professor deena hurwitz; 4 Credits
This semester-long clinic gives students practical experience in human rights advocacy working with nongovernmental organizations in the United States and other countries.
Projects are designed to expose students to the range of activities in which lawyers engage to promote respect for human rights, to help students build the knowledge and skills used in most public international law and public interest lawyering in general, and to integrate the theory and practice of human rights. While there is no individual client representation in this clinic, students have direct contact with partner organizations.
Each student works on two projects in collaboration with one or more students. Project work varies each semester, though the clinic focuses regularly on economic, social and cultural rights (in particular, the right of indigenous peoples to education). Clinic work may involve litigation-related research and writing for domestic and regional courts and international tribunals, preparation of training manuals and workshops (and occasionally opportunity to conduct the workshops), legislative drafting and advocacy, comparative law research and analysis, among other things. Previous clinic projects can be viewed here.
Class sessions will provide the opportunity to discuss human rights law concepts and lawyering practice, and the legal, strategic, ethical and theoretical issues raised by the project work. The clinic provides significant opportunity to develop international human rights law research and written skills.
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