Dear Students:
Over 200 WU students have interned over the past 20 years with legal aid and human rights agencies in Africa, and to a lesser degree in other countries, providing free legal services to low-income and indigent client communities, government offices, courts, and tribunals. We are excited to continue the Global Public Interest Law Fellows program again in summer 2024. https://intranet.law.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Global-Public-Interest-Law-and-Conflict.pdf There will be public interest practice stipends through the Career Serves Office as well as small travel stipends through the Graduate and International Programs Office. (Students also may intern for a semester through the International Justice & Conflict Resolution semester externship course. Watch for notices from the Clinical Program Office.)
If you are interested in doing a global public interest law internship this coming summer, please send a resume and a detailed statement of interest to Professor Tokarz ASAP, no later than midnight on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. Sooner is better; acceptance will be via rolling admissions. Your statement should outline:
- Your interest in doing public interest law work (past, present, future);
- Your reasons for wanting to work in Africa… Latin America, Asia… (including your course work, travel, or other experiences in your target country or region or with issues relevant to your target country or region, such as racism, HIV/AIDS, conflict resolution, poverty, land redistribution, public health, environment, women and children);
- The agency (or type of agency) and the type of work (direct legal aid v. human rights capacity building) in which you are interested, and why (you can rank order your choices;
- Your experience in teamwork and collaboration;
- Anything else you think would be helpful in assessing your application, including the name of your Legal Practice instructor or another faculty member who knows you.
Please also indicate the country, the agency (or type of agency), and the type of work (direct legal aid v. human rights capacity building) in which you are interested. You can rank order your choices. Selections will be made on a rolling basis and conclude by the first few weeks of the spring semester. In the past, selected students have been eligible for $1,500 travel stipends from the International programs office, in addition to the CCD summer stipend.
FAQs:
- How competitive are the global summer public interest fellowships? [We usually get 25+ applicants. We accept approximately 6-8. [It always seems to work out right that the students who are best suited and who really want to go, end up going. ]
- What placements are potentially available for this summer? [Over the past almost 20 years, we have established relationships with a number of international legal services providers, agencies, and courts (although typically the courts prefer interns who have international law experience). Typically, we place the bulk of the students in Durban or Cape Town, South Africa with the Legal Aid Board (predominantly criminal defense work); Legal Resource Centre (predominantly impact litigation), and occasionally Lawyers for Human Rights (predominantly immigration cases).]
- Is there a possibility of new placements? [If you have a particular connection to an overseas ngo, we can discuss, but you will need substantial information about the ngo and their prior acceptance of us law interns in order to make your case.]
- How are individual placements decided? [In collaboration with student, faculty, and staff.]
- What are the dates internships typically begin and end? [Internships run for roughly 9-10 weeks, roughly from mid-May (starting a week or two after exams end, until the end of July.) We strongly encourage country teams to coordinate on the same timetable.]
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I will be out of the country most of February and March, but will respond asap. You might also reach out to Kris Sturm and Alison McDonald, 3Ls, who recently interned in South Africa. Sturm, Kris <k.r.sturm@wustl.edu> McDonald, Alison <a.e.mcdonald@wustl.edu>
Karen Tokarz
Charles Nagel Professor of Public Interest Law & Policy
Director, Negotiation & Dispute Resolution Programs
Director, Civil Rights & Mediation Clinic