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In an effort to promote the many opportunities that
students have during their legal education to gain international experience,
the UAILS is organizing relevant information in one area. Please have
a look and contact us if we have left something out, or if you are
aware of an opportunity that hasn't been added to this site.
CANADEM is a non-profit agency dedicated to the advancement of international peace and security through the recruitment, screening, promotion and rapid mobilization of Canadian expertise. International and Canadian organizations use CANADEM to rapidly identify candidates for missions, posts or consultancies. Step 1: UN, OSCE, other IGOs, Canadian government or NGOs contact CANADEM with the profile of the individual needed and a job description. Step 2: CANADEM searches its roster and sends names and resumes of screened candidates. Step 3: The requesting agency contracts the individuals of interest and contracts them directly. Individual Canadians with relevant expertise can register to be considered for international placements. CANADEM is open to individuals or staff of NGOs, professional and academic organizations, businesses or government. To register, or for more information, please visit CANADEM's website. Contact Information: Summering
at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Many Students ask me, as an international lawyers, how they can get an internship position abroad. It's a great idea, but often more difficult to find than usually first envisioned, and especially when it comes to finding the funding to support such an experience. This past summer, Andrea Gonsalves, a third year student at the Univesity of Western Ontario secured an internship at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, located in Washinton DC. This is an interview with Adrea about her experience. JH: Andrea, it's great to hear from you. How was your summer experience in DC? AG: Mu summer experience was fantastic. I did a seven-week internship at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a branch of the Organization of American States charged with the promotion of human rights in the Western Hemisphere. The Commission is staffed with human rights lawyers and received petitions from individuals in member states who claim violations of human rights by their governments. The Commission hired a number of law students as interns throughout the year, and young lawyers as fellows for one-year contracts. My experience was extremely rewarding. I was able to assist with the intake and review of petitions as well as the drafting of opinions. By working at an inter-governmental organization (IGO), I gained a unique perspective of international law that strengthened my belief that it can bring about the protection of human rights. I increased my knowledge of human rights law as a theoretical exercise, but I also saw that international law can have a real impact on people's lives. JH: How did this internship come about? AG: I was hired by Torys LLP in Toronto as a second-year summer student and began working there in May 2004. Torys has a split summer program which permits their students to spend half the summer working at non-profit organizations, provided the student is gaining legal experience that would not be available at the firm. My name and CV were forwarded to the Commission by my professor and the Commission notified me in mid-June that I have been accepted for an internship. Although the internship was scheduled to being in June, I explained to the Commission that I could not leave Torys prior to mid-July. The Commission was quite flexible with dates and willing to accomodate the change. JH: Sounds great, but how did you afford to move to Washington for two months? AG: Although the Inter-American Commission on Human Right, like most non-profits does not pay its interns, under the split summer program, Torys continues to pay the salaries of students while they are on secondment. I was required to pay for my flight and accomodations - I sublet a room in a house shared with three other DC interns - but I received my weekly salary from Torys. Canadian
Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross Society (CRC) is a non-profit, humanitarian organization, dedicated to helping Canadians, as well as the most vulnerable throughout the world. The CRC helps people deal with situations that threaten their survival and safety, their security and well-being, and their human dignity, and supports and manages development and rehabilitation programs, ranging from primary health care to water sanitation. The CRC has approximately 6,800 employees across the country, as well as approximately 63,500 volunteers. Each year, the CRC sends about 100 professional relief workers on overseas missions. Contact Information: Lawyers
Without Borders LWOB connects pro bono opportunities and projects with young lawyers, seasoned lawyers and practicing lawyers. LWOB sends neutral observers to courts and detention facilities around the world. LWOB provides a resource for lawyers being persecuted or targeed for their support of human rights. LWOB also provides training on a number of topics. The first Canadian chapter was acrredited in the fall of 2004 through the University of Montreal Contact Information: International
Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development Rights & Democracy works with individuals, organizations, and governments in Canada and abroad to promote the human and democratic rights defined in the United Nations' International Bill of Human Rights. Although its mandate is wide-ranging, Rights & Democracy currently focuses on four themes:
It also has two special operations:
Contact
Information: United Nations Association in Canada The United Nations Association in Canada (UNA) is a national charitable organization established in 1946. Our mandate is to engage the Canadian public in the work of the United Nations and the critical international issues which affect us all. UNA-Canada accomplishes its goals through a dynamic staff team at the National Office and a network of volunteer-driven regional branches UNA's projects also aim to define foreign policy priorities for our government. UNA hosts seminars and conferences with a variety of stakeholders and produce informative publications on topics such as peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. Everyday, UNA-Canada responds to public request for information on the United Nations, Canada's international priorities, and a range of global issues. UNA-Canada offers the YPI and IYIP programs which are financed by the Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the Federal government's Youth Employment Strategy. UNA-Canada as provided 199 young Canadians with International Placements in the past 7 years. Contact
