OVERVIEW

In the IWHR Clinic’s twice-weekly two-hour seminars, students study the host country’s or thematic laws and their context, present drafts of their work in progress, critique each other’s work, and develop interviewing, researching, and oral and writing advocacy skills. Outside the classroom, supervisors work with individual students and teams to provide in-depth guidance on a variety of skills, from setting agendas, holding professional conferences, and interviewing to developing policy and law and persuading an intended audience.

During the semester, each student completes a minimum of three complete drafts of his or her Clinic project, which typically includes:

• litigation papers, including a petition or notice of appeal, along with a supporting legal brief and affidavits in the Fall semester;
• a legislative bill and supporting human rights report in the Spring semester; or
• submissions to human rights bodies applying the relevant law and policy.

Spring Clinic students travel during spring break to the host country to conduct human rights fact-finding interviews.

Interested Fall students are assisted in pursuing summer internships with the Clinic’s partners and contacts to allow them to continue their clinical work overseas.

TIME COMMITMENT

The average weekly time commitment for the Clinic is 35 hours per week. Because this is a significant time commitment, Clinic faculty urge you to carefully consider and limit – to the extent possible – your other time commitments during the semester you are in the Clinic.
We require students in both the Fall and Spring semesters to return to school one week before the beginning of classes for a pre-semester orientation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The Clinic is open to students who will have completed 30 credits by the beginning of the semester in which they are enrolled in the Clinic. Interested students must select the IWHR Clinic on the online application and submit an IWHR Clinic-specific statement of interest.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We select students on the basis of their statement of interest in the IWHR Clinic and demonstrated experience and/or interest in women’s human rights. Students who have not had any academic or professional experience in the area of women’s human rights will still be strong candidates if they convey their interest and enthusiasm for the subject area. We also give preference to students entering their final year of law school and to Global Law Scholars.

PREREQUISITES

To enroll in the IWHR Clinic, students must have already taken or be concurrently taking International and Comparative Law on Women’s Human Rights, taught by Professor Ross. This course teaches Clinic students the international, regional, and comparative human rights law they need to know to complete their Clinic projects. The course is offered in the Fall semester only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information about the IWHR Clinic, please feel free to stop by Room 334 in McDonough Hall or contact Professor Ross at x9641. Also, please feel free to contact the students enrolled in the Clinic this year.