Internships and Externships

The School of Law offers dedicated placements with outstanding organizations worldwide:  Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica; University of Central America in  Nicaragua; DC-Cam in Cambodia; and the Kenya Human Rights Commission and The International Commission of Jurists in Kenya.

A competitive selection process ensures each internship position is awarded to an exceptional law student.  Funding may be available. We will look at the strength of the students as we try to distribute funding support across the various placements.  We encourage students to seek funding opportunity through PILF or  any other means they can find.  Students may also pursue internships in other places and organizations.

Before and after the South Africa summer program, students have engaged in internships and externships in South Africa and other parts of Africa.  Students have interned at Legal Aid Board, Lawyers for Human Rights, and the Forced Migration Studies Programme in Johannesburg.  In addition, during each of the last four years, SU law students have served as judicial interns in Uganda both in Kampala, the capital, and in smaller towns, observing court proceedings in the magistrate and high courts and assisting the judges and magistrates by reviewing case files, doing legal research, and preparing the first draft of opinions.  Students have recently  interned at the Uganda Human Rights Commission and with the Office of Ombudsman in Gaborone, Botswana, which is the government agency charged with investigating and fighting government corruption and fraud.

The Externship Program may have part-time positions available in various countries in the summer and has full-time international externships available for spring and fall semesters in both The Hague and Geneva. For all the full-time positions, though, you must have completed 60 credits and be in the top 50 percent of your class. For more information, visit the International Externship page.

Cambodia

Documentation Center of Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Since 2003, the School of Law has a dedicated space for an SU law student to intern at the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). Created in 1995 by a group of Yale University scholars, DC-Cam is an independent Cambodian NGO dedicated to ensuring memory and justice in Cambodia with respect to the abuses of the infamous Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime. The Center documents the history of the Democratic Kampuchea and promotes accountability and the rule of law, holding the world's largest body of information and potential evidence against former DK officials.

This internship comes with a stipend.  Law students with an avid interest in international criminal law, human rights law, and Southeast Asian studies are invited to apply.  Students with editorial or heritage law experience are especially encouraged to apply. Please read the brochure with detailed internship job description before submitting your application.

Submit your resume, unofficial transcript, a one-page statement of interest, and three references to Junsen Ohno via email at ohnoj@seattleu.edu by Wednesday, February 20, 2013.  The selection committee will schedule an interview with the finalists soon after the application deadline on either the 22nd or 25th of February 2013.

View reports written by interns from the 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 programs.  Information about past students and projects are available on this website.

Costa Rica

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

San Jose, Costa Rica

In 2010, a summer internship with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has been established.  The Inter-American Court is the highest human rights tribunal in the hemisphere, with jurisdiction over states from Argentina to Venezuela; a total of 21 nations.

Distinguished law students from throughout the Americas and Europe participate in the Court's internship program.  Interns are assigned to the Court's legal department.  The work consists of:
     1.  Researching international human rights case law, principles and novel issues;
     2.  Monitoring case developments; and
     3.  Drafting memoranda, court orders, and sections of judgments. 
In addition, interns frequently provide logistical and administrative assistance.  Please visit the Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos website for more information.

This internship comes with a $5,000 stipend.  Requirements for application are:

• Spanish and/or Portuguese proficiency - at minimum, speaking and reading
• Three-month summer commitment
• Applicants should e-mail resume, one-page statement of interest, unofficial transcript, and contact information for three references to Junsen Ohno at ohnoj@seattleu.edu.  Submission deadline for applications will be February 20, 2013.

The selection committee will schedule an interview with the finalists soon after the application deadline on either the 22nd or 25th of February 2013.

Kenya

There are two placements in Kenya that may be available for interns from Seattle University School of Law.  If you are interested, you should apply directly to the organization as set forth below. For more information on both placements, and on Kenya generally, you may contact Professor Slye at slye@seattleu.edu.

Kenya Human Rights Commission

Nairobi, Kenya

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) is an independent non-governmental organization that campaign for human rights and a democratic Kenya through monitoring, documenting and publicizing rights violations.  The KHRC is also linked to a network of 27 other human rights organizations throughout Kenya.  KHRC was on the forefront of the struggle for democracy in the 1990s, and continues to use a variety of legal and advocacy tools to further human rights and democracy.   Applications (a letter expressing interest and a CV) should be sent to the Internship Committee by email to admin@khrc.or.ke, with a copy to Andrew Odete (Chair of the Internship Committee): AOdete@khrc.or.ke; and to Kasiki Mudachi (Human Resources and Administrative Officer): KMudachi@khrc.or.ke. For more information, go to www.khrc.or.ke. 

The International Commission of Jurists - Kenya Section

Nairobi, Kenya

The International Commission of Jurists is an autonomous non-profit membership organization of the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists.  ICJ-Kenya draws its members from the Kenyan Bar and Bench.  ICJ-Kenya focuses on four programmatic areas:  Access to Justice; Democratization; Human Rights Protection; and International Cooperation.  It was a crucial actor in the passage of the new Constitution in Kenya (2010), and is also at the forefront of efforts to implement the Constitution, including undertaking impact litigation to further human rights.  To apply, send a letter of interest and CV to George Kegoro, Executive Director: gkegoro@icj-kenya.org.  For more information, go to www.icj-kenya.org.

Nicaragua

Universidad CentroAmericana (UCA) legal clinic

Managua, Nicaragua

Since 2001, Seattle University has been creating ties to the Universidad CentroAmericana (UCA), the Jesuit university in Managua. The UCA law school houses the pre-eminent law clinic in Central America.  In the summer of 2003, a pilot project was created in which two SU law students worked alongside Nicaraguan law students in the UCA law clinic on criminal, civil, labor and/or human rights cases. The pilot was a success and the law school has been sending students since. This program is supported by the dean and the Center for Global Justice through Public Interest Law Foundation grants. Credit is not available for this project. Students who are reasonably fluent in Spanish, not committed during the summer months, and are able to adapt to Third-World conditions are encouraged to apply.

Additional information can be found here.

Applicants should e-mail resume, one-page statement of interest, unofficial transcript, and contact information for three references to Junsen Ohno at ohnoj@seattleu.edu.  The deadline to receive application materials is Wednesday, February 20, 2013.  The selection committee will schedule an interview with the finalists soon after the application deadline on either the 22nd or 25th of February 2013.