The Judicial Fellowship Programme, formerly known as the University Traineeship Programme, was established in 1999 to enable recent law graduates to gain professional experience by working for the International Court of Justice. The programme aims to improve participants’ understanding of public international law in practice and the Court’s procedures by directly involving them in the activities of the Court.
Judicial Fellows work on a full-time basis under the supervision of a Member of the Court, alongside the Member’s primary legal assistant. Fellows can expect to conduct research and draft memorandums on questions of law or fact relating to cases pending before the Court, attend hearings and sittings, and perform any other duties that may be assigned to them by their respective judges.
The duration of the fellowship is approximately ten months, from early September to June of the following year. The Court generally selects 15 participants nominated by universities across the world.
Eligibility Criteria
In making its selection, the Court seeks candidates of diverse nationalities.
- To be eligible, candidates should be 31 years old or younger at the start of their fellowship. This requirement may be waived only in special circumstances.
- Candidates must demonstrate excellent results in their legal studies, and an interest in public international law through their studies, publications and/or work experience.
- Candidates must have an excellent command, both written and orally, of at least one of the two official languages of the Court (English and French); a working knowledge of the other language is considered an asset.
Only universities can nominate candidates. The Court does not accept applications from individuals. While it is possible to nominate a single candidate, the Court encourages universities to propose more than one nominee.
Offered Benefits
Each nominating university 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.
Application Process
An online pre-screening questionnaire must be completed by the nominating university. The university must also designate an authorized focal point through whom all application materials will be submitted.
Following completion of the pre-screening questionnaire, the following six documents must be submitted for each candidate via the email address of the university’s authorized focal point, in the order below:
- Official letter of nomination from the university
- ICJ personal history form
- Letters of reference
- Official academic records
- Writing sample
- Candidate profile summary table
Further application instructions, as well as the ICJ personal history form and candidate profile summary table, will be included in the confirmation email sent to the authorized focal point upon completion of the pre-screening questionnaire.
