Tilburg Law School

👏 Our Prof. Conny Rijken of the Department of Criminal Law at Tilburg University has been re-elected as a member of the Council of Europe expert group on human trafficking, GRETA. Over the past few years, she has contributed to a recommendation on labor exploitation and a guidance note on the reflection period for victims. As Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children she can also bring this international experience home. We wish her lots of success in the new 4 year term, starting January 1st, 2025. https://lnkd.in/g5P8QgJw

👏 Our Bachelor Global Law has been ranked best in its field by students, according to the Keuzegids Universiteiten 2025. And our Bachelor Tax Law was 2nd out of 5. Congratulations and well done to everyone involved!   https://lnkd.in/dFq3mwXH  

Een vruchtbare bijeenkomst gewenst aan alle deelnemers van ons symposium over de kwetsbare positie van burgemeesters in Nederland, vanmiddag in Amsterdam. 👉 Burgemeesters vervullen een cruciale rol in het beschermen van de democratische rechtsstaat, maar staan onder druk. Als Femke Halsema het demonstratierecht verdedigt, wordt ze het land uit gewenst door Geert Wilders. Burgemeesters die georganiseerde criminaliteit aanpakken, worden massaal bedreigd. En burgemeesters die zich hardmaken voor de integriteit van het gemeentebestuur, lopen het risico te worden weggestuurd door de gemeenteraad. ❓Hoe houd je onder die omstandigheden als burgemeester je rug recht en blijf je het goede doen? Hoe blijf je voldoende onafhankelijk en zorg je dat je niet zwicht voor politieke of maatschappelijke druk? Welke ondersteuning hebben burgemeesters daarbij nodig? Wat is de rol van gemeenteraadsleden, wethouders, commissarissen van de Koning en de minister van Binnenlandse Zaken hierin? Frank Hendriks en Niels Karsten van het Department of Public Law & Governance at Tilburg University organiseerden dit symposium. Hierbij het programma: https://lnkd.in/egVrhNXh      

Europe and the Netherlands face major transitions to maintain and strengthen competitiveness in the global market. However, the necessary technical innovation and productivity often clash with Europe’s promise of a social market economy. We need a clear and steadfast mission to act based on shared values and ensure that resources go where they can make the greatest impact. Most importantly: action. How do we make this happen? Tilburg Law School researchers Corien Prins (also chair of WRR - Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy) and Ton Wilthagen joined Sjak Smulders to talk with Pieter Hasekamp, director of the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) during the interactive scientific talkshow ‘Understanding Draghi’ on December 11 in The Hague. They discussed Mario Draghi's report 'The future of European competitiveness’. Martijn van Gruijthuijsen (Deputy Provincie Noord-Brabant) and Hans de Jong (special envoy for the National Reinforcement Plan for Microchip Talent) shared insights and visions from policy practice, which also highlighted the strength of the regions. Corien Prins: "In today’s right-leaning political climate, it’s harder to find allies for the European values agenda. But it’s not impossible." Ton Wilthagen: "In the Brainport region, cutting-edge technological innovation goes hand in hand with improving social equality and broad-based prosperity." Read the recap here: https://lnkd.in/e4-btfjB https://lnkd.in/e4-btfjB

🎉 We are happy to share that as of 1 January 2025, Gert-Jan Leenknegt will take on the role of Vice Dean for Education. Gert-Jan succeeds Stéphanie van Gulijk, who will take on the role of Dean of TLS. Gert-Jan has always had a warm heart for education and has been highly appreciated by students and colleagues in the field of legal and public administration education, both as a teacher and in his position as chairman of the Examination Committee. As Academic Lead at TunedIn, Gert-Jan has proven to be a connector in the field of educational innovation. Gert-Jan: ‘The coming years will see major challenges for TLS, including the announced budget cuts to higher education and the internationalization discussion. At the same time, technological developments such as new AI tools offer opportunities to innovate and strengthen our education. I look forward to helping shape and direct this as a member of the Faculty Board.’ The Faculty Board is very pleased that Gert-Jan is taking on the role of Vice Dean for Education and has every confidence in the collaboration. Congratulations Gert-Jan! ✨

❓ How to enable rural Indian communities to sustainably adapt to climate change? 📢 Marginalized communities in India need empowering laws and policies to adapt sustainably to climate change, emphasizing well-being through small-scale collective sovereignty, gender justice, and the removal of other limiting factors. That is what Nairita Roy Chaudhuri at the Department of Public Law & Governance at Tilburg University argues on the basis of research in the rural and semi-arid regions of West Bengal and Odisha in eastern India. She will defend her PhD dissertation on Wednesday 11 December 2024. 🔍 Nairita explored how marginalized communities are adapting to the consequences of climate change such as water scarcity and droughts, and the role of law in supporting their sustainable adaptation. She conducted participatory interviews with 358 individuals from rural communities affected by climate change, from civil society organizations, and from local government in the rural and semi-arid regions of West Bengal and Odisha in eastern India. 👉 In order to be able to adapt sustainably, these rural communities need to be able to sustain their limited needs by maintaining their small-scale livelihoods collectively, in ways that are both sovereign and gender-just, in order to reduce their dependence on local government authorities and private agricultural markets i.e. limit state-market hegemony. Rural sovereignty means collective control over traditional seeds, crop choices, land, shared rural community resources and forests, and traditional village institutions. ❗ Also, policies to promote gender justice should dismantle or limit patriarchy by equitably addressing the systemic challenges and inequalities women from various social groups face. Chaudhuri’s findings show that women need more support in standing up against gender-based violence, caste discrimination, and the heavy burden of fetching and managing diminishing water and forest supplies due to their caregiving responsibilities. More information on our website: https://lnkd.in/ehkR_YAJ #climatechange #genderjustice #lawandgovernance

