Volunteer Legal Advisor at Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance

Position Description

The Legal Advisor Volunteership is a position of 7.5 months’ duration. Legal Advisors are assigned to work on the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) team and are responsible for representing individual refugee status determination cases before the UNHCR in Cairo. Legal advisors manage their own caseload of clients, interviewing them, taking their testimonials, writing legal arguments for appeal/reopening, and accompanying clients to their interviews at UNHCR. Legal advisors are expected to work full-time (35 hours per week).

Please visit www.amera-egypt.org to apply.

Selected volunteers will be expected to begin on July 10th in order to participate in a two-week intensive training program.

This is a non-paid position.

Requirements
• English being the official language of the UNHCR Cairo as well as AMERA’s office, the Legal Advisor must be fluent in both oral and written English. Arabic is an advantage.
• A Bachelors degree in law or an LLM is preferred, but other Masters degrees’ or equivalent experience in a related field are also acceptable.
• A background in law and/or experience working in human rights and/or with refugees and asylum seekers.
• Ability to prepare high-quality testimonies and legal submissions to be submitted to UNHCR.
• Conscientious record-keeping of all actions taken regarding clients’ cases.
• Ability to make necessary referrals to other teams or organizations.
• A positive attitude and sensitive manner when dealing with clients including a range of interviewing skills for dealing with challenging interview scenarios.
• Mature work ethic
• Ability to organize, multi-task, and prioritize workload in order to adequately meet deadlines.
• Ability to handle conflicting priorities in a fast-paced environment while working with limited resources.

Responsibilities
• Undertake comprehensive screening of clients at all levels – first instance, appeal and closed file – to assess refugee claim and determine if full legal representation is appropriate.
o If the provision of full legal representation is not appropriate, the provision of legal advice.
 

• Upon commencement of full legal representation, assessment of the additional needs of the client and the making of appropriate referrals to other teams such as the Psychosocial team, the Protection team or the Sexual and Gender Based Violence team.
 

• Full representation of RSD cases including first instance, appeals, closed files, cancellation and cessation. At any given time the caseload should be not less than 5 active (full representation) clients, or more as delegated by the team leader. Functions related to representation of RSD cases include (but are not limited to) the following:
o The preparation of written testimonies
o The drafting of legal arguments/submissions
o Obtaining documents to support clients’ cases such as expert reports, witness statements, etc.
o The preparation of clients for RSD interviews at UNHCR
o Accompaniment of clients to their RSD interviews at UNHCR
o Oral advocacy for clients during RSD interviews at the UNHCR
o Taking detailed transcript of RSD interview proceedings.
o Following up on the status of clients’ cases with the UNHCR through inquires on the clients’ behalf
 

• Undertake country of origin research to support individual claims as well as for general organizational research purposes as per direction from the team leader. Maintain and update own knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of AMERA’s clients in order to best provide legal assistance. 

• Maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR guidelines, process and procedures.
• Participate in ongoing training activities and supervision.
• Undertake comprehensive case management practices including maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client, and keeping detailed notes of all case work activities.
• Attend and contribute to weekly staff meetings. Take meeting minutes as required.
• Adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics and to the AMERA Office Procedural Manual.
• Attend and participate in RSD team meetings, as well as contributing to the formulation of policies and procedures for the team and participating in strategic planning as required.In coordination with the team leader, advocate for clients’ best interests on a case-by-case basis at UNHCR or other organizations.
• Assist the team leader as required with broader advocacy efforts which may include collecting case data, writing reports and case profiles, or preparing other necessary documents.
• As required, provide training to new legal advisors and other staff on legal issues faced by refugees.
• Direct clients to appropriate external organizations to address their specific needs.

Please visit www.amera-egypt.org to apply

Global Peace and Security Intern at Americans for Informed Democracy

Now hiring for *spring* (March-May) and *summer* (May-August). Applicants should specify which session they are interested in (or both). 

The Global Peace and Security Intern will work closely with AIDemocracy staff to support student engagement around peace and security issues including US engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear weapons, US-Muslim relations, and US civil/military balance. Interns work on student outreach, online communications, curriculum development, event planning and partnership development.

Our vision is that every young person in the United States exercises their power to bring about a peaceful, healthy, just and sustainable world. We educate, cultivate and mobilize a network of young people in the US to take informed action around our individual and collective roles as global citizens.

Responsibilities:

• Help students understand the issues. This involves monitoring key conversations, writing blog posts, developing toolkits and fact sheets, etc.;
• Support student mobilization on the issues. This involves supporting student strategy development, member recruitment and events;
• Identify advocacy opportunities and partners;
• Support general planning and execution of events, including our regional and annual conferences in Spring 2010.
• Provide general administrative and logistical support to the Global Peace and Security Program;
• Assist with website and other communications and outreach tasks;
• Provide logistical support to program staff for meetings, conferences and events.

