Amsterdam Law Clinics

Participate in a unique experiential education elective within your Masters programme?

• Gain experience working for clients with other motivated Masters students?
• Develop your professional skills to be fully prepared for legal practice?

Then we would like to invite you to apply for the elective Amsterdam Law Clinics in the second semester of the academic year ‘24-‘25.

What are you going to do?

The Amsterdam Law Clinics provide unique experiential education focused on developing and improving legal skills. The Clinics provide pro bono legal advice to various organizations. As a result, you learn how to work effectively with clients, partners, experts, and fellow students on projects of public interest. This is a unique opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to real cases for real clients.

The Amsterdam Law Clinics offer eight thematic clinics. Topics range from environmental issues and human rights protection to corporate responsibility and the right to a fair trial.

• Amsterdam European Law Clinic
• Amsterdam International Law Clinic
• Business and Human Rights Clinic
• Criminal Justice Clinic
• Environmental Justice Clinic
• Fair Trials Clinic
• Fair Work & Equality Law Clinic
• Recht & Beleid Clinic

In the Amsterdam Law Clinics, you work on a variety of issues and projects of public interest. Working with clients and partners offers you a special opportunity to gain practical legal experience. At the same time, you will increase your knowledge of the law and sharpen your legal skills.

To enhance the learning experience related to both law and legal skills, the Amsterdam Law Clinics offer a unique educational program. While working on a real case in an ambitious team (the clinic work), you will also participate in a series of interactive seminars (the seminar component).

The seminar component consists of 8 lectures and interactive workshops which address public interest lawyering, strategic litigation, legal ethics and professional responsibility in the legal profession, critical legal thinking and legal skills. Throughout the semester you will reflect on the clinical work and on the legal, practical and ethical obstacles or dilemmas you may encounter.

Through participation in our clinics, you will develop a set of skills that will prove highly useful in your career as a legal professional, including:

• investigating and analyzing facts;
• approaching legal questions in an open-minded manner;
• legal research and drafting legal (procedural) documents;
• presenting complex cases in a clear and concise manner; and
• professional skills, particularly in relation to teamwork and in interacting with clients and partners.

What do you bring?

Each semester we look for highly motivated students to participate in the Amsterdam Law Clinics and work with our clients to find solutions to specific problems of public interest. The minimum requirement is that you are enrolled in a Master's programme at our Faculty of Law. You are also willing to:

• develop your skills and work on your professional identity,
• work at least 12 hours a week on the project, and
• work in a team of 4 or 5 students.

What do we offer?

You will receive a total of 6 EC for your successful participation in clinic work and the clinic program. You will also gain valuable contacts in the legal profession and tools and skills that will be useful for the rest of your career. The Amsterdam Law Clinics are the perfect way to be fully prepared to dive into legal practice.

Would you like to take part? You have until 20 November 2024 to apply.

No CV or motivation letter is required for application. Instead of uploading a CV: please attach a writing sample (1-5 pages) of your own writing in Dutch or English. This could be, for instance, a chapter from a (BA) thesis, a paper you have submitted during your studies, a blog post, or a document you have written during an internship/job.