Faculty of Law
About our faculty
Established in 1988, the Faculty of Law (FdR) was the first faculty to offer its services at the University of Aruba. Since its establishment, more than 200 students have obtained their Master’s Degree in Aruban Law. A great number of these graduates have found employment in Aruba, while others have pursued further specialization in the Netherlands.
The Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba aims to provide Aruba with well-trained and highly qualified professionals in the area of Aruban law.
Academic programs
The Faculty of Law provides academic education and training for a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Aruban law. In contrast to law studies at large universities in the Netherlands, the Faculty of Law at UA offers small classes with personal attention for each student. The undergraduate program (Bachelor) is a three-year program, while the Master program is one year, with the possibility to specialize in two different profiles: Legal practice and; International Law, Regulation and Governance.
Study Resources and Downloads
For all downloads, including study guides, schedules, book lists and more, please use the button below.
Go to Study ResourcesResearch
The Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba conducts research and delivers services that benefit the Aruban society as a whole and the legal professional community in particular. The Faculty of Law conducts applied and scientific research in all legal fields. The faculty has its own research program, entitled ‘Rights, freedoms and principles of law in the Aruban context’. More detailed information about the research program can be found in our research repository
Faculty members publish their research findings in books and publications series like the SNAAR series. Next to that, they also publish in legal periodicals like the ‘Caribisch Juristenblad (CJB)’ and the ‘Nederlandse Juristen Blad (NJB)’. Students of the faculty are being encouraged to participate in research projects of the faculty members and do research of their own, for example when writing their thesis.
For more information about the faculty’s research and social services, please contact dean-of-law@ua.aw.
Wij werken graag samen met andere partners. Bent u geïnteresseerd in samenwerking, heeft u een specifieke onderzoeksopdracht of wilt u meer weten over ons onderzoeksprogramma en/of de expertise van onze medewerkers? Neem dan gerust contact op via dean-of-law@ua.aw
International opportunities
Students can complete part of the bachelor’s degree or master’s by following courses abroad.
The Faculty of Law collaborates with a number of foreign universities to organize exchange programs based on the Erasmus+ mobility program and other non-Erasmus exchange.
If you don’t study in Aruba but wish to take courses at the UA Faculty of Law, you might be eligible to do an exchange program at our university.
Contact the Office of International Affairs for more information
Vision and mission
Vision
The Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba focuses on high-quality education, research, and social services. In doing so, it makes use of the advantages that Aruba has to offer, namely its small-scale, multilingualism, geographical location, and history. The Faculty of Law highly values academic freedom and scientific integrity and promotes an education and research culture with a passion for science. Hereby she strives for the scientific and personal development of students and teachers. The Faculty of Law fulfills an indispensable function within Aruba as a knowledge institute in the field of law for the Aruban society. She is an important partner to the Aruban government, legal practice, and business. The faculty guarantees to be and to offer an independent platform for discussion about law and social issues in an atmosphere of social involvement. She considers herself an equal partner to foreign legal faculties and research centers that strive for high-quality legal scientific education and research.
Mission
The UA Faculty of Law wants foremost to provide Aruban residents and Arubans abroad the opportunity to study in Aruba. The faculty has great potential to act as a “window to the world” for these students. It, therefore, aims to be an attractive choice for students with an Aruban background. The Faculty of Law also recognizes the need to pay attention to globalizing trends. Aruba is literally an island with its own legal system, but in a figurative sense, it cannot remain an island in a strongly globalizing world. It is therefore important that the Faculty of Law “brings the world in” by offering foreign students, teachers, and researchers an attractive choice to study in Aruba.
To this end, the Faculty of Law must continue to guarantee that it offers high-quality education, stimulates high-quality research, is visible and socially involved, and above all has the ambition to continuously improve. The Faculty of Law must furthermore draw its strength from and make optimum use of its specific context, in particular its small-scale, multi-ethnicity, multilingualism, and geographical location, with which it can build a bridge between Europe and the Americas. Her education and research must meet internationally recognized quality standards and be relevant for (inter) regional and (inter) national legal practice and the job market. It aims to offer its students optimal opportunities to become acquainted with (inter) regional and (inter) national legal practice and labor market, partly through encouraging students to study and intern abroad. Conversely, the faculty must also offer foreign students the opportunity to take non-Dutch courses and strive for a non-Dutch master’s degree. Strategic interregional and international partnerships with foreign legal faculties and research centers is essential to accomplishing this. In this way, the Faculty of Law wants to contribute to transforming the “brain drain” from Aruba into a “brain gain”.
