Civil Rights Defenders and the Faculty of Law in Uppsala Open a Human Rights Clinic

This autumn, Civil Rights Defenders invites law students enrolled in Uppsala University to participate in a new project called Human Rights Clinic. The project is created in close cooperation with Uppsala University and aims towards providing the participants with practical skills in human rights law. Furthermore, the participants will be given a chance to advance their knowledge of how the civil society works to protect and strengthen human rights.

This is a pilot project specifically aimed towards Uppsala Law Students who would like to focus their work on human rights. We offer all participants a chance to deepen their practical legal skills and learn more about advocacy work as well as ethical issues related to human rights. Human Rights Clinic works as a platform for cooperation between scientists, teachers, students and representatives from the civil society.

The clinic consists of seven workshops, aiming to introduce the students to advanced legal writing skills, legal research, advocacy and professional ethics. The workshops are led by scientists and teachers at the Faculty of Law in Uppsala and by representatives from Civil Rights Defenders.

Furthermore, we offer the participants the chance to work on actual cases provided by Civil Rights Defenders. Among other things, the cases will address the rights of vulnerable EU citizens and the Roma minority, the use of force by the police, the rights of persons in compulsory treatment in closed facilities, and analysis of anti-terrorism laws.

Protecting and strengthening vulnerable people’s human rights is part of Civil Rights Defenders’ daily work. The clinic is a great opportunity to learn more about our work as well as to advance your legal skills in cooperation with us and with scientists at the Faculty of Law in Uppsala. Apply no later than 1 August 2016.

Contact Details and Application

All applications are to be sent no later than 1 August. The application must include a list of your grades, a writing sample in English or Swedish, and a cover letter stating why you would like to participate in the Human Rights Clinic.

Further information and the full call for participants can be found here.

The project starts on 24 August and ends on 10 December 2016.

In order to be eligible to participate, you must have completed T6 or equivalent at the Law Programme. The project is an extra-curricular activity and hence it will not provide any study credits.