quinten Heerma and Eva Verdellen share their experiences.
‘I first thought the Court would be very formal and official’, says Eva. ‘But if you have a lecture from a judge and then spend time at the Court, you see it’s not like that at all. It turns out that a judge is more approachable than you think.’ Quinten agrees: ‘You get a better impression of the court as an organisation. You also see, for example, that all judges are different and have their own way of working.'
Both students started the course ‘Masterclass rechtbank Den Haag’ in November 2024. Over the course of one month they attended four seminars to learn about the theory behind reaching a court judgment as well as a workshop on skills at court hearings at the Court of The Hague. In January 2025, they will start an internship to learn about two of the seven areas of law dealt with at the Court: criminal law, administrative law, commercial law, insolvency law, tax law, subdistrict court law and family law.
‘I’m most looking forward to the internship’, says Quinten. ‘I think it’ll be really interesting to be a court clerk during an actual hearing.’ Eva is most looking forward to the contact with judges: ‘We’ve been taught lots of theory in the past weeks, so I think it’ll be fascinating to see how this works in practice. We learn a great deal by having discussions with judges and receiving feedback from them.’
Although Leiden Law School and the Court of The Hague have worked together for many years, this is the first year that the Masterclass actually gives credits to students as it is now offered as a course through the Honours College Law. This initiative is an addition to collaborations between our faculty and The Hague. The course is not only open to students from the Honours College Law, but also to third-year bachelor’s students and students doing a master’s law degree.
According to Rogier Hartendorp, Professor by Special Appointment in Social Effectiveness of the Justice System and a lecturer in the Masterclass, the choice to offer a course allows lecturers to go into topics in more depth. ‘This way, we can offer separate components, teach separate subjects and prepare the students better for when they embark on their internship.’
Eva and Quinten are full of praise for the Masterclass. ‘I’d definitely recommend students to sign up for it’, says Quinten. ‘Even if you want to go in a completely different direction workwise, it’s still a great experience’, Eva adds. ‘Law students hardly ever get to see what goes on in actual practice, let alone at a court. So it's a unique opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes within the judiciary.’
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Students Eva Verdellen and Quinten Heerma -
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