Petersen didn’t set out to be a researcher, much less a developmental scientist, but found that she loved it! Her journey was unusual but productive, adding to knowledge of adolescence, and especially correlates of puberty. She also contributed to gender issues in research as well as attention to rigorous statistical and psychometric methods. Her tendency to be attracted to interesting opportunities led her to additional roles, particularly leadership. This had the unfortunate effect of truncating her research career, though not her writing. Her experiences in research and especially with leadership roles were influenced by issues of sexism and other kids of exclusion, leading to her current emphases on global engagement and capacity building. The net result has been a satisfying life.

The second part concludes with a chapter on effective advocacy before the ICJ, by Samuel Wordsworth QC and Kate Parlett. It examines both written and oral advocacy before the Court, with the fundamental objective of the advocate in all cases being to persuade, making it essential to consider what will be of most utility to the judges when they come to reach a decision on the case. They also emphasise the significant role the advocate has to play in the pre-litigation stage and in early procedural exchanges: she or he must bear in mind that they have a dual function of presenting the best case for the client to the Court, while also persuading the client as to the most effective way in which to do that.

A court is said to be the last branch of government because it is the first defence of the individual – individuals rely on the judiciary to protect their rights and freedoms from intrusion by the exercise of public power. Does this apply to the CJEU? Does it protect individuals and Union citizens? To what extent does it act as the ‘third branch’ of government, ensuring that public powers are exercised in the interests of the ‘peoples’ of Europe, or even those people beyond affected by EU law such as the Inuits of Canada? These questions highlight the main themes in this chapter. They can only be partly answered by examining the organisation of the CJEU – its tasks and composition. A fuller answer requires further exploration of the extent to which individuals can access the Court to challenge Union legal acts. This chapter will therefore focus on the two main procedures to bring actions before the CJEU: direct actions via Article 263 TFEU and indirect actions under Article 267 TFEU.