International Law Careers
1. General Websites
- ABA International Human Rights Committee Job Search Links
- ABA-Section of International Law, Human Rights E-Committee Brief: Weekly newsletter with organization profiles, job listings, and human rights news
- Communication Initiative: Designated to facilitate communication among development professionals (legal and non-legal)
- Law.com: General search engine for law jobs
- ALB Legal Jobs Centre: Focuses on Australia and Asia
- PS Law Net: Focuses on public service law jobs
- International Career Employment Weekly: Free email list with international jobs that are typically development sector-oriented
- Foreign Policy Association: Free job lists called global jobs
- Eldis: Clearing house for information on development jobs
- Devex: Focuses on jobs in international development
- Relief Web: Searchable web site listing thousands of overseas jobs
- American Society of International Law: Information about internships in international law
- Monash University, Australia: Lists international law internships
- Peace and Collaborative Development Network: Resource for people seeking employment in international affairs
- Opinio Juris Jobs: General Information about jobs related to international law
- Idealist: Great resource for public interest jons
- Santa Clara Law Office of Career Management: For general legal job search engine
2. International (Inter-governmental) Organizations
- International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- JPO Programs: JPO programs open junior professional positions with UN agencies to nationals of specified countries. Certain governments sponsor JPO positions for their nationals, and some sponsor positions for nationals of developing nations. JPO programs for US citizens are listed at www.state.gov/g/prm/jpoae
- PAE-REACT: This is the contractor paid by the US State Department to select US citizens for seconded jobs with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
- UN Development Program
- UNICEF
- United Nations: This is the official UN web site
- UN Volunteers Program: Provides opportunities for someone seeking his/her first job in the UN system. The program places volunteers in short-term assignments (6-12 months) in countries throughout the world.
- UN Young Professionals Program: Designed to help young professionals (32 and under at the time of the test) start careers in the UN system. Successful applicants can expect to receive two different assignments in different parts of the UN system during the first five years of service.
- UN Jobs: This web site belongs to a Swiss non-governmental organization
- US Department of State: Information provided by the US State Dep’t about employment in the U.N. and other international organizations
- World Intellectual Property Organization
- World Trade Organization
- International Monetary Fund
- World Bank
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees
- International Labor Organization
- International Criminal Court
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
3. Non-Governmental Organizations
There are literally thousands of non-governmental organizations around the world that do interesting work related to international law. Here are links to some of them.
- Foundation Center: A wealth of information on funding agencies and foundations, including application details, program priorities and past funding. Excellent databases available for free in their libraries in several cities including New York and online for subscribers
- Global Rights
- HRights Opportunities List: Yale, Schell Center. Great listserv of human rights openings. To subscribe, send an email to schell.law@yale.edu and specify you want to be added to the jobs list
- Human Rights Blog
- Human Rights Funders Group: Information on foundations that support human rights groups and a searchable database
- Human Rights Job Board: Job listings. For a complete list, enter nothing and click on “search”
- Human Rights Jobs: Some jobs open to all, others are for members only
- Human Rights Resources Center: Links to numerous job pages at NGO’s and inter-governmental organizations
- Human Rights Tools
- Microfinance Gateway: Job listing may be non-legal, but good for people interested in development or micro-finance
- One World
- Pambazuka News: Africa-focused
- Peacebuilding Portal: Created by the United Nations, a database of NGO’s working searchable by region, country, theme, and type of organization focusing on human security, peacebuilding, and conflict
- Public Interest Law Institute: Jobs and other postings related to public interest around the world
- Amnesty International: Human Rights (also has Secretariat in London)
- Center for Roma Rights
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- Human Rights Watch (Human Rights)
- American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative
- Open Society Foundations
- Center for Justice and International Law
- Human Rights First
- Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
- Public International Law & Policy Group
- Center for Constitutional Rights (Human Rights)
- Center for Justice & Accountability (Human Rights)
- American Civil Liberties Union (Human Rights)
- Human Rights First (Human Rights)
- Freedom House (Human Rights)
- Earthrights International: Business and Human Rights (has an office in Thailand)
- International Rights Advocates (Business and Human Rights)
- Center for Economic and Social Rights (Business and Human Rights)
- Accountability Counsel (Business and Human Rights)
- Center for International Environmental Law: Working to use international law and institutions to protect the environment (has an office in Geneva)
- Earthjustice
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature
- World Wildlife Fund: Endangered species conservation
