“There is no other law clinic in the nation doing what we’re doing. Our students learn they can really make a difference.”

– Professor Susan Deller Ross, Founder and Director of the IWHR Clinic

IN STUDENTS’ OWN WORDS

We are proud to feature the achievements and experiences of our Student Advocates and to hear of the many ways that the IWHR Clinic has inspired these individuals to continue to pursue women’s and human rights law and advocacy.

“The International Women’s Human Rights Clinic was one of the most transformative experiences of my time at Georgetown Law. Not only did I gain substantive knowledge of international women’s human rights law, but I honed my legal research, writing, and professional skills. The practical tools and advocacy skills I gained translated seamlessly into my current career as a litigator. Additionally, the Clinic affirmed my belief that international women’s human rights work is essential, and I continue to use the substantive knowledge I gained in my pro bono practice.”

– Mason Hubbard, a Fall 2010 Student Advocate who prepared a winning case before the U.N. CEDAW Committee to strike down discriminatory laws, customs and practices relating to widow inheritance in Tanzania

 

“The Clinic was amazing on so many levels. Not only as a law school class did I learn more in this past semester than I ever would have anticipated, but, and more importantly, it was a great feeling to actually be able to use the law in order to improve the lives of others. It was wonderful that at the end of the semester instead of having a grade on an exam, we have produced an end product that will directly benefit the lives of women in South Africa.”

– Maeve K. Townsend, a Fall 2007 Student Advocate who lodged a constitutional challenge against the practice of polygyny in South Africa

 

“[Our fact-finding trip to Uganda about FGM] allowed us to understand how much the issue involves members of the family [and] what political context this recommendation is going to go through…. I learned everything from actual tangible legal skills to analytical skills to skills that apply to discussions about culture and tradition that are so relevant to this historical moment in which we’re living – when politics, and women’s bodies, and the concept of culture interact.”

– Adriana Kertzer, a Spring 2004 Student Advocate who drafted a human rights report and legislation to combat female genital mutilation in Uganda, which spurred the enactment of the Prohibition of Female Genital Act, 2010

 

“The opportunity to participate in the IWHR Clinic was one of the main reasons I chose to come to Georgetown, and it lived up to all my expectations…. My work in the Clinic trained me in many of the investigatory and advocacy skills necessary in crafting a human rights campaign, and solidified my techniques in making arguments that are not just morally forceful, but also legally compelling.”

– Eric Tars, a Spring 2003 Student Advocate who conducted fact-finding interviews in Ghana about “Queenmothers” (traditional women leaders), who now have been accepted as equal participants with equal pay in the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs in Ghana

 

“I learned more about being a lawyer in one semester of the IWHR Clinic than I have in the rest of law school combined.”

– Alexandros Papanikolaou, a Fall 2002 Student Advocate who successfully briefed an appeal to the Nigerian Supreme Court to overturn a death sentence for a woman convicted of adultery