Litigation Intern

We are currently recruiting an intern to work in the Office of the Senior Director of International Law and Policy. The main set of responsibilities will be related to assisting the Office in setting up the newly established Strategic Litigation Unit. The internship is on part-time basis (3 days per week) for an initial period of 3 months with possibility of extension to a maximum of 6 month.

The intern will play an integral role in the Office of the Senior Director of International Law and Policy.  He/she will contribute to the work of the Office through a mixture of long and short term projects. The work of the intern will be supervised; however you will be expected to be able to work independently and use your own initiative.

The successful intern would be expected to assist the Office in the following areas:

• Ensuring that the database of current cases, in which Amnesty International litigates on behalf of the victims of human rights violations, is updated
• Ensuring that notes and action points of the Litigation Committee meetings are taken and circulated to all members of the Committee and others concerned
• Compiling a list of key prominent and successful litigation cases where Amnesty International have intervened
• Conducting legal research related to current or proposed new litigation cases
• Assisting in writing and reviewing legal submissions or their sections, if requested
• Assisting in writing project proposals, including for donors
• Liaising with other colleagues on issues related to litigation

We would expect the successful intern to have the following skills and experience:

1. A background in law to at least a graduate level
2. Understanding of litigation as a tool for human rights change
3. Knowledge of key legal avenues which could be utilized in various jurisdictions across the world to litigate on human rights issues
4. Fluency in English
5. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (including Word and Excel) and Outlook;
6. Ability to work independently and in a team under tight deadlines
7. Strong attention to detail and use of own initiative;
8. Highly motivated by, and interested in, human rights issues;
9. Professional discretion;

Desired skills and experience:

1. Knowledge of human rights law
2. Experience in litigation
3. Knowledge of one or more of the UN’s other official languages:  French, Arabic or Spanish.