The Leitner Center will provide up to $5000 in funding to students to intern with any of the below organizations for a minimum of 10 weeks over the summer.  Please note that you should apply broadly to both pre-approved and other internships in order to identify a placement for summer 2010.

NEW:

The Rule of Law in Asia Program at the Leitner Center works to promote the rule of law, access to justice and adherence to basic human rights in China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.  The ROLA program does this through: direct advocacy projects; conferences, symposia, and panels; capacity-building initiatives, such as exchanges of lawyers, judges, and scholars; and partnerships with NGOs based both in the US and Asia.
This year, the ROLA program is researching litigation and advocacy strategies used by lawyers and NGOs in Asia to promote human rights and equality. The ROLA program is seeking an intern to provide research and programmatic support to this initiative. This internship is open only to current Fordham Law School students.
 
For more information about the Rule of Law in Asia Program at the Leitner Cetner, see http://www.leitnercenter.org/programs/ROLA/.
 
Students who are interested in this placement should send their application materials to Joy Chia, Rule of Law in Asia Fellow at jchia@law.fordham.edu.
 
Your application materials should include:

    * a cover letter, indicating your areas of interest
    * a résumé
    * a transcript
    * a short writing sample (a legal research memo would be ideal).

CLOSED:

United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti (OSE)

The United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti (OSE) was created in June 2009 to assist the Haitian government in implementing the priority areas it had identified during the April 2009 Washington Donors Conference.  In particular, the OSE is focusing on six strategic areas:

•  Advance economic development with a focus on the creation of good, sustainable jobs;
•  Strengthen essential services including health and education;
•  Improve disaster preparedness, recovery, and risk reduction;
•  Reverse environmental degradation and deforestation and develop clean energy;
•  Encourage follow-through on commitments made by government donors and philanthropists; and
•  Enhance coordination among not-for-profit organizations operating in Haiti.

The OSE is located in New York City at the United Nations.  Former US President Bill Clinton serves as the UN Special Envoy and Dr. Paul Farmer is the UN Deputy Special Envoy.

Fordham law students will have the opportunity to work on a variety of initiatives including economic development and diversification with a focus on rural development and SME promotion, institution building, judicial independence, women’s economic empowerment, carbon credit programs, and environmental issues.

French or Creole language skills are a benefit but are not required.  Strong interpersonal and writing skills are essential.

Students who are interested in this placement should send application materials to Katherine Hughes at  khughes@law.fordham.edu by January 29, 2010.  Your application materials should include:
•  a cover letter
•  a résumé
•  a copy of your transcript
•  a letter of recommendation (from a professor or employer)
•  a short writing sample.

Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), Belfast, Northern Ireland

The CAJ seeks to secure the highest standards in the administration of justice in Northern Ireland by ensuring that the government complies with its responsibilities in international human rights law.  CAJ works to:

• Monitor policing and accountability mechanisms;
• Monitor the criminal justice system;
• Seek the promotion of equality by public authorities;
• Enhance rights protection through a strong Bill of Rights, scrutiny by international mechanisms, and the development of a human rights culture.

For more information about the CAJ, see http://www.caj.org.uk. 

Students who are interested in this placement should send application materials to Katherine Hughes at khughes@law.fordham.edu by January 22, 2010.  Your application materials should include:

• a cover letter
• a résumé
• a copy of your transcript
• a letter of recommendation (from a professor or employer).

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Cape Town, South Africa

TAC was founded in 1998 to:

• Campaign for equitable access to affordable treatment for all people with HIV/AIDS.
• Campaign for and support the prevention and elimination of all new HIV infections.
• Promote and sponsor legislation to ensure equal access to social services for and equal treatment of all people with HIV/AIDS.
• Challenge by means of litigation, lobbying, advocacy, and all forms of legitimate social mobilization any barrier or obstacle, including unfair discrimination, that limits access to treatment for HIV/AIDS in the private and public sector.
• Educate, promote, and develop an understanding and commitment within all communities of developments in HIV/AIDS treatment.
• Campaign for access to affordable and quality health care for all people in South Africa.
• Train and develop a representative and effective leadership of people living with HIV/AIDS on the basis of equality and non-discrimination irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, sex, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, or any other ground.
• Campaign for an effective regional and global network comprising of organizations with similar aims and objectives. 

For more information about TAC, see http://www.tac.org.za/.

Students who are interested in this placement should send application materials to TAC’s volunteer program at robert@tac.org.za and manti@tac.org.za.  Your application materials should include:

• a cover letter
• a résumé
• a copy of your transcript
• a letter of recommendation (from a professor or employer).

Women for Human Rights (WHR), Single Women Group, Nepal

WHR works to address the rights of single women (widows) in Nepal.  In so doing, the group aims to empower single women and their dependents in the social, economic, legal, and cultural arenas.  Using an array of tools, WHR advocates to alleviate cultural discrimination, build sustainable income-generating programs, lobby for human rights-specific legislation, improve the capacity of single women to secure their own rights locally, and develop WHR’s infrastructure in order to better address these goals.  WHR seeks students who are especially interested in working in their rural field offices outside of Kathmandu.

For more information about the WHR, see http://www.whr.org.np/.

Students who are interested in this placement should send their application materials to the Board of WHR at csw@mail.com.np.  Your application materials should include:

• a cover letter, indicating your areas of interest
• a résumé.

