Name: Nesrine Khalloufi
Age: 22
Programme: Law (UvA)
Minor: Court Professions (UvA)

'In my search for an interesting minor, I first came across Political Science. But the basic curriculum of Political Science turned out not to suit me in practice. Then I switched to the Court Professions minor, and that was perfect for me. Professional ethics and integrity for lawyers is something that I consider very important in my field of expertise, but is not addressed enough in my law studies. 

My minor was even more inspiring than I had previously thought. The lectures were given by professors from the field and lively discussions regularly took place in the tutorials. At the time, associate professor of professional ethics Iris van Domselaar was participating in a podcast series on the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, in which she talked about the ethical aspects. Because we also regularly covered the benefits scandal during the lessons, she invited several people from my tutorial to talk about it. I was interviewed for the podcast about the role of professional ethics in this scandal. It was very educational.

I have now completed my minor and can immediately put what I have learned into practice. I work at a legal advice centre in Amsterdam, where female law students from the UvA provide women with free legal advice. I am now in a better position to help clients who come to me with disciplinary issues.

Personally, I think I should have explored the various minors I could have chosen at an earlier stage, so I would like to advise other students to start collecting information in good time. You also see many people opting for a minor that expands their horizons and choosing a course outside their faculty. It is a good addition, of course, but I’m glad that I was able to deepen my knowledge with a specialist minor in my own field. I'm already reaping the benefits of it.'