Partner institutions
The Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba has exchange programs with a number of foreign universities on basis of the Erasmus+ program, such as Maribor University (Slovenia), University of Valladolid (Segovia, Spain) and KU Leuven (Belgium).
Explore our Partner InstitutionsFaculty dean and vice-deans
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” ~ Martin Luther King
Faculty Staff
Abida Abarkan has been a lecturer at our faculty since 2023. Her fields of expertise are General law and jurisprudence, international law, and European law. Next to that, Abida is part of our Educational Program Committee, the Exam Committee and the PR committee.
Email: abida.abarkan@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2222
A full overview of her research and publications can be found via this link
Carlos joined the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba in 2007 as associate professor in Private law. Next to that, he acts as the dean of the faculty. He is also study advisor of the faculty. Carlos also has tasks regarding the university wide wellbeing program (Shoco Wellness) and he takes part in the committee that discusses criteria for the program with law professionals.
His fields of expertise are Patrimonial law, especially Aruban, Dutch and comparative contract law and consumer law.
Email: carlos.bollen@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2220
A full overview of his research and publications can be found via this link
Ruth Bonnevalle-Kok joined the University of Aruba in 2017. Her fields of expertise are Aruban Criminal Law and the Law of Criminal Procedure and International Criminal Law.
Ruth Bonnevalle-Kok served as Dean of the Law faculty from academic year 2020-2021 until June 2024. Since 2019, she serves as a Member of the Supervisory Board of the Korrektie Instituut Aruba (KIA). In addition, she participates in the steering committee “Implementatie Wetboek van Strafvordering van Aruba 2024” of the Aruban Public Prosecutor (OM). In this capacity, she provided courses to over 250 legal professionals from the Caribbean region in both Aruba and Curaçao in 2024. Finally, Ruth serves as a substitute Member of the LAR Bezwaarschriftencommissie since November 2023.
Email: ruth.bonnevalle@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2222
A full overview of Ruth’s publications can be found via this link
Benedicta is a researcher and lecturer of general law at the Law Faculty of the University of Aruba since March 2020. Her fields of interest are: Methods in Empirical Legal Research, Human Rights Law, Women’s rights, and Law and Religion.
Benedicta is the exchange coordinator of the faculty. Next to that, she is the coordinator of the Tienda di Ley of the Faculty of Law and she serves as Vice-dean of Research.
Email: benedicta.deogratias@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2225
A full overview of Benedicta’s research and publications can be found via this link
In 2006, after graduating at the Faculty of Law of our university, Miranda Gielen joined our team as a lecturer. Her fields of expertise are in Aruban and Dutch Civil Law, and Aruban and Dutch Family Law. Miranda is our thesis coordinator, as well as internship coordinator of our faculty.
Email: miranda.gielen@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2224
A full overview of Miranda’s research and publications can be found via this link
Brechtje Huiskes joined our team in 2021. Her fields of expertise are amongst others Aruban Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. Brechtje is a member of our Educational Program Committee, as well as member of the Tienda di Ley committee of the faculty. She also serves as Vice-President of the complaints committee of the General Practitioners Association Aruba (HAVA klachtencommissie) and Secretary of the Foundation for Post Academic Education.
Email: brechtje.huiskes@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2221
A full overview of Brechtje’s research and publications can be found via this link
Chun Luk has been Assistant Professor in Private Law at the University of Aruba since March 2022. As of September 2024, Chun serves as the Vice-dean of Education of the Law faculty.
Chun’s fields of expertise are in asylum and migration law, human rights law, nationality law and European citizenship.
Email: chun.luk@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2227
A full overview of his research and publications can be found via this link
Hannah Meijer joined the Faculty of Law in 2023 as a lecturer in Constitutional and Administrative Law. Her fields of expertise include constitutional law and administrative law and public administration.
Hannah is Chair of the Exam Committee.
Email: hannah.meijer@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2221
A full overview of Hannah’s research and publications can be found via this link
In 2023, Nicole joined our faculty. She will be assisting the staff with all the administrative workload. Before joining us, Nicole worked at a renowned accounting firm and later decided to switch fields and worked at a law firm. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of Central Florida.
