A new field placement program called Berkeley Law in The Hague offers students an enticing array of potential externships: from international criminal tribunals and arbitration courts to NATO and non-governmental organizations.
The Hague (Netherlands) plays a vital role in diplomacy and world affairs, its courts hearing notorious cases of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. But it’s also the center of public and private international disputes litigated at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the European Patent Office, and other bodies.
Asa Solway ’09 launched the program with Emeritus Professor David Caron ’83, who passed away in February. Solway spent two summers and a semester in The Hague as a law student assisting the U.S. State Department and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), returning as a senior legal advisor with an international peace and security organization.
“This is really a unique opportunity,” Solway says. “Everyone I know who has worked in The Hague says the same thing. It’s an experience that lasts a lifetime.”
During a memorable 1L internship at ICTY, Natalia Krapiva ’18 assisted prosecutors in the war crimes trial against Serbian general Ratko Mladic´. She calls her time in The Hague “incredible” and says “the connections and friendships I forged there are so valuable for my future career in international criminal justice and human rights.”
Solway will advise and supervise students, who may spend their third semester or beyond in the program and earn 10 to 12 credits. Rising 2Ls and 3Ls can also intern in The Hague during the summer.
—Susan Gluss