Skills and qualifications:

• Strong familiarity with and interest in global peace and security issues;
• Strong written and oral communications skills;
• Computer and internet competency;
• Strong organizational skills, accuracy and attention to detail;
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment;
• Ability to work both independently and in teams;
• Experience organizing students, doing advocacy, or working on social justice issues a plus.

You’ll like this position if you:

• Are inspired to learn more about peace and security issues;
• Believe that students have the power to affect change, and enjoy working with student activists;
• Enjoy coming up with creative ways to educate and mobilize students around issues.

Skills you’ll gain:

• Issue / policy analysis
• Writing
• Organizing
• Leadership
• New media: using blogs, Facebook, etc.

This is a part or full-time position (15-40 hours/week), depending on availability. Term is January – May/June 2011. Position based in our office on Capitol Hill. This is an unpaid position, although Intern will receive a monthly travel stipend and numerous training opportunities.

Please complete online application at: http://www.aidemocracy.org/internship-application/. No phone calls please. Applications accepted on a rolling basis through April 15, 2011. www.aidemocracy.org

Japan Studies Internship at the Council on Foreign Relations

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Department: Japan Studies

Length of Internship: Summer 2011

The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, the Council carries out its mission by maintaining a diverse membership, with special programs to promote interest and develop expertise in the next generation of foreign policy leaders; convening meetings at its headquarters in New York and in Washington, DC, and other cities where senior government officials, members of Congress, global leaders, and prominent thinkers come together with Council members to discuss and debate major international issues; supporting a Studies Program that fosters independent research, enabling Council scholars to produce articles, reports, and books and hold roundtables that analyze foreign policy issues and make concrete policy recommendations; publishing Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal on international affairs and U.S. foreign policy; sponsoring Independent Task Forces that produce reports with both findings and policy prescriptions on the most important foreign policy topics; and providing up-to-date information and analysis about world events and American foreign policy on its website, CFR.org.

The responsibilities of the intern will include (but are not limited to):
• Assisting with research assignments
• Focus will be primarily on Japan
• Providing logistical and administrative support as needed

Qualifications:
• Undergraduate or graduate student with demonstrated background and interest in Japan
• Word processing and Internet research skills
• Strong research & administrative abilities
• Excellent attention to detail & follow-through
• Fluent Japanese language skills so that candidate can conduct research in Japanese.

A modest stipend is offered upon completion of the internship.

Please e-mail, mail or fax a resume and cover letter INCLUDING POSITION NAME, DAYS AND TIMES AVAILABLE TO WORK to the Human Resource Office at the above address. The Council on Foreign Relations is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Quality, diversity and balance are the key objectives sought by the Council on Foreign Relations in the composition of its workforce.

US News Article on Law Schools Going Global

Law Schools Go Global

Students now have more options for gaining international legal experience.

By Christopher J. Gearon

Posted: March 29, 2011

As the world moves increasingly toward globalization, America's law schools are offering students more opportunities to immerse themselves in foreign legal systems and international law. Studying abroad is "incredibly valuable," says William Treanor, dean of Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Treanor points to how legal questions are increasingly being resolved across national boundaries, whether they involve business transactions, litigation, domestic relations, estate planning, or social justice. Adds Steven Ratner, a professor at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Law School, "It's simply impossible to be a competent lawyer" without understanding "how law works across borders."

Hulett Askew, a consultant for the American Bar Association's legal education and admissions section, says of foreign study programs, "The growth overall in the last 5 or 10 years has been steady—and even dramatic." In 2009, at least 112 U.S. law schools collectively offered more than 255 such programs, according to the ABA. And though the down economy has slowed growth, about 8,000 U.S. law students still participated in a foreign program in 2009, Askew notes.

 

The most common study abroad opportunities are offered during the summer and are similar to those attended by second-year University of North Dakota law student William Black, 32, of Grand Forks. Last summer, Black completed a six-week program in Prague, Czech Republic, sponsored by the South Texas College of Law.

He then spent a month studying international and comparative law at the St. Petersburg (Russia) Summer Law Institute. The program is cosponsored by the University of Arkansas, Cleveland State University, and University of the Pacific law schools.

"The classroom part is very valuable," but the "opportunities to meet people from different cultures and deal with them is, too," says Black, who was able to apply credits toward his North Dakota law degree.

Like many schools, Georgetown Law offers semester abroad programs, with a dozen locations including Argentina, China, and Germany, as well as a full-year program in Paris. Georgetown graduate Alexis Paddock, 27, of Washington, D.C., spent a semester at the school's Center for Transnational Legal Studies. Opened in 2008, the center brings together students and faculty from more than a dozen other countries to the heart of London's legal quarter.

Partners include Free University Berlin, the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, all of which send students and faculty to the center.

"It's like going to 10 countries" to study, says Paddock, who credits the program with giving her a "greater awareness" of other legal systems and cultures while helping her build a network of contacts around the world.

