Criminal Justice Clinic
In international, transnational and domestic legal practice, a growing interest exists for lawyers with a deeper understanding of, and experience in, the functioning and the application of (international) criminal law. This clinic offers you the possibility to gain such experience and at the same time make contact with your future profession in a direct manner.
The co-operation between (inter)national justice organizations, including international criminal courts and tribunals provides an exceptional experience, with NGOs on the one hand and students of international criminal law and Dutch criminal law on the other. The Amsterdam Law School has specific expertise on (international) criminal law due to its Master's programme International Criminal Law and Dutch programme in Criminal Law. Besides that, the broad range of innovative research in those areas under the umbrella of the Amsterdam Center of Criminal Justice (ACCJ) makes the Amsterdam Law School perfectly situated to support clients on (international) criminal law related cases.
Clinical work
Clinical work consists of projects on behalf of clients, for which the students conduct legal research, provide legal advice and draft legal documents. The clinical work is conducted in a team of 3-5 students. Students are closely supervised by the faculty from the Master's International Criminal Law and the Dutch programme Criminal Law. They receive intensive, hands-on, guidance on how to conduct legal research and how to write a legal opinion for external clients. Emphasis is placed on professionalism, high quality work, teamwork and respect for confidentiality.
Upcoming projects
In the second semester of 2024-2025, the Criminal Justice Clinic will do a research project for International Criminal Tribunal. As part of this project, the students will conduct research for an international criminal tribunal on matters of procedural law. The aim of the project is to provide the tribunal with information on how a certain procedure is carried out before domestic criminal tribunals in different jurisdictions as well as other international criminal proceedings, with the aim of taking inspiration from them to improve proceedings at the international level.
The Criminal Justice Clinic is also going to do a research project with the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG). The students will work with PILPG and local civil society organization(s) to analyse victim and witness testimonies of mass atrocities committed in East Africa. The aim of the project is to identify international crimes, assess elements of crimes, and to review the quality of the testimonies for potential use in communications or criminal procedures.
In addition, a group of students will take part in a project to assist the NGO Dutch & Detained in providing independent legal assistance to Dutch nationals detained abroad. The clinic work will consist of carrying out different legal tasks regarding pre-trial and post-conviction procedures of a specific client abroad.
Prior projects
Clients may include, among others, the Office of the Prosecutor of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and defence and victims counsel operating in international and domestic criminal justice systems.
Examples of projects the Criminal Justice Clinic has worked on in the past include:
- Research, together with Prakken d'Oliveira Human Rights, on the international crime of "The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all judicial guarantees which are generally recognized as indispensable"(article 8.2 under c ICC Statute). The research focuses on jurisprudence from international tribunals, as well as (European or other) national courts in regards to this crime and will address the question what 'judicial guarantees which are generally recognized as indispensable' constitutes, and how this relates to non-Western forms of dispute resolution.
- Research for the foundation Dutch&Detained, into different post conviction procedures in a specific country.
- Researching accountability options for the crimes committed by the Belarusian authorities since the frauded elections on 9 August 2020, that according to human rights reports may amount to crimes against humanity. This project is carried out with the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), supporting opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Belarusian human rights defenders.
- Researching structural patterns of political killings in Lebanon and the wider region, including Iraq to answer the question: How and by which international or foreign authorities can these crimes be prosecuted in the fight against impunity?
- Providing research assistance to an international criminal tribunal working on identifying potential accountability gaps for core international crimes. In particular, students were involved in reviewing and analysing international and domestic judgements, open source information and other materials with a view to conducting a legal assessment of the involvement of identified perpetrators in the commission of international crimes.
- Assisting the defence counsel in an ongoing criminal procedure in appeal against a conviction for war crimes and participation in a terrorist organisation. The research focussed on the existence and/or scope of criminal accountability as a war crime for creation and making public of footage of interrogation of prisoners of war and displaying the dead bodies of opponents.
"During my time at the Criminal Justice Clinic, my understanding of the topic was strengthened, my creativity towards legal arguments was tested, and I got to work with some amazing people along the way. I would highly recommend students to partake in the Clinic as it teaches you the necessary skills to prepare you for your future career in law."
Contact us
For any questions regarding the Criminal Justice Clinic, send us an e-mail or contact Marieke de Hoon.
Requirements, eligibility and application
The Criminal Justice Clinic is in principle open for all Master's students of the Amsterdam Law School.
Other requirements are:
- You are available at least 10 hours per week in a semester.
- You have a strong work ethic, excellent communication and English-writing skills, and a genuine interest in (international) criminal law.
Check out the specifics on how to apply.
Due to the intensive workload during the first semester, students following the International Criminal and Transnational Law master are advised to participate in the Criminal Justice Clinic in the second semester.
Contact former clinic students
If you're interested in more hands-on information about participating in a clinic and experiences from former Criminal Justice Clinic students, you can contact any of the following former students. Send us an e-mail and we will provide you with the relevant contact information.