Middle Temple Amity Visit to The Hague

Wednesday 17th of September 2025 14:00

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Location

The Hague
4 QS Points
CPD – Might be suitable for inclusion in an individual practitioner’s CPD plan
Legal Knowledge, Justice and the Rule of Law

Timings

Wednesday 17 September

14:00 – 15:00 Optional Tour of the International Court of Justice (Groups 1 and 2)
15:00 – 16:00 Optional Tour of the International Court of Justice (Groups 3 and 4)
18:00 – 20:00 Opening Reception at the Sociëteit De Witte

Thursday 18 September – Conference Day One

08:30 – 13:45 Conference Day One at the Peace Palace
13:15 – 14:15 Lunch
14:15 – 14:45 Conference Day One at the Peace Palace (continued)
15:30 – 16:30 Tour of the Supreme Court
19:00 – 22:00 Reception and Formal Dinner at the Peace Palace

Friday 19 September – Conference Day Two

08:30 – 12:45 Conference Day Two at the Peace Palace
12:45 – 13:45 Lunch
13:45 – 14:30 Conference Day Two at the Peace Palace (continued)
15:30 – 16:00 Tour of the International Criminal Court

Dress code

See details below

Smart Casual is required for the conference. 

Business Attire is required for the reception and formal dinner at the Peace Palace. 

For the Opening Reception at the Sociëteit De Witte the dress code is tenue-de-ville, please click here to visit their website for further guidance.

 

Event Details

We are delighted to announce that the 2025 Middle Temple Amity Visit will take a group of delegates to The Hague in the Netherlands this September. The theme underlying the conference will be international law, and its impact on national legal systems. We anticipate sessions on the International Court of Justice, and sessions with English and Dutch legal speakers on topics such as international law and modern slavery, the environment, the impact of sanctions and commercial law.  We plan to have speakers from the Dutch Supreme Court addressing challenges to the rule of law; from the Ukraine Supreme Court on the administration of justice under martial law and a former Advocate General at the Court of Justice on the regulation of free speech.

This is an excellent opportunity to network with other legal professionals internationally. The official programme will run from Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 September.

Further details regarding the programme and accommodation can be found below. If you have any queries regarding registration, payment, the programme, accommodation, or anything else, please email members@middletemple.org.uk

Please note that ticket prices cover access to the full programme of events as described in the ticket type, but attendees will need to book their own travel and accommodation.

If you would like to book a place on the Amity Visit for Dutch colleagues and guests please contact members@middletemple.org.uk for the correct booking link. The guest tickets available on this page are for partners/spouses only and any Dutch bookings will be refunded.

Full Programme

Programme note: Guests are asked to make their own travel arrangements to the venues. 

Wednesday 17 September

We hope to have tours of the International Court of Justice available (subject to confirmation) before the start of the visit. If you are interested, please let us know.

14:00 – 15:00      Optional Tour of the International Court of Justice (Groups 1 and 2)

15:00 – 16:00      Optional Tour of the International Court of Justice (Groups 3 and 4)

18:00 – 20:00      Opening Reception at the Sociëteit De Witte

Thursday 18 September – Conference Day One

08:30                   Delegates arrive at the Peace Palace

08:30 – 09:00      Registration

09:00 – 09:30      Keynote speech – Nature and Importance of International Law and the Work of the International Court of Justice.

Professor Sir Christopher Greenwood KC

09:30 – 10:45      The Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and Current Case Law and Issues before the International Court of Justice.

 Professor Larissa Van Den Herrik, Professor Philippe Sands KC

10:45 – 11:15      Coffee break

11:15 – 12:15      Challenges to the Rule of Law from a European Perspective.

Professor Martin Kuijer, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands and Member of the Venice Commission

12:15 – 13:15      Developments in Environmental Law. 

Jessica Simor KC, Judge Paul Glazener

13:15 – 14:15      Lunch

14:15 – 14:45      Operating a Court System Under Martial Law

Judge Yevhen Synelnykov, Judge of the Civil Court of Cassation, Ukraine Supreme Court

15:30 – 16:30       Tour of the Supreme Court

19:00 – 22:00       Reception and Formal Dinner at the Peace Palace

 

Friday 19 September – Conference Day Two

08:30                   Guests arrive at the Peace Palace

08:30 – 09:00      Registration

09:00 – 10:15      The Jurisdiction and Work of the International Criminal Court.

Judge Joanna Korner, Judge of the International Criminal Court, Steven Powles KC

10:15 – 10:45      Coffee break

10:45 – 11:45      Developments in Modern Slavery. 

