Members - Law Enforcement

1° Research leader:
 
Aloïs Van Oevelen
 
2° Researchers
 
a) Full-time Tenured Academic Personnel (ZAP)
 
Renate Barbaix, Bernard Hubeau, Thalia Kruger, Joëlle Rozie, Stefan Rutten, Aloïs Van Oevelen, Thierry Vansweevelt, Britt Weyts
 
b) Part-time Tenured Academic Personnel (ZAP)
 
Maurice Adams , Caroline Cauffman, Annick De Boeck, Steven Dewulf, Robby Houben, Steven Lierman, Joachim Meese, Michael Traest, Veerle Van Den Eeckhout, Chris Van den Wyngaert, Miet Vanderhallen, Patrick Van Eecke, Beatrix Vanlerberghe
 
c) Full-time Assistant Academic Personnel (AAP)
 
Jeroen De Herdt, Frédéric Dupon, Kristina Mercelis, Emily Nordin, Daily Wuyts
 
d) Part-time Assistant Academic Personnel (AAP)
 
Marleen Bervoets, Ann Smets, Maarten Somers, Steven Vandromme, Patrick Waeterinckx
 
e) Full-time Non-Statutory Academic Personnel (BAP)
 
Emmanuelle De Bock, Christophe Lemmens, Sanne Raats, Pieter Tersago, Stephanie Verhelst
 
f) Part-time Non-Statutory Academic Personnel (BAP)
 
Frederic Blockx, Bart De Smet, Pieter De Tavernier, Steven Giebens, Ruud Jansen, Inneke Onsea, Marta Pertegás, Liselot Samyn, Pierre Thiriar, Jean Van Houtte, Tom Vandromme

Below is a brief introduction to the members of the research unit (in alphabetical order). If you require more information about specific researchers, please consult their personal websites by clicking on their names.

Emmanuelle De Bock is a Research Foundation Flanders aspirant. She conducts research in the field of criminalprocedure law and specialises in evidence used in criminal cases. She is currently writing a PhD on the value of evidence in criminal cases from a comparative legal and international perspective.

Jeroen De Herdt works in the Faculty of Law as an assistant in criminal law and criminal procedure law. His research mainly pertains to Belgian (general and specific) criminal law and criminal procedure law. He is currently preparing a thesis on the criminal law approach to physical violence committed by civilians.

Bart De Smet has worked as a researcher at the University of Antwerp since 1992 and has published numerous articles on subjects such as material criminal law, criminal procedure law and youth protection. As a substitute public prosecutor, he has also acquired practical experience in criminal law and youth law.

Steven Dewulf is a Research Foundation Flanders aspirant. He focuses on international humanitarian law, international human rights and international and European criminal law. The main themes of his research include the fight against terrorism and laws of war.

Bernard Hubeau is a Doctor of Law, has a teaching degree (“aggregatie”) in law and is also an urban planner.  Appointed professor in 2008, he has previously worked as the City of Antwerp and Flemish Ombudsman. His current appointment mainly relates to Sociology of Law, spatial planning and the legal aspects of social work. He has published on rental and housing law, ombudsman and government governance, legal aid and spatial planning.
 
Thalia Kruger works in the field of private international law and has published articles in various subfields of this branch of law, such as international family law, international contract law and international civil procedure. She obtained her BA and LLB at the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa), before going on to obtain her PhD at the University of Leuven with “Civil jurisdiction rules in the EU and their impact on third States” (published by Oxford University Press). In addition to her appointment at the University of Antwerp, she is also an affiliated researcher at the University of Cape Town (South Africa).

Christophe Lemmens has a Master in Law (2007) and has worked as a researcher in the University of Antwerp's Faculty of Law since obtaining his degree. He mainly works in the field of health law and tort law and is currently preparing a PhD on the legal aspects of advance directives at the end of life under the supervision of Professor Thierry Vansweevelt. He also works as a lecturer on the LEIF (End-of-Life Information Forum) programme.

Steven Lierman is a Doctor of Law. He was appointed court referendary at the Court of Cassation in August 2003 and currently works part-time at the University of Antwerp as a lecturer in international and European health law. He has published several articles on tort, insurance and health law. Together with Professor Emeritus Walter Van Gerven, he also wrote "Algemeen deel, veertig jaar later" in the series entitled "Beginselen van Belgisch privaatrecht" ("Principles of Belgian Private Law").

