Justin Lindeboom is an Associate Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law. Below is a short interview, inquiring about his research and teaching role in our European Law in a Global Context LLM, International and European Law LLB, and Rechtsgeleerdheid LLB programmes.

What is your specific academic background, and what are your research interests? Do you currently work on any specific research projects?

I did undergraduate degrees in law and history, and then decided to specialise in EU law. During my PhD, I focused on EU constitutional law and legal theory. Since then, I have become increasingly interested in two other fields of law: European and global competition law and comparative constitutional law, focusing on the EU and the US in particular. Currently I am working on three research projects: the conceptual and theoretical foundations of competition law and policy, the history and development of EU internal market law in the 1970s and 1980s, and the position of the federal judiciary in 19th-century American constitutional history in comparison with the position of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the EU legal order.

What courses do you teach within the Faculty? 

At undergraduate level, I teach the two main courses on general EU law: Law of the European Union in the LLB International and European Law, and Recht van de Europese Unie in the LLB Rechtsgeleerdheid. At master’s level I teach the advanced course on European Internal Market Law in the LLM European Law in a Global Context, and I am also involved in the European Law Moot Court.

What do you enjoy teaching about these courses?

What I like about teaching the LLB courses on general EU law is the challenge to make intelligible what often seems obscure and complicated. EU law is not really an area of law but rather an immensely wide-ranging collection of legal sources originating from any of the EU institutions. Reading EU secondary legislation or the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union often feels like entering a morass or a semantic minefield. But in the end, to quote former UK Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Sumption, “most law is only common sense with knobs on”. The joy of teaching EU law, for me, is to structure and explain the law in such a way that students really see what is the core issue.

 In European Internal Market Law, somewhat by contrast, we try to look beyond the “textbook descriptions” of the case law and various harmonisation measures. We really try to problematise some of the mainstream interpretations of the Court of Justice’s case law: why did the Court decide a case such-and-such, what’s really behind the Court’s reasoning, and how could it have decided the case differently? I enjoy this course a lot for a different reason, namely that every year I learn a lot of new things about EU internal market law, and it usually turns out to be more complicated than what you read in most secondary sources.

How are the (degree) programmes you teach in unique compared to similar programmes elsewhere? 

The LLB International and European Law is one of the very few undergraduate degrees in Europe focusing specifically on public international and European law, and we are fortunate enough to attract a lot of very bright students from across the world every year. Our LLM European Law in a Global Context differs from many LLM programmes focusing on EU law by taking into account the global context in which EU law operates and the global challenges to which the EU aims to respond.

The Dutch-language LLB Rechtsgeleerdheid is one of several undergraduate law programmes in the Netherlands. What I appreciate about our programme are the several specialisation tracks from which you can choose from the second-year onwards, including international and European law. Compared to the LLB International and European Law, this track has the advantage of allowing you to practice law in the Netherlands (civiel effect) if combined with a master’s programme focusing on Dutch of European law. This track is a great option for students who are interested in practicing law in the Netherlands but would like to focus on public international law and/or EU law.

What career prospects do you think there could be for students who pursue careers in your specific legal field of expertise?

I think the career prospects for people specialising in EU law are really good. EU law issues are ubiquitous in virtually all areas of law and affect a tremendous number of people and businesses. At the same time, for many lawyers specialising in any field of national law, the EU law dimension(s) of their field are still pretty exotic and difficult. For lawyers, the best career prospects are invariably in those areas where the law is unclear, complicated or both. EU law scores pretty high on both counts (which is what makes it interesting).

Do you have any advice for students interested in pursuing your same field of legal expertise?

Try to read as much as you can from different perspectives, and don’t be afraid to slay sacred cows.

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