You can contact Nicole via email, for example when you are unable to find certain information on our website, or if you are unsure whom to approach if you have a request to the (lecturers of the) faculty of law or a question about our study programs.
Email: nicole.habibe@ua.aw
Herman Bröring has been one of our guest lecturers since 2011. In 2021, he was appointed as honorary professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law at the faculty. His fields of expertise include constitutional and administrative law of Aruba and the Netherlands. More specifically his interests are in public organization law, decision-making, soft law and administrative law, especially norm-making (legislation; administrative rules; guidelines, protocols) and law enforcement (administrative coercion, penalty payments and fines).
Next to teaching at the university of Aruba, Herman gives post academic courses for, inter alia, the judicature and civil servant trainee education programs.
Herman also works as professor of Administrative Law at the University of Groningen. Next to that, he is a member of several management, supervision and objections committees. He is deputy chairman of The Netherlands Board on Research Integrity (LOWI, Amsterdam) and a member of the committee ‘Verschillen’ (unequal treatment of mining damage in Groningen).
Email: h.e.broring@rug.nl
A full overview of his publications and activities can be found via this link
René de Groot was appointed as Honorary professor of Private Law at our faculty in 2007. His fields of expertise include Private International Law, Comparative Law, Nationality Law, and Legal Translation.
De Groot is also Professor emeritus of Maastricht University in Comparative Law and Private International Law. Next to that, he is a Consortium member of the Global Citizenship Observatory (GLOBALCIT), co-Director of the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE), and President of the Netherlands Comparative Law Association.
Email: r.degroot@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Phone: (297) 526 2220
A full overview of his is available on request
Evert Stamhuis holds the chair for Criminal Law and Procedure of the University of Aruba since 2014. Before his appointment as professor, he served the university as a teacher and advisor from 1997 onwards. His teaching and research in Aruba cover topics of criminal law and procedure. His fields of expertise are Criminal Law, Criminal procedure law, Cybercrime, Law, data and AI.
In the Netherlands, Stamhuis holds a chair in Law & Innovation at the Erasmus School of Law in Rotterdam. Evert is also honorary member of the Court of Appeal (criminal section) ‘s Hertogenbosch.
Email: stamhuis@law.eur.nl
Phone: (297) 526 2220
A full overview of his publications can be found via this link
Michiel Heldeweg is involved in teaching at the University of Aruba since 2010. His fields of expertise include Law, Governance & Technology, environmental law, legal governance of technological innovation (energy transition / robotics & drones), future proof regulation and institutional legal theory.
In the Netherlands, at the University of Twente, Heldeweg is a member (and former head) of the section of Governance & Technology for Sustainability (CSTM), Program director of the Master in Environmental and Energy Management (MEEM), and chairman of the Committee on Scientific Integrity. He is also a member of the Netherlands Institute of Governance (NIG), an associate senior member of the Ius Commune Research School (ICOS), a partner to the Netherlands Institute for Law and Governance (NILG), and leader of the European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance (Eseia) Working Group (4) on Energy Governance, Business Models and Legal Frameworks. Heldeweg’s main ancillary activity is that of honorary judge at the District Court of Overijssel (Administrative bench), the Netherlands.
Email: m.a.heldeweg@utwente.nl
Phone: (297) 526 2220
A full overview of his publications can be found via this link
Willem Jan Noordhuizen teaches Civil Procedure as a guest lecturer at the University of Aruba since 2020. Willem Jan is a practicing lawyer in Aruba, handling complex civil matters as an advisor and litigator.
Willem Jan also serves as member of the Committee on the Supervision of Lawyers of Sint Maarten (Raad van Toezicht voor de Advocatuur) since 2019 and of Aruba since 2020 and, since 2019 he is an Extraordinary member of the Council of Advice of Sint Maarten (Raad van Advies).
Email: willemjan@dconlaw.com
Phone: (297) 526 2220
Mrs. Nicole Duyvelshoff has been one of our guest Indrah joined the University of Aruba as a guest lecturer in 2024. Her expertise lies in (corporate) income tax compliance and payroll taxes, including expatriate compensation. She also has extensive experience in advisory, compliance, and planning related to the indirect taxes and general tax-law matters. With over 15 years of experience as an all-round tax practitioner, Indrah specializes in the tax systems of Aruba, the BES-Islands and Suriname. She currently works at HBN Law & Tax Aruba.
