International Women's Human Rights

Our litigation, projects and skills agenda are designed to prepare interns for a broad range of law changing work both in the representation of clients presenting novel issues and through advocacy for legal and policy change with official bodies in collaboration with activist groups, experts and lawyers. We choose our work on what will constitute a multi-faceted learning experience for students and, in that context, on the needs of the human rights activists, the potential contribution of legal advocacy to movement building, and the effectiveness of particular strategies for immediate as well as longer-term social change. At the beginning of the year and, where appropriate the second semester, we present a list of ongoing cases and potential projects. While respecting ongoing commitments, we also prioritize based on student interest.

In keeping with the law reform orientation of IWHR, all interns have substantial opportunity to develop and refine strategic thinking, legal research, creative theory, and clear, persuasive writing skills. Our federal litigation permits students to engage in client counseling and negotiation, draft and defend legal documents, engage in investigation and discovery, and present in court. Our international projects involve working with partners, as well as opportunities for presentation to or lobbying of international bodies or working with NGO colleagues in presentations and collective strategic decision-making. We include in skills classes, and where appropriate in ongoing work, training in media, preparing materials for different audiences, and mapping campaigns.