International Court of Justice Judicial Fellowship Programme

This scholarship is for Cambridge University LLM and Law Faculty PhD Students only. 

The International Court of Justice is accepting nominations for the 2026-27 International Court of Justice Judicial Fellowship Programme. Applications will be collected and shortlisted by the Lauterpacht Centre on behalf of the Faculty of Law.

Judicial Fellows complete work experience on a full-time basis under the supervision of a Member of the Court, alongside the Member’s primary legal assistant. Fellows can expect to conduct research and draft memorandums on questions of law or fact relating to cases pending before the Court, attend hearings and sittings, and perform any other duties that may be assigned to them by their respective judges. The duration of the fellowship is approximately ten months, from early September to June of the following year. The Court generally selects 15 participants nominated by universities across the world.

It is anticipated that some of the places will be awarded to trust-funded nominees from universities located in developing countries. However, if selected, a Cambridge nominated candidate would receive a stipend of £25,000 from the Faculty/LCIL towards travel, living expenses and health insurance. Funds are available to support one student. Applications for nomination are open to current LLM and PhD students and, as the position at the ICJ is full-time, students will need to have completed their current studies by summer 2026 to be eligible for nomination.

The Court’s website states the following as eligibility criteria:

• To be eligible, 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.

How to apply

Please submit the following materials as individual documents to the Lauterpacht Centre at admin@lcil.cam.ac.uk  by noon on Monday 12 January 2026:

• ICJ Personal History Form
• A copy of your academic records in a single pdf file.
• A writing sample of no more than 15 pages (typewritten). The writing sample can be either a piece of work which you have submitted for a previous degree or a formative essay which you have submitted for your current studies at Cambridge.
• Two to three reference letters from individuals who can attest to your abilities in the field of international law to be submitted directly by the referee to the email address above by the same deadline.

 
It is expected that the LCIL selected student for nomination to the ICJ will be notified in early February 2026.

The final outcome of the nomination from the ICJ is expected in April 2026.