Lecturer Joachim Meese is a Doctor of Law and Master of Criminological Sciences. He teaches in-depth courses and practicals on criminal procedure law at the University of Antwerp. Among his publications is 'De duur van het strafproces' (Larcier, 2006), which examines the statute of limitations concept and the right to a trial within a reasonable time. Joachim Meese is a practising lawyer and has been a member of the Ghent bar association since 1999.

Sanne Raats works as a researcher in the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp. She is preparing a PhD on the consistency of sentencing, drawing on both criminal law and forensic psychology.

Stefan Rutten is a Doctor of Law. He works as a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp, where he teaches courses on civil procedure, ethics, and arbitration and negotiation. He also coordinates the international moot court competitions in which the Faculty of Law participates, and is a member of the Brussels bar association.

Pieter Tersago works as a researcher at the University of Antwerp. He studies the value of evidence provided by suspects under police questioning and the factors which influence a suspect's collaboration, drawing on civil procedure, forensic psychology and the sociology of law.
 
Michael Traest  practised law between 1993 and 2001 and was a member of the bar associations of Brussels and Ghent. He was appointed court referendary at the Court of Cassation in 2001. Between 2007 and 2010 he lectured on private international law at the University of Antwerp, and has since worked as a visiting professor of relativity of law and comparative law. Professor Traest has also worked as a lecturer in private international law at the Royal Military School in Brussels since 2006. He conducts research in the field of private international law and comparative law.
 
Veerle Van Den Eeckhout has worked at the University of Antwerp since 2007. She also works at Leiden University. Her research focuses on private international law, especially the various aspects of the Europeanisation process. 
 
Jean Van Houtte is a full professor emeritus and the honorary rector of UFSIA. He has taught sociology in the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences as well as sociology and sociology of law in the Faculty of Law. He has conducted research and published articles on the epistemology of sociology, the relationship between law and society, law and the social reality of family, inheritance law, the organisation of the legal system and the judiciary (including labour courts and legal aid) and the Bar (corporate lawyers, law firms and so on).
 
Aloïs Van Oevelen is a Doctor of Law. He is a full professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp, where he lectures on the law of obligations and special contracts. He was Dean of this faculty between 1997 and 2001. Since 1997 he has been co-chair of the Centre for Professionalisation in Law (CBR), which provides post-academic training, and he has also served as editor-in-chief of the Rechtskundig Weekblad since 1998.

Miet Vanderhallen is a lecturer in forensic psychology in the Faculty of Law. She successfully defended her PhD, entitled 'De werkalliantie in het politieverhoor', in 2007 and was appointed lecturer in criminology at the University of Maastricht in 2008. Her research focuses on the fields of legal psychology and criminology, and especially on police interrogation, criminal investigation and sentencing. She regularly teaches courses on police interrogation at the Belgian National School for Criminal Investigation (Nationale Rechercheschool) and the Limburg Police Academy. She also lectures on the post-academic programme 'Multidisciplinary Forensic Investigation' at the University of Leuven and teaches the postgraduate course 'Forensic psychodiagnostics and counselling' at Lessius University College. In addition to teaching and conducting research, she also acts as a legal consultant, takes part in police interrogation supervision projects and teaches at various police academies.

Beatrix Vanlerberghe is a part-time lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp, lecturing on the in-depth study of civil procedure, evidence law and moot training. Her research focuses on specific aspects of civil procedure and evidence law, particularly legal remedies.  She is a member of the Brussels bar association and a lawyer with Linklaters.

Thierry Vansweevelt is a full professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp. He lectures on tort law and risk insurance, as well as on health law. Together with Britt Weyts, he is the author of the "Handboek Buitencontractueel Aansprakelijkheidsrecht". He served as Dean of the Faculty of Law between 2003 and 2006, and has been the editor-in-chief of bilingual publication "Tijdschrift voor Gezondheidsrecht/Revue de Droit de la Santé" since 1995. He is a lawyer with Dewallens & Partners.

Stephanie Verhelst is a PhD student conducting research in the Law Enforcement and Proper Administration of Justice research unit. Her research focuses on how the public law aspect of criminal procedure law is being eroded. In particular, she focuses on the rights of the victim in a criminal procedure.

Daily Wuyts works as a full-time assistant in insurance and tort law in the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp. His doctoral thesis focuses on insurance fraud and ties in with the educational support he provides to the Master programme's insurance law course, the insurance medicine programme and the tort law practicals and in-depth studies. He is also a member of RABG's editorial team for the law of obligations section, and a member of the editorial team for the "Geannoteerd Wetboek Verkeersrecht", published by die Keure.