Esther van Voorst

Esther van Voorst is a Lecturer in Dutch Private Law at the Faculty of Law of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She holds a Master's degree in Conflict Resolution, Adjudication, and Mediation from VU Amsterdam (summa cum laude) and previously studied Private Law at Utrecht University. Before academia, she worked as a lawyer at Houthoff and later at Schiphol Group. Her research focuses on problem-solving judiciary, neighborhood court practices, and the societal impact of legal interventions. Methodologically, she emphasizes participatory action research and empirical studies.

Education background includes:

• Bachelor's in Private Law (Utrecht University)
• Master's in Conflict Resolution, Rechtspraak en Mediation (Vrije Universiteit, 2022)

Her teaching activities include courses on advanced conflict resolution, civil procedure law, and contract law. She actively engages in ancillary activities such as Stichting BeterBuren since 2020. Recent research highlights the transformation of traditional court practices toward community-oriented solutions, particularly in school absenteeism cases and medical error resolution.

Publications span civil court innovation, medical error compensation mechanisms, and empirical studies on neighborhood judiciary projects. She collaborates with legal practitioners and policymakers to bridge academic research with practical legal challenges.