TrialWatch Legal Fellow, Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute

The Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute and Clinic (“HRI” and “the Clinic”) are seeking a full time Legal Fellow (to be hired at the Postdoctoral Research Scholar level) to assist in implementing the TrialWatch Project, Columbia Law School’s collaboration with the Clooney Foundation for Justice. The duration of the appointment is for a period of two years, which may be renewable for a third year based on performance and funding.

Position Summary

HRI and the Clinic work in partnership with civil society to advance human rights around the world and train the next generation of strategic advocates. The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) advocates for justice through accountability for human rights abuses around the world.

TrialWatch’s mission is to expose injustice, help to free those unjustly detained and promote the rule of law. TrialWatch monitors criminal trials globally against those who are most vulnerable — including journalists, protesters, women, LGBTQ+ persons and minorities — and advocates for the rights of the unfairly convicted. Over time, TrialWatch will use the data it gathers to publish a Global Justice Ranking exposing countries’ performance and use it to support advocacy for systemic change.

TrialWatch is in an exciting period of expansion and consolidation, bringing the eyes and ears of the world to courtrooms where a defendant’s life is on the line, and providing free legal representation to those who are unjustly detained before domestic courts, regional bodies and the UN. The project is also collaborating on trials involving women and girls as part of CFJ’s newest initiative, Waging Justice for Women. This exciting new program has been set up with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and aims to fight injustice against women through strategic litigation to reform discriminatory laws, initially focusing on Africa.

HRI and the Clinic are an integral part of this work, monitoring proceedings in numerous jurisdictions, driving key thematic research, and fostering collaborations with other universities around the world. The Legal Fellow will report to the Director of the TrialWatch project at Columbia Law School and would be expected to assist in all aspects of the work, both administrative and substantive.

The candidate would:

• Assist in identifying and onboarding of university partners and coordinating a global clinical network of trial monitors at law schools around the world with Columbia Law School as a hub;
• Collaborate with student teams from clinics around the world to monitor, report on, and engage with trials across TrialWatch’s priority areas (cases against journalists and women & girls);
• Support the development of fairness reports and thematic research on international human rights law, policy and practice around violations of the right to a fair trial, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and other relevant issues;
• Assist in the organization of trainings, conferences and other convenings.
• Contribute to external and internal communications.

Minimum Qualifications

• A law degree (JD, LLB, LLM, BCL, licence en droit, or licenciado en derecho, etc. will be considered).
• 0-2 years of professional or academic experience in human rights or related work.

Hiring Salary Range

$70,000 – $80,000 a year

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, department budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of the possible compensation at the time of posting.