Email: nicole.duijvelshoff@ua.aw
Phone: (297) 526 2220
Indrah joined the University of Aruba as a guest lecturer in 2024. Her expertise lies in (corporate) income tax compliance and payroll taxes, including expatriate compensation. She also has extensive experience in advisory, compliance, and planning related to the indirect taxes and general tax-law matters. With over 15 years of experience as an all-round tax practitioner, Indrah specializes in the tax systems of Aruba, the BES-Islands and Suriname. She currently works at HBN Law & Tax Aruba.
Email: indrah.maduro@hbnlawtax.com
Martin Herz has been one of our lecturers since 2020. His fields of expertise are European and International Law, specifically European competition law.
Next to teaching at the University of Aruba, Martin works at Kenniscentrum Europa Decentraal, as legal advisor public procurement and digitalization.
Email: mseherz@proton.me
Phone: (297) 526 2220
Remy Gaarthuis is one of our guest lecturers since 2024. His fields of expertise are Substantive Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Criminal sanctions and Caribbean Criminal Law. He is interested in the relationship between criminal law and (mental) healthcare.
Next to teaching at the University of Aruba, Remy works at the ‘Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology’ of the University of Utrecht and is deputy judge at the Amsterdam District Court.
Email: remy.gaarthuis@ua.aw
Jos Hamers has been one of our guest lecturers since 2008. Next to that, he works as Professor of Corporate Law and National & Interregional Legal Entity and Partnership Law at the Maastricht University (the Netherlands).
Email: j.hamers@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Phone: (297) 526 5220
Anselm Kamperman Sanders is one of our guest lecturers and teaches Intellectural Property Law. He is Professor of Intellectual Property Law and Academic Director of the Institute for Globalisation and International Regulation (IGIR) at Maastricht University (the Netherlands). He also sits as deputy judge in the Court of Appeal in the Hague. His fields of expertise include Intellectual and Industrial Property Law, Media Law, Trade and Commercial Law, and (Unfair) Competition Law.
Email: a.kampermansanders@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Jona is one of our guest lecturers since 2021, previously he was one of our Associate Professors. His fields of expertise include Insolvency Law.
Peter van den Berg has been one of our guest lecturers since 2008. Currently, Peter also works as Associate Professor at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) at the Department of General Law Studies and Legal History.
Pauline Westerman has been teaching Philosophy of Law at our faculty as a guest lecturer. Next to that, she is Professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands). Pauline is also a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and program manager of the ‘Academie voor Wetgeving’ in The Hague.
Anne Ruth Mackor has been one of our guest lecturers since 2021. Anne Ruth is Professor of professional ethics, in particular of legal professions, at the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen (the Netherlands). For her research, in particular her research into models of proof in criminal law, she has been awarded an honorary doctorate at the Faculty of Law at Lund University in 2020.
Her fields of expertise include professional ethics, especially ethics of legal professions and ethics of science, legal philosophy, epistemology and philosophy of science.
Carel Smith has been a guest lecturer of the University of Aruba since… His fields of expertise include Encyclopedia and Philosophy of Law and Language and Law. Carel is also Associate Professor Jurisprudence at Leiden University (the Netherlands) since 2006.
Harm Kloosterhuis has been one of our guest lecturers since 1998. Next to that, he is Associate Professor at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (the Netherlands).
Anke Moerland is our guest lecturer in Intellectual Property Law. She is Associate Professor of Intellectual Property Law in the European and International Law Department, Maastricht University (the Netherlands). Her fields of expertise include Intellectual Property Law and Policy, Law of Trade Marks and Geographical Indications, International Trade Law and External Relations of the European Union.
Frans Koenraadt is a psychologist (NIP), criminologist and judicial expert. From 2008 until 2018, Frans was Professor of Forensic Psychology at the Utrecht University (the Netherlands). From 2018 onwards, Frans has been Professor of Forensic Psychiatry/Psychology and Criminology at the University of Curaçao.
Anouk Bollen has been one of our guest lecturers in the field of Tax Law since 2015. She is appointed as Professor in Cross border Pension Tax Law at Maastricht University (the Netherlands). Next to that, she is also Deputy Judge at Rechtbank Zeeland-West-Brabant and member of the Disciplinary Board of the NOAB.
