Human Rights Watch's ("HRW") US Program is seeking a qualified and current law student to intern with the senior counterterrorism counsel and advocate in the organization's New York or Washington, DC office. Start and end dates are flexible (as our work hours, 10-20 hours per week commitment depending on availability), but ideally the intern would start in late May/early June and continue at least through early August. The intern will engage directly with the senior counterterrorism counsel on a variety of issues. Primarily, the intern will work on updating, coding, and analyzing a legal data set related to HRW's ongoing research into federal terrorism prosecutions.
The internship is unpaid. Students are often able to arrange academic credit, as HRW internships offer direct exposure to the workings of an international human rights organization, close supervision by HRW staff, interaction with other US and international organizations and foreign and domestic government officials, and opportunities to attend lectures, trainings, and special events relating to human rights. Students should check with their individual academic institutions for requirements.
Qualifications: Applicants should be well-organized, self-motivated, and reliable. Experience conducting legal research using PACER is highly desirable. Basic computer skills (i.e. Microsoft Office and Excel, and Internet applications) are required. The intern must be an enrolled student for the duration of the internship (i.e. if they are on summer break they must be resuming classes at the end of the summer).
Applicants who are offered an internship, but who are not US permanent residents, US citizens, or in possession of a valid student visa, must apply for a J-1 visa through a sponsoring organization. This process can take several weeks and applicants will have to incur their own costs.
