From left: Yasmine Ahmed, Jaymie Louise MacIntyre, Hannah Tonkin, Sarah Attar, Mary Hackett Jones and Elise Edson Photo: Trish Johnson, The Advertiser

International & Human Rights Law

If you are interested in finding a job in the field of international law and/or human rights law after you graduate, you might like to consider doing an internship while studying at law school.

Why do an internship?

Finding a job in the field of international and human rights law is hard work. Basically organisations are only interested in you if you have some experience. And the best way of getting some experience is by doing an internship. The University of Adelaide Law School now gives you 4 units of academic credit for undertaking an internship if you enrol in the Human Rights Internship course.

What are internships?

Internships are generally unpaid and usually last around ten weeks.
Depending on the organization, you may be asked to assist in mounting high profile court cases, researching and writing reports, interviewing and assigning refugee claims, preparing educational material, attending meetings etc. The kind of work you do will depend on the kind of organization you choose.

List of Internship Possibilities

Information Session

There will be an information session on Sunday 17th August 2008 at 11.00 am-11.45am in the Moot Court Room. All interested students are welcome.

2008 Interns

· Johanna Croser - Internship with the Australian Delegation and the United Nations' Human Rights Council.

· Susannah Hodson - 4 month internship with the Society for Democratic Initiatives, Sierra Leone

· Juliet Kenny - 4 month internship with the Centre of Justice & International Law, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

· Esha Thaper - 3 month internship with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague.

· Jessica Usher - 6 month internship with Casa Alianza in Guatemala.

2007 Interns

· Varin Singh- Internship with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague
· Prabha Nandagopal - Internship with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva
· Rowan Nicholson - Internship with the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, New Dehli

2006 Interns

· Stuart Brady - Internship with the Australian Mission to the UN in Geneva for the UN Commission on Human Rights
· Anne Carter - 5 months with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague
· Elim Chan - 3 months with the International Organisation for Migration in Geneva.
· Sarah Gibbs - 6 months with the UNHCR in Ecuador
· Joshua Masters - 2 months with the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa
· Kathryn McDonald - 6 months with the UNHCR in Ghana
· Prabha Nandagopal - 3 months with the UNHCR in Bangkok, Thailand
· Lauren Tester - 4 months with Global Policy Forum, New York
· Stefanie Wilkins - 3 months with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague
· Rebecca Young - 3 months with the Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown, South Africa

2005 Interns

· Holly Carcich - 3 months with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague (January - March)
· Elim Chan - 5 months with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva (November - May)
· Monique Cormier - 4 months with Global Policy Forum in New York City (January - April)
· Kelly Faehrmann - 4 months with Interights, London (January - April)
· Katherine Harris -7 months with the UNHCR, Cairo
· Felicity Niemann - 3 months with the UNHCR in Bangkok
· Aaron Wu - 2 months with the United Nations’ Office of Legal Affairs in New York City

2004 Interns

In 2004 these students undertook internships with the programme:
· Yasmine Ahmed- 6 months with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, The Netherlands (January-June)
· Sarah Attar - 3 months with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Cairo, Egypt (April - June)
· Simone Clare - 2 months at Amnesty International in Sydney (February - April)
· Elise Edson - 2 months with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Kathmandu, Nepal (December-February)
· Danielle Forrester - 2 months with the Australian delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland (March-April)
· Mary Hackett-Jones - 3 months with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Cairo, Egypt (January-March)
· Rose Le - 3 months with the Asylum Network of Physicians for Human Rights in Boston, USA (December-February)
· Jaymie-Louise MacIntyre - 3 months with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Canberra (December-February)
· Hannah Tonkin - 6 months with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, The Netherlands (January-June)

Some Intern Views

Kelly Faehrmann:

One of my most rewarding experiences at Interights in London was conducting research for a Zambian defence lawyer on the right to seek disclosure of the prosecution’s evidence pre-trial. This fundamental right is often taken for granted in Australia and it was unthinkable that it would be breached in denial of a fair trial. My involvement in this case highlighted the impact that my work could have on the recognition and protection of peoples’ human rights.

Simone Clare:

Undoubtedly the most rewarding and the most heartbreaking work is dealing with asylum seekers, especially those in detention. At the end of everyone's time with the Refugee Team at Amnesty International, they share the high point and the low point of their internship with the rest of the interns. Both of mine involved my clients. My low point was seeing an elderly couple who had been living in Australia for ten years (trapped in the immigration system) returned to Iran. My high point was one of my clients out at Baxter. He is a couple of years older than me and had been in detention for three years. Yet despite the adversity he had faced, he would always try to make me (or anyone else in the office for that matter) laugh. He is a walking demonstration of the strength of human kind and their ability to survive. Getting to know him and other amazing people was the high point of my time at Amnesty.

Yasmine Ahmed's interim report:

Having been at the Yugoslavia Tribunal for nearly 2 months, I have been surprised at the level of work that I have been assigned and the appreciation I have been shown. Working for the Office of the Prosecutor, I was assigned to work on a case that is currently in trial. … I have been involved in various aspects of the case, including proofing witnesses, assisting in drafting questions for examination in chief and working on casemap, the software used at the tribunal for running the complex litigation. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in court and presently I am writing a memo on the issue of fitness to stand trial. Researching the issue of fitness to stand trial has involved extensive research and provided quite a challenging task, considering fitness to stand trial has never been dealt with in the international arena before. It is fascinating and exciting to work on issues that are cutting edge in the area of international law and also working with people of such high professional standing. ..

So far my experience has been exceptionally challenging and interesting. I look forward to returning to Australia to speak about my experiences and also provide encouragement for those interested in doing an internship.

Jaymie-Louise MacIntyre:

During the 2003/2004 summer break I conducted an internship with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Regional Office in Canberra. This office has the responsibility for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific and is mandated to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems within these regions. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees, and to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State.

My internship offered valuable legal experience that has introduced me to the realities of legal practice by exposing me to a range of legal issues and challenges, including the practicalities of government policies in terms of international versus domestic interests. I felt I was able to participate meaningfully in the day to day operations of the office, including managing individual cases, dealing with clients, drafting letters as well as writing specific reports for both the Canberra and Geneva Offices.

Mary Hackett-Jones:

The three months I spent in Cairo at the UNHCR were among the most inspiring and rewarding of my life. I met great people from all over the world, including other United Nations workers, who work as a wonderful team, united in their desire to provide protection and opportunities for refugees. I was continually impressed by the work of the interpreters at the UNHCR in Cairo. All of them are recognised refugees and, despite the tragedy and upheaval they have faced, they work tirelessly to provide the best service for other refugees. Interviewing refugees every day ensured that each day was a challenge, and it was sometimes draining, stressful and often sad. However simultaneously the refugees themselves amazed me with their strength and resilience, and I left Cairo my eyes opened to the situations faced by refugees in Africa, both in the home country and their countries of asylum.