Francis Fitzgibbon KC, Chair: The Hon Mrs Justice Farbey DBE

11:45 – 12:45      Sanctions and Commercial Law. 

Marie Demetriou KC, Derrick Dale KC

12:45 – 13:45      Lunch

13:45 – 14:30      Closing Speech – The Law Governing the Regulation of Free Speech.

Dame Eleanor Sharpston DCMG KC

15:30 – 16:00       Tour of the International Criminal Court

The full programme will provide attendees with approximately 8 hours of CPD. 

Please note: Times and details for this event are subject to change.

The Inn is organising some morning tours as part of a partners/spouses programme. If your partner/spouse would be interested in attending, please let us know via the Google Form, which will be provided following the successful completion of your ticket booking.

 

Accommodation

The Inn has arranged accommodation at the following hotels and booking is available through the links provided below, however, we would urge you to book as soon as possible, as we only have a certain number of rooms allocated. Please note that you may be able to find accommodation at the below hotels for a lower cost than quoted below. 

 

Carlton Ambassador ****

Hotel The Hague | Carlton Ambassador The Hague

Sophialaan 2, 2514 JP Den Haag, The Netherlands

€199/night including breakfast, excluding city tax (double occupancy)

Click here to book

 

Ibis Den Haag City Centre ***

ibis Den Haag City Centre: hotel in heart of city - ALL

Jan Hendrikstraat 10, 2512 GL The Hague

To book at the ibis Den Haag City Centre, please use the link below.

Ensure that you select “EN” at the top of the page to translate the page into English. Please enter “ibis Den Haag City Centre” in the destination/hotel name field, complete the check-in and check-out fields and enter the “Customer Code” and “Access Code” below.

Click here to book

UW Client Code - SCP4527799

UW Access Code - EV356NL124

Who can Attend

Members of Middle Temple and their guests. 

Members of the Dutch delegation and approved non-Middle Temple attendees should contact the membership department members@middletemple.org.uk .

Dietary Requirements

If you (or your guests) have any dietary requirements, please ensure that you provide this information ASAP via the Google Form that will be sent to you following your successful booking. 

 

The programme for the conference has been accredited as 4 QS points (2 QS for each day). 

Student members (including transferring lawyers) must attend the full programme in order to be awarded the points. 

Further details of the QS Requirements and how to be credited with the QS for this session

Learning Aims

Learning Aims for the whole conference can be downloaded HERE.

Links to the Professional Statement, wider workings of the Bar, administration of justice or a public interest matter

1.1 / 1.4

View the BSB's Professional Statement

Bookings and Cancellations

Unless the event sells out earlier, booking will close at 09:00 20 August 2025. 

Members of Middle Temple can buy tickets online. Please note that you must log in first (if you have not yet created a login please register first). Alternatively, you can buy tickets from the Treasury Office by calling 020 7427 4800.

Cancellations: Where we have a waiting list we will offer your ticket to someone else, so please do cancel your ticket if you are no longer able to attend.

View our Bookings and Cancellation Policies

Disabled Access and Support

If you have questions about accessibility at the Inn or if you would like to request support, please email Richard Frost.

The Inn is committed to improving access to all its services and encourages members to get in touch with suggestions and feedback on how we can improve. If you feel your experience using the website or attending one of our events could be improved, please email Richard. Your suggestions will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Religious Support

Middle Temple endeavours to make the Inn as inclusive as possible for all of its members, guests and staff.

If you have questions regarding religious practice at the Inn or at Inn events, or if you would like to request support, please email the Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator Laura Hacon. The Inn endeavours to make reasonable adjustments where possible.

The Inn is committed to improving access to all its services and encourages members to get in touch with suggestions and feedback on how we can improve. If you feel your experience using the website or attending one of our events could be improved, please email Laura. Your suggestions will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Data Protection & Photography

Please be aware that photography, audio and video recording may take place at our events. These may be used for promotional purposes by the Inn, including in printed publications, on our website, and on our social media accounts. If you do not wish to have your photograph taken or to have images of you used, please alert the Membership Team at the start of the event. We are unable to guarantee that you will not be included in the background of photographs that are being taken. Contact: 020 7427 6385, members@middletemple.org.uk

All personal data that the Inn stores and processes is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Inn’s Data Protection Policy. You can ask the Inn to stop using your images at any time, or request to see the personal data that the Inn holds on you. For more information please visit the Data Protection page  http://www.middletemple.org.uk/about-us/data-protection

Times and details for this event are subject to change. Please check this webpage for the most up to date information.