Laurens Claes graduated Master of Laws (cum laude) at the University of Antwerp and is currently hired as member of the Assistant Academic Personnel (AAP) in criminal law, Research Group Law & Enforcement.

He combines his doctoral research on the proportionality of sentencing under the guidance of prof. dr. Joëlle Rozie and prof. dr. Joachim Meese with assistant teaching tasks regarding substantive criminal law. He is responsible for the bachelor course Practical Criminal Law and assists the professor in several master courses such as the Advanced Course of Belgian criminal law and criminal sanctions law. He is also an assessor in the jury for the assessment of master's dissertations.

As of 1 September 2019, Laurens will hold the position of spokesperson for the assisting and non-statutory academic staff within the University of Antwerp Faculty of Law.

In 2016, he was awarded several prizes for his dissertation "Het EHRM en de strafuitvoering" ("The ECtHR and the execution of criminal sentences"):

- Antwerp Bar Association Prize 2016
- Nullum Crimen Prize 2016 (3rd laureate)

Before he started working at the University of Antwerp, he gained experience as a trainee lawyer in criminal law and as a legal advisor in debt collection & recovery.

Click here for a list of publications.