Sir Kenneth Keith Award for the International Court of Justice Judicial Fellowship Programme

Thanks to a generous donation from the family of the late Sir Kenneth Keith, an award has been established to support a New Zealand law graduate nominated by Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture–Faculty of Law at Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington if they are selected to undertake a Judicial Fellowship at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. The available award is €30,000 for the ten-month period of the Fellowship.

The Award is named in honour of Sir Kenneth as former Dean of the Faculty of Law, Judge of the New Zealand Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and, amongst many other achievements, Judge of the ICJ from 2006 to 2015. He was the first New Zealander to be elected to the Court. As a judge, he contributed to the work of the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, in contentious cases between States and advisory opinions.

Judicial Fellows are early career, highly qualified, specialist lawyers who work full-time under the supervision of a Member of the Court, alongside the Member’s primary legal assistant. Fellows typically conduct research and draft memorandums on questions of law or fact relating to cases pending before the Court, attend hearings and sittings, and undertake other duties assigned by their judge.

The fellowship runs for approximately ten months (early September to June the following year). It is a full-time, unpaid position.

Selection Process

The Award involves a two-step process:

  1. Applicants for the Award will be considered by the Award advisory panel. The Award advisory panel may recommend a candidate for the Award in a given year, if a suitable candidate is identified. The Dean of the Faculty will, on the advice of the panel, then nominate that candidate to the ICJ. The panel may decide not to recommend a candidate for the Award in any given year.
  2. Receipt of the Award itself is contingent upon selection as a Judicial Fellow by the ICJ and/or individual Judges of that Court. The Court generally selects around 15 participants nominated by universities worldwide for this highly competitive programme. There is no guarantee in any given year that the ICJ will select a candidate nominated by Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Law.

A Faculty of Law-nominated candidate selected by the ICJ will receive an award of €30,000 to contribute to the living costs related to their stay in The Hague during their September to June ICJ judicial fellowship.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria set by the International Court of Justice for its Judicial Fellowship Programme, available on the ICJ website. Those criteria include:
    • 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.
  • Applicants must also meet the Faculty of Law requirements set out in the Instructions for Applicants [add link]. Those criteria include:
    • Applications are open to law graduates (any level of study) from New Zealand universities, who are New Zealand citizens or residents.
    • Candidates need to demonstrate an excellent academic record and clear expertise in international law, including through postgraduate study.
    • Preference will be given to candidates with a current or past affiliation with Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington (for example through study, research, or teaching).
    • Applicants must be available for the full duration of the fellowship, taking account of study or any other commitments.
Applications for the September 2027 – June 2028 Programme close at 11:59PM on Monday 14 December 2026 (NZ time).

Before applying:

To apply:

  • Download and complete the ICJ Personal History Form (Word document) and the ICJ Summary Table (Word document).
  • Arrange for two letters of reference, preferably from individuals who can attest to your abilities and interest in the field of international law and/or as a judge’s clerk, to be submitted directly by the referee, in confidence, to the email address below by the same deadline.
  • Send the following documents, Attention: Dean, Faculty of Law, to: icj-programme@vuw.ac.nz
    1. Completed Personal History Form (Word document)
    2. Completed Summary Table (Word document)
    3. Curriculum Vitae
    4. Official transcript(s) (tertiary study only)
    5. A writing sample of not less than 10 and no more than 15 pages. The sample can, for example, be from a previous publication, note or university paper, ideally on a topic of international law.

A cover letter is not required as the Personal History Form includes a motivation statement. However, if there is additional information to be conveyed, applicants may include an additional brief statement in their email sending the above documents.