- World Resources Institute
- Friends of the Earth: Environmentalism (SF)
- Catholic Relief Services
- United Methodist Committee on Relief
- PSLawNet: Resource to public service job postings
- International Career Employment Weekly: Email list with International jobs
- Foreign Policy Association: Contains a free job list called Global Jobs
- Eldis: Information and free job postings for development jobs
- Idealist: Resource for public interest jobs
- DevNetJobs: Free job listings for development, human rights, and humanitarian work
- AIDG: Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group
- Winrock International: Development organization that focuses on natural resources and sustainable ways to increase economic opportunities
- Altshuler Berzon LLP: Civil rights firm in SF
- Relman, Dane & Colfax: Civil rights firm in DC
- ABA ROLI: American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative job opportunities
- National Democratic Institute: Works to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide
- Carter Center: Advancing human rights and alleviating suffering – works on rule of law, democratization, conflict resolution, and election monitoring
- International Republican Institute: Advances freedom and democracy worldwide by developing political parties, civic institutions, open elections, democratic governance and the rule of law
- International Foundation for Electoral Systems: Monitors elections and seeks to bolster democracy by developing programs to strengthen ROL
- Clinton Foundation: Dedicated to fostering global interdependence through work in health security, economic development, leadership development, & racial, ethnic, and religious reconciliation
- Mercy Corps: Alleviates suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities
- Oxfam America: Fighting poverty and injustice around the world
- Kiva (Microfinance program)
- Accion (Microfinance program)
- FINCA International (Microfinance program)
- International Committee of the Red Cross (Humanitarian)
- International Rescue Committee (Humanitarian)
- CARE International (Humanitarian)
- Save the Children (Humanitarian)
- International Center for Transitional Justice: Help societies in transition address legacies of massive human rights violations and build civic trust in state institutions as protectors of human rights
- International Crisis Group: Field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to resolve and prevent conflict
- Center for Gender and Refugee Studies: Clinic at Hastings Law
- East Bay Sanctuary: Immigration advocates network
- Catholic Charities: Unaccompanied refugee minors programs and human services
- Polaris Project: Global fight against human trafficking
- Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking: Assist persons who have been trafficked and work towards ending all human rights violations (LA)
- Center for Reproductive Rights (NYC has an international program)
- Global Fund for Women: Provides grants to support women’s rights around the world (based in SF)
- Association for Women’s Rights in Development: Free weekly listings forgender-related jobs in development and HR
- American Civil Liberties Union
- Opportunity Agenda: Expand opportunity in America
- Bringing Human Rights Home Network: Lawyers’ network through which members share strategies across issue areas and develop joint responses to common threats and needs (Columbia Law School)
- South African Constitutional Court: Human rights, comparative constitutional law, etc.
- Khmer Rouge Tribunal: International tribunal (Cambodia)
- Special Court for Sierra Leone: International court
Nonprofit NGOs:
- Rotary International
- American Society for International Law: Arthur C. Helton Fellowship provides micro-grants for law students and young professionals to pursue field work and research
- Ashoka and Echoing Green: Resource for starting your own NGO
- Open Society Foundations: Seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights
- HRW Finberg and Koenig Fellowships
- Aryeh Neier Fellowship (HRW/ACLU)
- Cohen Milstein: Deal with lawsuits with a strong social and political component
- Center for Constitutional Rights
- Council on Foreign Affairs: International Affairs Fellowship
4. Federal Government
- Export-Import Bank of the United States: General Counsel’s office hires very small number of law students for summer internships
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Securities and Exchange Commission: Office of International Affairs investigates enforcement problems, promotes cooperation among international bodies, and works on treaties. Law graduates are hired for the Advance Commitment program
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
- U.S. Department of the Treasury: Coordinates U.S. recruitment efforts for the Inter-American Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund and World Bank.. The Office of General Counsel hires graduates for its Legal Honors Program, with the possibility of assignment to handle legal issues for the Office of International Affairs which promotes economic growth and stability
- U.S. Department of Transportation: The Office of General Counsel has a small Office of International Law. The Honors Attorney Program is offered every two years for graduating law students
- U.S. International Trade Commission
- U.S. Trade and Development Agency
- USA Jobs
- Department of State
- U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General
- U.S. Army Judge Advocate General
- U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General
- Department of Defense, Office of the General Counsel
- Central Intelligence Agency, Office of General Counsel
- U.S. Trade Representative
- Department of Commerce
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Department of Justice