Information: World University Service (WUSC) is a network of individuals and postsecondary institutions who believe that all peoples are entitled to the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to a more equitable world. Its mission is to foster human development and global understanding through education and training. WUSC attempts to provide as many opportunities as possible for Canadians to work in the field of international development both in Canada and overseas in the belief that Canadians have an important contribution to make to international understanding and that a broadened world view should be a defining Canadian characteristic. Opportunities with WUSC include everything from highly expert positions to internship experiences for recent graduates. WUSC offers a program whereby international volunteers can commit to long-term placements (one or two years) in a wide range of professional areas including computing, communications, community, environment, health, education and management. The rane of opportunities has been further enhanced as a result of WUSC's role as an implementing agency in Canada for the United Nations Volunteer Program. The main country partners for the volunteer program are Benin, Ghana, Malawi, Botswana, and Vietnam. Contact
Information: International Legal Resource Centre Created in 1999, the International Legal Resources Centre (ILRC) is an independent, non-profit Canadian organization committed to human rights protection and justice promotion in Canada and abroad. By designing and implementing innovative projects in the field of justice, the ILRC aims to encourage and facilitate the involvement of citizens in the democratic development of their societies. The ILRC is particularly interested in addressing the challenges created by the weaknesses of the judicial systems of societies in emerging and established democracies. The Centre also works to stengthen the abilities of organizations in civil society so that they may become legitimate, fully participating actors in the development or consolidation of democracy in their contries. The ILRC gives preferential consideration to grassroots organizations working with the people most affected by justice and human rights issues. Contact Information: Amnesty International is a worldwife movement of people decicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. Amnesty International appeals for violations to stop, mobilizes public pressure to prevent human rights abuses from taking place. It seeks to build a world in which every person enjoys the rights included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Towards thei end:
There are no formal internships program offered; however a number of people volunteer their time to fight for the rights of others and occasionally to lobby the Canadian government for action. Contact Information: The Department of Justice is often described as Canada's largest and most prestigious law firm. The Department makes and upholds federal laws and is the guardian of the Canadian justice system. It is an unrivalled repository of Canadian legal skill and knowledge. In keeping with their commitment to provide articling students and lawyers with the best experience possible, the Department of Justice Canada is proud to offer law students the Legal Excellence Program. Through this innovative program, the Department of Justice provides articling students and junior lawyers with the opportunity to develop, within a structured three-to-four-year traning continuum, the essential knowledge, skills and experience for practicing law. Students in their Legal Excellence Program draw on the experience and expertise of an assigned mentor who provides them with professional guidance and support. Additionally, they benefit from formal training and development component, which enhances advocacy skills, introduces them to issues facing Crown counsel and gives them an overview of the Department's array of legal work. The Legal Excellence Program benefits Civil Law and Common Law Students, notaries and those in the combined Civil/Common Law National Program. Contact Information: The practice of international law has become increasingly dynamic and it contributes to the development of an international rules-based system, which is a pillar of Canadian foreign policy. THe promotion and development of international law, the use of dispute settlement mechanism, and the incorporation of international law into the conduct of Canada's international relations are some of the functions of the Legal Branch of Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) and International Trade Canada (ITCan). The Legal Branch is the principle sources of advice
to the Government of Canada on its legal rights and obligations under
a wide and growing range of challenging international law issues. Lawyers
provide written and oral advocacy on behalf of Canada in international
litigation; policy management and development on legal issues; operational
services including the negotiation of international agreements; and
services to the public, including the authentication of documents,
the espousal of international claims, and the maintenance of Canada's
treaty registry. They also ensure that Canada's domestic legal regime
is in accord with its international obligations. The areas of priorities
are economic and trade law, international peace and security, state
sovereignty and extraterritoriality, human rights law, international
criminal law, environmental law, and the law of the sea. The Legal
Branch responds to needs and requests of Foreign Affairs Canada and
International Trade Canada, other departments of the federal government,
provinces, international bodies, and the public. It is headed by the
Legal Adviser. |
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