A day in closed session.For the judiciary only.
A closed-door programme for sitting judges, judicial leaders and members of judicial councils, convened in the city that has housed international justice for more than a century.
Attendance is limited by design. Places are confirmed by application, not online booking.
- Dates
- 24 and 25 November 2026Welcome reception on the evening of 24 November, closed sessions on 25 November
- Venue
- The Hague Marriott HotelJohan de Wittlaan 30, The Hague
- Admission
- Judges and judicial officialsEligibility verified before a place is confirmed
- Format
- Closed-doorSessions are not recorded, attributed or published
The Forum
A room of peers, and nothing on the agenda but the work
Judges rarely get a room of their counterparts from other jurisdictions with no audience to perform for.
The Hague Judicial Forum is an international judicial programme held at The Hague Marriott Hotel, opening with a reception on the evening of 24 November and running in closed session through 25 November. Admission is restricted to sitting judges and judicial officials, and the format is deliberately small.
Working sessions and roundtables are held on the understanding that nothing said is recorded, attributed or published, so that judges can discuss the practical difficulties of the role without weighing every sentence.
The Hague is not a backdrop. It is where the vocabulary of international justice was written, and it has hosted international courts since 1899.
Who attends
Restricted to the judiciary
Eligibility is verified before a place is confirmed. We ask every applicant for their court and judicial position, and we may confirm with that court. By judicial official we mean a person holding office in a court, a judicial council or a judicial training institution, whether or not they sit as a judge. The restriction is the point of the Forum, and we apply it without exception.
- Sitting judges at every level of court
- Chief and senior judges
- Presidents and senior members of courts
- Members of judicial councils
- Members and representatives of judicial training institutions
Programme
The questions that are changing the job
Six working themes, carried across plenary sessions, the judicial masterclass and closed roundtables.
Artificial intelligence in the administration of justice
Where automated tools are already inside the process, from case allocation to translation and drafting. What a judge needs to know to supervise a tool they did not choose and cannot audit.
Judicial independence and constitutional balance
How independence is tested in practice rather than in principle: appointments, budgets, discipline and public criticism. Comparative accounts from jurisdictions under differing pressure.
Judicial integrity and combating corruption
Conduct frameworks that work and those that only look like they do. Handling conflicts, gifts and outside influence, and what a court can do when the problem is internal.
Mediation and alternative dispute resolution
The court’s role where settlement is available, encouraged or mandated. Referral practice, supervision of mediated outcomes, and the limits of judicial encouragement.
International arbitration and the role of the courts
Supervisory jurisdiction in practice: interim measures, challenges to awards, enforcement under the New York Convention, and the boundary between support and interference.
Comparative practice across jurisdictions
Structured exchange on case management, reasoning, evidence and delay, drawn from the working experience of the judges in the room rather than from doctrine.
Speakers
Who is speaking
Sitting judges, judicial leaders and heads of judicial institutions, speaking to their peers rather than to an audience.
Names are published here as each speaker and their institution confirm in writing.
The first speakers are being confirmed now and will be listed here as they are announced. To propose a speaker, or to speak yourself, use the button below.
Schedule
One evening, then a full day in closed session
Session times are published with the final programme. The shape below is fixed and is what delegates should plan travel around. We recommend arriving on 23 November and departing on 26 November, so that the reception on the evening of 24 November and the closing plenary on 25 November both fall well inside your travel dates.
- AfternoonRegistration and collection of delegate documentation
- EveningWelcome reception
- EveningInformal introductions between delegations
- MorningOpening address and keynote
- Late morningWorking sessions
- AfternoonJudicial masterclass
- Late afternoonClosed roundtable, judiciary only
- CloseClosing plenary and participation documentation
Delegations
Sending a judicial delegation
Judicial councils, judges’ unions and judicial training institutions send delegations under a written agreement with Law Pundits.
The institution nominates its own members. We handle registration, documentation and the practical arrangements in The Hague. Participation rates for delegations are provided on application.
-
Agreement
We issue a memorandum of understanding setting out places, fees and the responsibilities of both parties.
