As the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice settles legal disputes and issues advisory opinions in accordance with international law. Located in The Hague, the Court offers a 10-month Judicial Fellows Programme which has hosted 15 Michigan Law graduates over the past 16 years.

Michigan Law 3Ls, LLMs, and recent graduates are eligible to apply for nomination to the Court by the Law School. Selected students assist Members of the Court from September through June with legal research, case file management, and document drafting.

The Law School is grateful to Michigan Law Professor Bruno Simma, formerly of the International Court of Justice, for his invaluable assistance in making this opportunity possible.

International Court of Justice

About the Programme

  • Eligibility

    Applicants must be either current Michigan Law JD or LLM students who will complete their degree requirements in May, or recent Michigan Law JD or LLM graduates. “Recent” graduates is loosely defined and generally assumed to be someone who graduated within the past two years or so. However, to be eligible, candidates should be 31 years of age or younger at the time the program begins. This requirement may be waived in special circumstances.

    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 them. A working knowledge of the second official language is an asset.

    Applicants must have an excellent overall academic record and demonstrate strong research and writing skills. An excellent academic record in public international law is also expected and enrollment in at least one of the Law School’s introductory public international courses is highly encouraged. Prospective applicants should be cautioned against taking human rights courses in lieu of public international law courses as they are not equivalent for this purpose.

    Applicants are also encouraged to complete a seminar or independent research project, preferably on an international law topic, and receive a grade on it before the application deadline. (If application deadline comes just before grading deadline, the Committee will consult Fall grades before finalizing nominations.)

  • Funding

    The Center for International and Comparative Law provides a generous stipend to its selected nominee if one is chosen by the Court, since the Court does not provide funding of its own to selected fellows. Michigan Law will also cover the cost of health insurance and travel costs related to relocating to The Hague.

  • Application Process

    Completed applications include the application packet described below plus letters of recommendation. Applicants must submit all materials by email to the Center for International and Comparative Law staff at lawinternational@umich.edu by January 18, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. We will not accept late applications.

    A Michigan Law selection committee will review complete and timely submissions for nomination to the Court. The Court's deadline to receive nominations is in early February, so we will advise Michigan applicants as to whether or not we have nominated them by late January. The Court then undertakes its own selection process to choose 15 fellows from all nominations it receives. The Law School committee may nominate multiple students, with the hope that the Court will choose one. The Court normally announces its final selections in April.

    Application packet requirements

    • ICJ Judicial Fellows Programme Personal History Form
    • ICJ Judicial Fellows Programme Summary Table
    • Candid description of French proficiency, including background and experience in speaking, writing, and reading (for internal review only)
    • Resume
    • Official Law School transcript, including current course enrollment. If you received or are pursuing a LLM degree, you must also submit transcripts from the institution from which you received your first law degree. (If you have not received all of your grades by the deadline, the Center for International and Comparative Law will follow up after January 22 for the remainder of your grades.)
    • Writing sample of 15 pages maximum that is of publishable quality or that you have submitted for publication.

    Letters of recommendation

    • Letters should speak to your credentials and abilities in the field of international law
    • A Michigan Law professor must provide at least one of your letters
    • One or two additional letters (no more than three letters of recommendation total)
    • Each recommender should send their letter of recommendation directly to the Center for International and Comparative Law staff (lawinternational@umich.edu). BUT they should address their letters to Jean-Pelé Fomété, Deputy-Registrar of the International Court of Justice, Peace Palace, 2517 KJ The Hague, The Netherlands (Please explain to your recommender that the turnaround time between internal selection and external nomination is very short, so we encourage recommenders to prepare formal letters for the initial application whenever possible.)
    • We encourage recommending Michigan Law professors to include candid comments for the Global Affairs Committee's consideration in the body of their email to the Center for International and Comparative Law staff (lawinternational@umich.edu)
    • The deadline for all recommendation letters is January 18, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials are submitted by this time.

     

    ICJ Judicial Fellows Programme Personal History Form (.docx)

    ICJ Judicial Fellows Programme Summary Table (.docx)

  • Current and Previous Fellows

    Current Fellow

    Haris Huremagić, LLM ’22

    Portrait of Haris Huremagić, LLM ’22
    Haris Huremagić, LLM ’22

    During his earlier studies at the University of Vienna, Huremagić worked as a research assistant in the university’s Department of European, Comparative and International Law from 2017 to 2019 and from 2020 to 2021. There, he conducted research-related work that included the commentaries to Article 68 of the ICJ Statute, Articles 65-75 of the ICSID-Convention, and Article 27 of the 1969 and 1986 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Furthermore, he participated in and co-organized a conference on international procedural law at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (Cambridge, UK) in 2019.

    In 2017, Huremagić participated in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. Two years later, in 2019, he coached the University of Vienna’s team, which advanced to the final rounds (top 32) in Washington, D.C. He gained further academic experience through an exchange year at Sciences Po Paris, during which he focused on international criminal and humanitarian law. He also interned in several law firms in Vienna, including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, and in the Austrian Foreign Trade Office in Zagreb, Croatia.

    Huremagić has a passion for German and South Slavic literature. During his free time, he occasionally translates literature from Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian into German. He also adores music and at times plays the French horn in several orchestras. Huremagić received training in orchestral conducting from 2010 to 2014, as well as piano and cello lessons.

    Education

    • University of Vienna, AB in Slavic Studies
    • University of Michigan, LLM
       

    Previous Fellows

    • 2021-2022: Emma Macfarlane, J.D. '21
    • 2019-2020: Nadia Alhadi, JD '18
    • 2018-2019: Marcos Kotlik, LLM '18
    • 2017-2018: Erin Collins, JD '17
    • 2016-2017: Chaka Laguerre, JD '14
    • 2015-2016: Rosalind Elphick, LLM '15
    • 2014-2015: Ananda Burra, JD '14
    • 2013-2014: Sarah St. Vincent, JD '11
    • 2012-2013: Ciara Murphy, LLM '12
    • 2011-2012: Uzma Burney, JD '10
    • 2009-2010: Klara Polackova, LLM '09
    • 2008-2009: Ted Kill, JD '07
    • 2007-2008: Noam Wiener, LLM '06
    • 2006-2007: Marko Milanovic, LLM '06
    • 2005-2006: Jason Morgan-Foster, JD '05
    • 2004-2005: Sonia Boutillon, JD '03, and Carsten Hoppe, JD '04