Clinical Legal Education: International Human Rights Clinic Practicum

Registration: 
Registration in this course is normally only available to (and may be required of) students who participated in the International Human Rights course in the first term, and who have obtained the approval of the Director to either continue their work into the second semester and/or to work on a new project.  

For further details about the practicum, including registration, please see the course description for the International Human Rights Clinic (LAW548H1F). 

Course Description: 
Through their clinical practicum projects, students will have the opportunity to work on pressing international human rights matters through hands-on work under the supervision of qualified lawyers. Cases and projects may involve contributing to domestic or international litigation, formulating theories and advocacy strategies, drafting legal memos/briefs or advocacy documents, fact-finding field work, etc. IHRP litigation and advocacy pursuits may address matters involving corporate accountability, climate justice, Indigenous rights, and refugee rights, amongst others.  

Note that due to the nature of the field, Clinic projects may sometimes involve subject matter that is emotionally intense and/or controversial. Appropriate supports will be provided where necessary to help manage such pressures. To get a sense of the kind of subject matter the Clinic takes on, please review the list of projects undertaken in the last year on the IHRP website. 

Commitment: 
Students will be expected to meet with the IHRP Director, IHRP Research Associate, and external parties on a regular basis and to attend monthly meetings of all practicum students. Attendance at all meetings is mandatory. Students are routinely expected to provide oral briefings and analyses and to participate in discussions. While we will strive to make the overall workload of the Clinic comparable to a course of similar weight, the Clinic will at times involve obligations to clients and external deadlines which must be met.