“Leiden is the place for Law”

Leiden Law School is one of the seven faculties of Leiden University. Each year more than 1,000 students choose to study Law, Notarial Law, Tax Law or Criminology here.

Besides these students, around 500 to 600 international students come to our law school: ranging from exchange students who are here to study for one semester in Leiden, to students who have completed their undergraduate studies and have been selected for one of our advanced masters programmes. These figures say a lot about the scale of our law school. But they also demonstrate the attraction our law school has for talented legal professionals and criminologists – at home and abroad.

“Leiden is the place for Law” is a comment we often hear. In this brochure we would like to show why this comment is right if you ask our students, researchers and lecturers; what makes our law school stand out from the rest, and more particularly - what is the impact of our activities? Not just for our students – providing them with a sound academic training is, after all, our primary task - but also for our legal system, our society and the role of the law far beyond the Netherlands.

Leiden Law School is one of the seven faculties of Leiden University. Our students have lectures in the attractive Kamerlingh Onnes building. w Famous alumni: Minister van Engelshoven, Ruben van Zwieten, Armin van Buuren, Ivo Opstelten, Nout Wellink, Wopke Hoekstra, Stijn Franken, Geert-Jan Knoops

Our locations

Leiden Law School is located at two beautifully renovated monumental buildings in the heart of historic Leiden. At Campus The Hague we also teach and conduct research at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies – not just for Leiden Law School, but also for Public Administration and Leiden University College.

The extensive library at the heart of the Kamerlingh Onnes Building in Leiden is very special. Here a unique collection of legal reference works is kept, including work from the Middle Ages up to recent digital legal literature. Our students also have access to the international library at the Peace Palace in The Hague. ■

Our teaching

An excellent curriculum

Providing excellent academic education in law is in our genes. As early as 1594 Hugo de Groot (Grotius), considered the Mozart of international law, came to study in Leiden.

This rich tradition, however, is no guarantee for future success. So we are constantly investing in the quality of our curriculum. This is partly determined by our professors and lecturing staff with their years of professional experience in the area of law and security. But also through the broad focus of the innovative research conducted at our beautiful, historic faculty buildings.

The Law School offers four bachelor’s degree programmes: w Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law); w Notarieel recht (Notarial Law); w Fiscaal recht (Tax Law); w Criminologie (Criminology).

In addition, we offer a wide range of master’s degree programmes, advanced master’s degree programmes, minors, honours classes, summer schools and postgraduate courses.

» More information on pages 11 and 13; the full, up-to-date overview is on our website.

An eye for talent

Our teaching is unique - not only its academic content, but also the atmosphere in the classroom: we teach in small groups as far as possible, with intensive and personal guidance offered to students. Though this is a large faculty, our students never feel they are just a number. We have an eye for talent and stimulate students to work to achieve their full potential, also by looking beyond our national borders. Leiden is internationally orientated and maintains contacts with many universities abroad. Our location in The Hague puts us in close proximity to political and international organisations that are active in the field of peace and justice. ■

Knowledge from over the whole world

International collaborations enrichen the education we offer. We welcome students from over the whole world to our faculty. Our lecturing staff share their knowledge and build on new experiences gained while teaching abroad. We also invite staff from international institutes and students to become acquainted with our expertise. Professor of Tax Law, Henk Vording, for example, is a member of the Global Faculty - an initiative of Peking University to advance international cooperation in teaching and research. Professor of Law and Society, Maartje van der Woude, lectures at many universities abroad on topics including immigration, law enforcement, public order and security and legislation. Our students go on exchange periods and study excursions to experience these differences themselves. Vice versa, internationally renowned lecturers regularly come to Leiden to share their expertise with our students. The Office for International Education at our Law School plays a key role in facilitating these exchanges. The Global Lounge at the Kamerlingh Onnes Building was launched with the special aim of stimulating the exchange of information and encounters between students, staff and guests from all over the world.

“A better professional thanks to my time at Leiden”

“My time at Leiden University was great. I studied Public International Law, where I met people from all over the world, which turned into an amazing experience both inside and outside of the classroom. Having people from different backgrounds studying together brought new perspectives, and it is an added bonus that many of those people became close friends. I was impressed with Leiden University's facilities, with top notch libraries and access to online databases. It was amazing to be part of the history of the oldest university of the Netherlands, with so many distinct alumni before me, such as Nelson Mandela and the Dutch king, Willem-Alexander. The studies were demanding, and Leiden University pushed me further than any of my previous studies had before. In the end, I learned more than books alone could ever teach, and my experience in Leiden helped me become a better professional, with better research and time management skills, and the knowledge that every challenge can be overcome. Many thanks for the opportunity,” - alumna Paula Meira Chinelato. ■

Het Hastings College of the Law in Californië en de Leidse rechtenfaculteit hebben een lange geschiedenis van uitwisselingen. Elk jaar bezoeken studenten elkaars universiteit. Er is een intensieve uitwisseling tussen hoogleraren voor onderwijs en gezamenlijk onderzoek. ■