Legal Professions Research Group members co-host major workshop

On Friday 20 March, members of the LPRG co‑hosted a practitioner–academic workshop at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in The Hague.

The workshop brought together professionals from across the international criminal justice field for an afternoon of structured reflection on “professionals and professionalism(s)” in practice.
 
It was co‑designed and facilitated by Legal Professions Research Group (LPRG) members Alex Batesmith and Ilaria Zavoli, working closely with longstanding collaborators Dr Nora Stappert (Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen) and Dr Gabriele Chlevickaite (Asser Instituut). The event was the latest milestone in a multi‑year project examining how professionalism is understood, enacted, and contested across international criminal justice institutions.
 
This project began with an exploratory workshop in Leeds in 2023, continued through further events in Copenhagen and Tilburg in 2024, and culminated in a major scholarly symposium published in the Journal of International Criminal Justice in 2025. The discussions at the Asser Instituut built directly on this body of work, taking forward themes such as:

• differing and sometimes conflicting assumptions about “professional behaviour”;
• the role of soft skills, emotional labour and team dynamics;
• the influence of legal cultural backgrounds and organisational norms; and
• the boundaries of acceptable professional conduct in a rapidly evolving field.

The Hague workshop created a dedicated space for practitioners from prosecution, defence, victims’ representation, civil society, investigations, and other professional sites to share experiences under the Chatham House Rule.

Participants engaged in facilitated group work, exploring converging and contested standards, overlooked professional practices, and emerging challenges. The final session invited collective priority‑setting for future research, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.

Mr Batesmith says:

The workshop demonstrated the depth of insight and commitment within the international criminal justice community. Participants brought diverse perspectives, yet many shared themes emerged – from the complexities of professional expectations to the need for healthier, more reflective workplace cultures. What we heard reinforces the importance of creating ongoing, cross‑institutional spaces where practitioners can speak openly about the realities of their work, challenge unspoken norms, and consider how professionalism in this field might evolve. We are committed to supporting this conversation as it continues to grow.

• Mr Batesmith is the Co-Director of the Legal Professions Research Group, and is a member of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and the Centre for Innovation and Research in Criminological and Legal Education. He can be found on LinkedIn here.
• Dr Zavoli is a member of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and the Centre for Business Law and Practice. She can be found on LinkedIn here.