Advocacy Forum, Nepal

Advocacy Forum (AF) is a leading non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the rule of law and upholding international human rights standards in Nepal. Established in 2001, AF takes proactive measures to combat Nepal’s pervasive culture of impunity by systematically documenting human rights violations/abuses, filing lawsuits against perpetrators, lobbying the state for institutional and legal reforms, providing psychosocial and legal aid to victims, and monitoring government detention facilities.

Relying on an international human rights framework, AF publishes and presents the information it collects before national and international audiences in an effort to advocate for reform of the Nepalese justice system.  The group regularly works with other international organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, the Asian Human Rights Commission, and World Organizations Against Torture.   

AF seeks summer interns who are interested in working on issues relating to civil and political rights, international criminal law, and South Asia and/or Nepal.  For more information about AF, see http://www.advocacyforum.org.

Students who are interested should send their application materials to Katherine Hughes at khughes@law.fordham.edu by January 8, 2010.  Your application materials should include:

• a cover letter
• a résumé
• a copy of your transcript.

Human Rights in China, New York & Hong Kong

Human Rights in China (HRIC) was founded by Chinese students and scholars in March 1989.  The group promotes and supports international human rights in China by:

• advocating human rights issues by talking to governments and the UN,
• helping human rights defenders amplify their voices by bringing attention to their cases,
• informing journalists, government and UN representatives, corporations, and other organizations about important human rights issues,
• sharing information and strategies with activists and NGOs around the world, and
• creating tools and resources to turn research into action.

HRIC’s internships offer direct and in-depth exposure to the workings of an international human rights organization, domestic and international advocacy work, and participation in HRIC’s projects, research, and briefings.  HRIC provides law program internships in its New York office. 

For more information about HRIC, see http://www.hrichina.org.  For more information about the internship program and details on how to apply, see http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/45846.

To apply, please send in one e-mail a cover letter, a resume including relevant coursework, and a brief writing sample to internships@hrichina.org.

Indicate that you are applying for a law program internship in the e-mail subject line.  Applications for summer internships are due by March 1, 2010.

Scholars at Risk, New York, New York

Around the world today, scholars are attacked because of their words, their ideas, and their place in society.  Those seeking power and control work to limit access to information and new ideas by targeting scholars, restricting academic freedom, and repressing research, publication, teaching, and learning.  The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to these attacks.  SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.

Scholars at Risk members save lives by providing sanctuary to professors, lecturers, researchers, and other intellectuals who suffer threats in their home country.  Scholars at Risk educates the public about attacks on scholars and universities through the SAR website, email bulletins, publications, and events.  The SAR Speaker Series brings threatened scholars to member campuses to engage directly with students, faculty, alumni, and the community.  SAR also advocates on behalf of imprisoned scholars and undertakes research aimed at promoting understanding and respect for academic freedom and related values.

For more information about SAR, see http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu/.

Students who are interested in this internship placement should send the application materials via e-mail to scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu, or mailed to attention of Internship Coordinator, Scholars at Risk Network, c/o New York University, 194 Mercer Street, Room 410, New York, NY 10012 USA.  Your application materials should include: 

• a cover letter stating the nature of your interest
• a résumé
• a list of references.

Southern Africa Litigation Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Based in Johannesburg, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) promotes and advances human rights and the rule of law in southern Africa, primarily through strategic litigation support and capacity building.  The group provides technical and monetary support to local and regional lawyers and organizations in litigating human rights and rule of law cases in the region.  SALC also provides training in human rights and rule of law issues and facilitates networks of human rights lawyers and organizations throughout southern Africa. 

SALC’s main areas of thematic focus include HIV/AIDS, international criminal justice, media defense, and prisoners’ rights.  SALC also supports other general human rights cases outside these areas of focus.  SALC works in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  In addition, SALC supports litigation in South African courts that advances human rights in the southern African region.

For more information about SALC, see www.southernafricalitigationcentre.org/.

Students who are interested in this placement should send their application materials to Katherine Hughes at khughes@law.fordham.edu by January 29, 2010.  Your application materials should include:

• a cover letter stating the nature of your interest
• a résumé
• a copy of your transcript.

International Civilian Office, Kosovo

The International Civilian Office (ICO) provides international support for a European future for Kosovo.  ICO’s aims are to ensure full implementation of Kosovo’s status settlement and to support Kosovo’s European integration.  To accomplish these goals, ICO advises Kosovo’s government and community leaders and works closely with the EU presences in Kosovo:  the European Union Special Representative, the European Commission Liaison Office, and the EULEX rule of law mission.

Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence on February 17, 2008, expressly invited an international civilian presence, as it was envisaged in the Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement, drawn up by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo.  The International Civilian Representative (ICR) was appointed by the International Steering Group (ISG) on February 28, 2008.  The ISG comprises States that support the full implementation of the Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement.  The ISG charged the ICR, and through him the ICO, with the specific task of ensuring implementation by the Government of Kosovo of the Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement.

For more information about the ICO, see http://www.ico-kos.org/.

Students who are interested in this placement should send their application materials to Katherine Hughes at khughes@law.fordham.edu by January 29, 2010.  Your application materials should include:

• a cover letter stating the nature of your interest
• a résumé
• a copy of your transcript.