✨ We are very pleased to announce that Professor Stéphanie van Gulijk has been appointed as Dean of Tilburg Law School, effective April 1, 2025! Stéphanie succeeds Geert Vervaeke, who has served as the Dean of our School in the past eight years. His second and thus last term as Dean will end on March 31, 2025. Geert has been of inestimable value to our School and we will celebrate his merits and contribution at a later moment. Stéphanie van Gulijk studied Law at our School and earned a PhD in 2008 based on her PhD thesis entitled ‘European Architect Law. Towards a New Design’. In 2009, she became an Assistant Professor, worked as a barrister, and after five years rose to the position of Associate Professor. In 2018, Stéphanie was appointed as Professor of Private Law. Throughout her career, Stéphanie has held different management positions outside academia. In addition, she is working as an arbitrator, deputy justice at the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, and she is a senior lecturer at the Grotius Academie. Since September 2021, Stéphanie has been of great value to our School in the role of Vice-Dean for Education. Stéphanie: “Tilburg Law School is an inspiring School that is leading in interdisciplinary and innovative education and research, with great national and international social engagement. I am proud to connect with my colleagues to contribute, in the capacity of Dean, to the further development of Tilburg Law School in the coming years and I am looking forward to further collaborating with the other Schools, the Executive Board, and the professional field.” On behalf of the School Board, we have the pleasure of congratulating Stéphanie and wishing her every success in this fine role! 🎉

🖼️ Empathie in juridisch onderwijs: leren van kunst om beter te oordelen Bij Tilburg Law School is geëxperimenteerd met empathie-onderwijs voor rechtenstudenten. Buitenpromovenda Ingemarie Sam onderzocht de methode Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), waarbij studenten groepsgesprekken voeren over kunstwerken. Deze methode helpt bij het innemen van verschillende perspectieven, essentieel voor het ontwikkelen van empathie. Ze promoveert op 9 december. ❔ Waarom is empathie belangrijk in de juridische praktijk? Na de Toeslagenaffaire wordt steeds meer waarde gehecht aan betrokken oordeelsvorming en responsief recht. Dit betekent dat juristen niet alleen juridische kennis, maar ook de waarden en belangen van betrokkenen moeten meenemen in hun beslissingen. Het vermogen om situaties vanuit verschillende invalshoeken te bekijken is hierbij cruciaal. 👉 Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat VTS studenten helpt open te gaan staan voor verschillende perspectieven, ook al vinden ze het lastig om iets te zeggen zonder 'het juiste antwoord' te weten. Hier speelt de facilitator een sleutelrol in het creëren van een veilige leeromgeving. VTS lijkt vooral positief effect te hebben op de gevoelskant van empathie. De onderzoeksdata suggereren dat studenten met een achterstand daarin het meeste leren door de methode. Het onderzoek toont de potentie van VTS in juridisch onderwijs. Aanvullend onderzoek zal moeten aantonen hoe deze methode het beste kan bijdragen aan het opleiden van empathische, responsieve juristen. #Empathie #JuridischOnderwijs #VTS #VisualThinkingStrategies https://lnkd.in/eG4tYjgc

Prof. dr. Peter Essers received the Heidelberger Steuerrechtspreis 2024 🎖️ On November 22, our emeritus prof. dr. Peter Essers has been praised by the Institut für Finanz- und Steuerrecht at Universität Heidelberg. This distinction has been awarded to him for his outstanding contributions to constitutional and principled tax law. Congratulations! 🎉

📢 Litigation in the Anthropocene as a Catalyst for Transformation Across the Netherlands and Europe, litigation is emerging as a tool for communities and advocacy groups confronting lack of political will to address the climate crisis. These cases are more than just legal battles; they expose crucial inconsistencies in existing laws and governance systems, challenging the assumptions of accountability. Phillip Paiement explores this critical role of public interest climate litigation on Friday 29 November in his inaugural address as professor of Law and Governance in the Anthropocene. Paiement calls the wave of lawsuits the “litigation of the Anthropocene”, pointing to landmark cases like: ✅ KLM's greenwashing litigation, which enforces consumer protection laws against misleading sustainability claims. ✅ The Urgenda case, ensuring climate policies align with human rights obligations. Read more in this press release or just be there on Friday! Department of Public Law & Governance at Tilburg University https://lnkd.in/eJMh3r5d