-
Nomination
The institution nominates its delegates and provides the registration details we need for documentation.
-
Documentation
We issue a formal letter of invitation to every confirmed participant for their visa application.
-
Attendance
Delegates travel and attend as a delegation of their institution, and are presented as such.
What participation covers
Participation in the full programme, all sessions, working sessions, the judicial masterclass and closed-door activities; lunch and refreshments on each programme day; and participation documentation.
What it does not cover
International flights and travel to and from the Netherlands, hotel accommodation, local transport within The Hague including airport transfers and travel between hotel and venue, meals outside the programme, visa fees, insurance and personal expenses.
Fees and unused places
Participation fees are not refundable once places are confirmed. Where a confirmed place goes unused, including on refusal of a visa, it may be carried forward as a credit against a future Law Pundits event, on the terms set out in the agreement.
Individual participation
Applying as an individual judge
A limited number of individual places are held for sitting judges and judicial officials. Places are confirmed by application rather than online booking, so that we can verify eligibility and keep a balance of jurisdictions in the room.
Participation rates are provided on application.
Before you apply. Participation fees are not refunded if a visa is refused or delayed.
Delegates are strongly advised to hold travel insurance covering visa refusal and cancellation, and not to book non-refundable travel or accommodation before a visa has been granted.
- Applications are reviewed in the order received
- We confirm eligibility with your court where necessary
- We issue a formal letter of invitation to every confirmed participant for their visa application
The Hague
Venue, travel and visas
Venue
The Hague Marriott HotelJohan de Wittlaan 30
2517 JR The Hague
The Netherlands In The Hague’s international zone, next to the World Forum, with the Peace Palace about ten minutes’ walk away.
Accommodation
A delegate rate at the venue hotel is available for the nights of 23, 24 and 25 November, bookable directly. Delegates arrange and pay for their own accommodation.
Getting there
Amsterdam Schiphol is about 30 minutes from Den Haag Centraal by direct train, and the hotel is a short tram or taxi ride from the station. Rotterdam The Hague Airport is nearer, but has fewer international routes and no direct train, so the journey takes about 40 minutes with a change. Local transport within The Hague is not provided and is not included in participation.
Visas and entry
Delegates requiring a Schengen visa should begin the application as early as possible. Appointment availability at Netherlands missions is limited and cannot be accelerated by the organisers.
We issue a formal letter of invitation to every confirmed participant for their visa application.
The decision to grant or refuse a visa rests solely with the relevant embassy, consulate or immigration authority. Participation in the Forum neither constitutes nor guarantees the issue of a visa, and participation fees are not refunded in the event of refusal or delay.
Insurance
Delegates attend at their own risk and are responsible for holding adequate travel and medical insurance for the full period of travel, including cover for cancellation and visa refusal. Law Pundits does not provide insurance for participants.
Registration
Register here
Choose the route that applies to you and the form opens below. There is no online checkout. Every submission is read and answered by a named member of the team, normally the same working day.
We reply within one working day, confirm eligibility with your court if needed, then send the fee and terms.
We reply within one working day, confirm eligibility with your court if needed, then send the fee and terms.
About
Convened by Law Pundits
Law Pundits is an international legal education, training and events organisation. Its programmes bring judges, practitioners and academics together across jurisdictions.
We have convened the Global Legal Forum in The Hague since 2018. It has grown into the anchor of Hague Law Week and draws general counsel, litigators, judges and law firm leaders from across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
In June 2026 we convened the EU-Arab Legal Summit in The Hague, bringing together judges, university professors, senior advocates, law firm partners, corporate counsel and bar association representatives from across Europe and the Arab world.
The Hague Judicial Forum is the first edition of a programme built for one audience only.
Also from Law Pundits
Global Legal Forum
Running since 2018 and anchoring Hague Law Week. General counsel, litigators and law firm leaders. globallegalforum.com
EU-Arab Legal Summit
The legal communities of Europe and the Arab world, convened alongside Hague Law Week. euarablegal.com
Professional training
Certified legal training programmes delivered to professionals in more than two thousand organisations.
Contact