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Continued need for human rights lawyers

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The United States endured a moral pummeling at its first-ever human rights record review by the United Nation Human Rights Council in Geneva on Nov. 5.  The scrutiny was brutal. 

Russia urged abolition of the death penalty. Cuba and Iran called for closure of the Guantanamo prison.  Indonesia pressed for higher religious tolerance. Even American groups turned up the heat on its own government.

Although this meeting garnered very little attention at home, the appearance of President Barack Obama’s delegation before the United Nation’s Council – the United States joining just last year – signals a drastic about-face in presidential attitude towards America’s role in the international dialogue over human rights.  

That’s good news for human rights lawyers.  

“There is a continuing need for lawyers to help protect human rights,” says Lori Adams, staff attorney at Human Rights First (HRF), a New York-based group advocating for bettering human conditions through coalition building, insider advocacy, litigation, research and reporting and public advocacy. “Human Rights First doesn’t accept government funding so we can hold our own government responsible.” 

One might say the ability to practice human rights law is a human right in and of itself.

Human rights are generally defined as basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. Legal scholars would include within these parameters such rights as civil and political rights, the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, the right to food, the right to work and the right to education.

While legal practitioners of human rights defense rarely define themselves as human rights lawyers, they are working towards the same goals, says Adams. 

Adams, for example, practices immigration defense and works with pro bono counsel to represent asylum seekers pleading for protection from persecution in their home countries.

Other attorneys at HRF are working towards closure of the Guantanamo prison, working with international tribunals to combat crimes against humanity, and advocating on behalf of individuals and groups to ensure the U.S. is complying with international law and obligations to respect human rights, according to the HRF Web site.

“There are so many ways to practice human rights law, and the desire to help people, rather than financial compensation, should be the primary motivation for anyone who wants to get into this area,” Adams said.

Despite that, competition to get into this practice area is high.

“It’s a hard area to get into because there aren’t many jobs in this field,” admits Adams.  “But it’s incredibly rewarding if you can get one.”

Aspiring human rights lawyers should be comfortable with such a wide breadth of knowledge.

“Given the job market right now and the high number of applicants who are still looking for their first job out of law school, if the job search takes longer than you expected, spend time volunteering,” suggests Adams. “Get hands-on experience with interviewing clients and preparing documents.  Reach out to places that you are interested in – it’s a good way to get your foot in the door for when they might be hiring in the future.”

Adams highly recommends doing internships and trying different areas out, because it’s hard to know what areas of practice might pique an interest without having a background in that area. 

“I knew what I wanted to do when I went to law school,” says Adams. “I wanted to find a career in human rights. Through my experiences in law school, I determined that for me this meant a career in which I could work for the protection of refugees.”

By Julie Chen Allen for The National Jurist.

The National Jurist

The National Jurist

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