Sandy van Thol has been one of our guest lecturers since 2015. She is also a guest lecturer at the University of Curaçao. Next to that, Sandy is the founder and managing director of Sotto Voce Solutions, a business and tax solutions company. She is also the current treasurer of the Monuments Fund Aruba. She has gained 20 years of practical experience and teaches Tax Law at the University of Aruba.
Emile Kolthoff is our guest lecturer in Criminology. Next to this, he is Professor of Criminology at the Open Universiteit (the Netherlands). His fields of expertise include criminal organizations, integrity and governance.
Hildegard has been one of our guest lecturers for European Union Law. She also holds a (Emeritus) professorship in European Law at the universities of Maastricht (the Netherlands) and Hasselt (Belgium) and a Jean Monnet Chair in European Migration Law.
Her fields of expertise include European Internal Market Law and European Migration Law, specifically the free movement of persons.
Jacques Keltjens is one of our guest lecturers for International Private Law. Jacques is the Vice President of the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and of Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba. The Court is responsible for the administration of justice in first instance and in appeal on the islands. He also serves as the President of the Court of First Instance of Aruba.
Fieke van Overbeeke has been teaching at the University of Aruba since 2022. Her fields of expertise include Private International Law, in particular global mobility, contract law, tort law, family law and inheritance law.
Fieke is CEO and Legal Counsel at the Internationaal Juridisch Instituut (IJI) in The Hague (the Netherlands). This is a non-profit institute assisting the legal judiciary, i.a. the Dutch courts including the courts of the Dutch Caribbean, on international files in which private international law and foreign law needs to be applied.
Tyagi holds a multidisciplinary PhD (summa cum laude) from the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Munich, where she worked as a ‘Max Planck junior research fellow for IP & competition’. In the US, Tyagi worked as a ‘consultant’ and was the recipient of the ‘Lee Iacocca Fellowship for Future Leaders in Business and Industry’.
Tyagi has had an academic training in law and economics (with the ‘Erasmus Mundus’ scholarship and ‘Max Planck Fellow in Innovation & Competition’ fellowship) and corporate strategy (as ‘Think Marketing’ and ‘International Education Without Borders (in M&A Strategy)’ scholarships).
Faculty news and events
Most Recent Events
Recente Ontwikkelingen in Vastgoed
Carla Brouwer zal actuele ontwikkelingen in de vastgoedmarkt bespreken en daarbij een aantal actuele thema’s uitlichten.
Environmental Law & Policy on Aruba: islandnes
How to turn the tide on Aruban environmental law & policy? Modernize and effectively apply environmental rules? This lecture discusses Aruban decision-making and ‘islandness’, towards…
Human Rights and Environmental Law
This lecture explores the evolving relationship between human rights and environmental law, highlighting the urgent need to address global environmental challenges through a human rights…
Latest News
ICMS 2025 Aruba – From islands to the global
Islands are more than just beautiful destinations; they are living laboratories where the most pressing marine challenges are met with innovation and resilience. At ICMS 2025,…
read more..
Thesis Award Ceremony 2023-2024
This year’s Thesis Awards Ceremony honors six extraordinary alumni who have pushed the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. Their dedication, creativity, and perseverance have left…
read more..
Fosterting Diversity & Inclusion at UA
The University of Aruba recognizes the importance of fostering an environment where all individuals feel safe, valued, and respected. Our Codes of Conduct for students…
read more..Extra-curricular Activities
Quality Assurance
Accreditation is a quality label that is granted formally by an independent authority to an academic and professional program that meets or exceeds required standards of educational quality. The UA invites the NVAO (Nederlands Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie) to evaluate its programs against international Bachelor and Master degree standards. The following study programs of the Faculty of Law have been awarded a positive evaluation. Click on the reports below to read the positive evaluations by NVAO (reports are in dutch).
NVAO Reports
NVAO positive institutional audit decision Bachelor’s degree in Aruban Law
NVAO positive institutional audit decision Master’s degree in Aruban Law
NVAO positive institutional audit decision Bachelor’s degree in Aruban Law – 2021
NVAO positive institutional audit decision Master’s degree in Aruban Law – 2021
NVAO positive institutional audit decision Civil Effect Bachelor’s and Master’s in Aruban Law – 2021
NVAO panel advisory report Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Aruban Law