According to the ABA, about 40 U.S. law schools have semester abroad options. "We offer a variety of opportunities, which we've vetted," says Virginia Gordan, assistant dean for international affairs at Michigan Law. These include for-credit semester programs at Amsterdam Law School, University College London, and Waseda University Law School in Tokyo, among others.

Michigan Law also offers fall "externships" with legal reform agencies in South Africa and winter programs in Geneva with leading U.N. agencies and international nongovernmental organizations. Michigan students can also pursue not-for-credit internships in Cambodia, London, and elsewhere.

The programs aren't for everyone. They can be pricey and may preclude a student from taking work or internship opportunities in the United States, which some fear might set them back in landing a job. But many experts disagree, saying global experience has become a major plus on résumés. Clearly, the thousands of students who enroll in these programs agree.

[Learn more about graduate students studying abroad.]

ABA Section of International Law 2011 Spring Meeting

ABA Section of International Law 2011 Spring Meeting

Event Information
Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 8:00AM - Saturday, April 9, 2011, 10:00 PM
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Event Link

The ABA Section of International Law, in co-sponsorship with ASIL, hosts its 2011 Spring Meeting, bringing together the world's leading international practitioners (including both in-house and outside counsel), academics, and government officials for four days of outstanding programming, networking, and events. In addition to more than 60 CLE programs across eight program tracks and six mini-tracks, attendees will have a chance to socialize and network at twice daily networking breaks, luncheons with dynamic speakers, and exceptional receptions at the top venues in the city. 

Contact Information
Audrey Lamb, Senior Meeting Planner
lamba@staff.abanet.org
1-202-662-1663

St. John's Center for International and Comparative Law Inaugural Symposium - Challenges to International Law, Challenges from International Law: New Realities and the Global Order

St. John's Center for International and Comparative Law Inaugural Symposium - Challenges to International Law, Challenges from International Law: New Realities and the Global Order

Event Information
Friday, April 1,  2011, 9:00 AM
St. John's School of Law
Belson Moot Court Room
Second Floor
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439

St. John's Center for International and Comparative Law, together with the St. John's Journal of International and Comparative Law and in co-sponsorship with the American Society of International Law, presents its inaugural symposium, which will bring together leading academics, practitioners, and past and present government officials to examine current challenges facing international law through the lens of three areas of regulation: the use of force, human rights, and economic relations. Participants will also explore the United States' role in international law-making and enforcement.

Contact Information
Van McPherson III
Symposium Editor
Journal of International and Comparative Law
van.mcphersoniii08@stjohns.edu

Law and Human Rights Internship with Humanity World International

Pre-Law, Law students and Legal practitioners are qualified to apply for our Law Internship program.

Students from all fields and professionals are welcome to take part in our Human Rights placement program.

Reports and Photos:
Click here to read the experiences of past volunteers and interns. See photos of their activities.
FAQ:Click here to vist our Frequently Asked Questions page. You will find answers to some of the questions on top of your mind.

Group Volunteering:Groups are welcome to volunteer or intern with us in this program. A group normally consists of 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or more people. Volunteering or interning in groups brings lots of rewarding experiences to volunteers and interns. Groups of volunteers or interns work in teams and tours are normally very interesting when done in groups. You can volunteer or intern with your friends, family, colleagues or peers.
Your impact:
During your gap year, career or school break, it is a perfect idea to volunteer or intern with Humanity World International (HWI). As a volunteer or intern, you offer your services to people in need of them and in return, you get blessings and appreciation from the people. On top of this, you also get the opportunity to learn about the way of life of the people. There are also many tourist attractions in Ghana, Africa that may be of interest to you.

- Upon successful completion of your volunteer work, you are issued a volunteer certificate and/or letters of recommendation.

- You can earn academic credit with your volunteer work, improve your CV or resume and more.

- We provide you a tour to Africa's historic Trans-Atlantic Cape Coast Slave Castle where you would learn at first hand the happenings during the slave trade, a visit to the Kakum National Park where you would do the canopy walk in the rain forest and a visit to the the Hans Cottage where you would see crocodiles (these places to visit are optional).

Accra: Accra is the capital of Ghana, Africa. It is home to over a million people from all corners of Ghana with a diverse culture. In the central markets of Accra, you can find beads and locally made beautiful clothes with mouth watering traditional food. Most of the population live in the shanty towns - they line the streets selling different types of products in busy traffic areas. Here, you can find anything from chocolates, sachet and bottled water to plantain chips.

HWI Home Base: The HWI Home Base is located in Accra in an area called Teshie-Nungua Estates - it is home to volunteers and interns working on various projects in Accra. The home has basic facilities such as double sized beds, flushing toilet, bath room, kitchen, a hall among others. Here, new friends are made upon arrival of a new volunteer or intern. Our volunteers and interns are very friendly to each other and they go places together - it is a perfect experience for those desirous to meet new people and learn about other cultures and backgrounds as well as share ideas.
Click here to have a look at our accommodation for volunteers and interns.