Besides performing the statutory tasks described above, the Council is also involved in a number of other key activities related to academic research, integrity, selection and training of new judges, and media communications. In performing these duties the Council works together with the district courts, as well as with organisations affiliated with the Council, such as the training organisation Stichting Studiecentrum Rechtspleging (SSR) and IT services provider IVO Rechtspraak (see below).

In order for the Council to perform its duties, a well-substantiated, factually accurate image of legal practice is essential; one which is only possible through sound empirical research. The Council’s academic programme meets this need both by commissioning and (to an extent) conducting research, based on issues that are of relevance to the Judiciary.
The three main purposes of the research conducted are therefore:

• Identification: by analysing the events, trends and developments relevant to the workings of the legal system.
• Policy support: by shedding light on the circumstances that give rise to policy interventions, and the (expected) impact of such interventions.
• Strategy development: by providing expertise required to support vision and strategy.

The Council for the Judiciary is responsible for policy development in the field of strategic Human Resource Management and organizational development. Activities are organized nationally in the field of recruitment, selection and training of judges. In addition, the Board is responsible for policy development in the field of employment conditions and legal status issues, management development, administrative and corporate legal issues and the nomination of persons for appointment to a judicial position.

As the Dutch legal system’s leading training institute SSR (SSR.nl) organises hundreds of courses annually and serves as a meeting place for employees of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecution Service. A number of courses are also open to lawyers. By drawing on the knowledge and expertise of its members and employing leading experts as instructors, SSR bridges the gap between theory and practice.

IVO Rechtspraak, the Judiciary’s IT service provider, uses its wealth of knowledge of the Judiciary and its operating processes to provide custom IT solutions. There is a growing need for efficient information exchange, and this is no different in the Judiciary. As part of its efforts to meet this need, the Judiciary’s Agenda 2021-2025 (pdf, 159.7 KB) provides that the Judiciary innovates in the field of procedural law and technology so that it can fulfil its social task and, in doing so, is closely attuned to the needs and problems of society. One of the goals is to be accessible: courts can be accessed digitally; the thresholds to justice are low. We also have the ambition to be transparent: Rulings are handed down in public and shared widely. Those concerned can follow the progress of their case (track and trace). All these activities require solid and reliable IT support.

The Council has a large Communications department, which is responsible for liaising with the media and for setting national policies on behalf of the Judiciary. The department is also responsible for press communications and for providing information to the public. The Judiciary maintains a series of press guidelines, which indicate what journalists, district courts and courts of appeal can expect and how the courts should provide information to the media prior to, during and after court cases. The media, for their part, are expected to comply with internal rules regarding court sessions.