Judicial Fellowship Programme 2022-2023

Application for the Judicial Fellowship Programme 2022-2023

General Information to all sponsoring universities

Thank you for your interest in the Judicial Fellowship Programme of the International Court of Justice.

The Judicial Fellowship Programme was established to enable recent law graduates to gain experience working at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Candidates are nominated and sponsored by their universities.  Universities located in developing countries who are interested in seeking financial support for their nominees have the option of applying via the trust fund.

The aim of the programme is to improve participants’ understanding of public international law and of the Court’s procedures by actively involving them in the work of the Court and allowing them to gain experience under the supervision of a judge. Each participant is assigned to one judge for a period of around ten months, from early September to June or July of the following year. During this period, participants can expect to attend public hearings of the Court, research and write memorandums on legal questions or factual aspects of pending cases, and have some involvement in other aspects of the Court’s work, the particulars of which will depend on the Court’s docket and the working methods of the judge to whom they are assigned. Work may also involve assisting the judge with conferences, speeches and other duties. Participants will work alongside an associate legal officer, who is the primary legal assistant of each judge and is employed by the Court for a period of two to four years.

The Judicial Fellowship Programme is highly selective. The Court accepts up to 15 participants a year, generally with no more than one from each nominating university.

The Court looks for candidates who have excellent results in their legal studies and who have studied, published and/or worked in public international law. To be eligible, candidates should be 31 years of age or younger at the time the programme begins. This requirement may be waived in special circumstances. In making its selection, the Court seeks candidates of diverse nationalities.

The official languages of the Court are English and French, and participants must have excellent reading, writing and oral skills in at least one of these. A working knowledge of the second official language is an asset.

Candidates will be asked to submit the following application materials to the Court through their universities:

    1. Letter from the university introducing the candidate(s) to the Court. For universities financially sponsoring their nominees, the introductory letter must also include information regarding the university’s commitment to financially sponsor the candidate.
2. Application form and summary table, filled in by the candidate;
3. Two to three letters of reference;
4. Official academic records of the candidate;
    5. One writing sample of no more than 15 pages. The sample can, for example, be from a previous publication, note or university paper, preferably on a topic of international law.

Further instructions on how to submit the above listed application documents is provided at the end of this application form. Queries may be directed to the Office of the Deputy-Registrar of the ICJ at the following address: judicialfellowsprogramme@icj-cij.org.
Selection of Application Procedure
Through which procedure does your university wish to nominate candidates?
Select a procedure *
N/A

University self-sponsored application
Trust Fund application
* Please note that only universities based in developing countries that are nominating candidates who are nationals of developing countries as determined by the ICJ Eligibility List are qualified to put forward nominees through the trust fund application procedure. The Eligibility List is based on OECD standards for States entitled to official development assistance (ODA). The Eligibility List is reviewed on an annual basis.
Pre-Screening Questions for universities with self-sponsoring applications
Important information to all applying universities that are financially sponsoring candidates

Each nominating university applying through the regular procedure must agree to fund the stipend, health insurance and travel costs of its candidate, if selected. Although the Court does not stipulate the amount of the stipend to be paid, it should be sufficient to provide for a minimum standard of accommodation and subsistence in The Hague and should ensure that the selected candidate can benefit fully from his or her experience at the Court without the burden of financial hardship. The fellowship is not a self-funded internship, and candidates without adequate financial support from their nominating university will not be eligible. The Court will facilitate visas, if necessary, and provide working facilities, but it cannot offer financial support.

Universities which accept the above conditions and wish to nominate candidates to participate in the Programme are invited to fill out the form below. Kindly note that only universities which respond in the affirmative to all of these questions will be eligible to participate in the Programme and receive further application instructions.
Statement one

Your university agrees to only nominate candidates who have excellent results in their legal studies and who have demonstrated an interest in public international law through their studies, publications and/or work experience.
N/A

Please confirm statement one * Please confirm statement one Required
Statement two

Your university agrees to provide the nominated candidate, if selected by the Court, with a stipend sufficient to provide for a minimum standard of accommodation and subsistence in The Hague for a period of ten months and to ensure that the candidate can benefit fully from his or her experience at the Court without the burden of financial hardship.
N/A

Please confirm statement two * Please confirm statement two Required
Statement three

Your university agrees to fund the health insurance and travel costs of the candidate, if selected.
N/A

Please confirm statement three * Please confirm statement three Required
Pre-Screening Questions for universities applying for funding via the Trust Fund
In what country is the university located? *
N/A
What is the nationality of your nominee? *
N/A
Statement one

Your university agrees to only nominate candidates who have excellent results in their legal studies and who have demonstrated an interest in public international law through their studies, publications and/or work experience.
N/A

Please confirm statement one * Please confirm statement one Required
Statement two

Your university and candidate fulfil the criteria of applying via the Trust Fund:
- The university is located in a developing country, and
- The nominee is a national of a developing country.
N/A

Please confirm statement two * Please confirm statement two Required
University
Name of university *
N/A

Name of university (and/or law school)
Authorized contact person

Please enter the details of the authorized contact person.
Title of contact person *
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Name of contact person
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Required First Required Last
Email of contact person *
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Telephone of contact person *
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Please specify the country code and enter in the following format: +31 70 302 2323
Official(s) authorized to issue sponsoring letter or nomination letter
Please enter the details of the official(s) authorized to issue a sponsoring letter (for self-sponsoring applications), or a nomination letter (for trust fund applications), which for self-sponsoring applications shall confirm the acceptance of the responsibility to provide the stipend, health insurance and travel costs to the nominee, if selected.
Official 1
Title of official 1 *
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Name of official 1
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Required First Required Last
Email of official 1 *
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Telephone of official 1 *
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Please specify the country code and enter in the following format: +31 70 302 2323
Official 2
Title of official 2
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Name of official 2
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First Last
Email of official 2
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Telephone of official 2
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Please specify the country code and enter in the following format: +31 70 302 2323
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Application for the Judicial Fellowship Programme 2022-2023

Selection of Application Procedure

Pre-Screening Questions for universities with self-sponsoring applications

Pre-Screening Questions for universities applying for funding via the Trust Fund

University

Authorized contact person

Official(s) authorized to issue sponsoring letter or nomination letter

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