Center for International Human Rights Law & Advocacy
The Center for International Human Rights Law & Advocacy at the University of Wyoming College of Law provides students with the academic foundation, firsthand experience, and practical skills necessary to become
effective human rights advocates.
The Center has five pillars: the International Human Rights Clinic, the Bernstein
Fellowship for overseas human rights internships, study-abroad courses in the United
Kingdom and Chile, guest speakers, and the Jessup Moot Court.
Who We Are
Director, Center for International
Human Rights Law & Advocacy
Director, International
Human Rights Clinic
Golten Fellow,
International Human Rights
International Human Rights Clinic
The clinic was founded in 2013 as a pillar of the University of Wyoming’s Center for
International Human Rights Law & Advocacy. Each term, in their second and third year of law school, Clinic students collaborate with human rights activists and undertake projects to address some of the world’s most challenging human rights issues. Wyoming students have represented asylum seekers, litigated a maternal mortality case before the Constitutional Court in Uganda, investigated modern-day slavery in the Southeast Asian seafood industry, and worked to end human rights abuses in the coffee supply chain.
The Clinic strives to provide students with:
• Advocacy skills and techniques relevant to the practice of human rights law
• Instruction in international human rights law (and related domestic law) relevant to human rights
practice
• An opportunity to apply substantive and skills knowledge to solving practical, real world human rights advocacy
problems
• Research, writing, and oral presentation skills, particularly as applied to human rights
policy advocacy and analysis
Jessup Moot Court Competition
University of Wyoming teams compete in regional rounds before progressing to the White
and Case International Rounds in Washington, D.C. There, participants from as many
as 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions come together for the world's
largest moot court competition. The competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute
between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of
the United Nations. Teams prepare oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant
and respondent positions of the case.
Bernstein International Human Rights Summer Internships
Students in international internships explore the world, gain new perspectives, apply
the law to improve lives, and sometimes change the direction of their legal careers.
Past students have worked for human rights organizations in Thailand, Cambodia, South
Africa, Northern Ireland and more. Opportunities are available with international
organizations, including many with which the Center has established partnerships.
Funding is available.
Summer Internship Opportunities
Summer Internship Application
International Courses
Students in the two-week Cambridge Summer Law Institute gain a first-hand look at
international legal developments, human rights and trade in the European Union (EU)
at one of the preeminent institutions for international legal studies. Past highlights
have included lessons from world-class Cambridge faculty and special invitations to
the International Criminal Court, the Royal Courts of Justice, and the original Inns
of Court.
In Chile, students explore Inter-American legal events and their influence on human
rights and natural resources law and policy. The program takes place at the Universidad
Adolfo Ibanez (UAI) in Santiago, with students traveling over winter break to find
summer in the Southern hemisphere. Past highlights have included the Museum of Memory
in Santiago, lessons with faculty from UAI, and visiting the UNESCO World Heritage
site of Valparaiso.
Special Guest Speakers
These popular programs are open to the public.
2024
Amelia Vukeya Motsepe, Consultant, Lelaka Attorneys, and author of HIV and the Law in South Africa: A Practitioner's Guide gave the Law Week presentation, “Access to Justice Matters: Protecting Human Rights
for the Key and Marginalised Population is Central to the HIV and TB Response.”
“South Africa has a progressive constitution; however, poor implementation of protective
laws and policies, as well as weak accountability mechanisms are hindering the country’s
fight against the HIV and TB epidemics. Strengthening HIV- and TB-related legal services
will help address the structural inequalities that dominate our health care facilities
and law enforcement agencies. When we increase access to justice, we raise awareness
of human rights and gender inequalities by utilizing not only the court system, but
restorative justice measures and traditional systems to address human rights violation.
Reducing stigma associated with HIV and TB and ensuring equal treatment for all will
help South Africa achieve accelerated prevention, access and adherence to treatment
and care."
2023
Ximena Fuentes, Keynote presentation on the International Court of Justice’s Chile v. Bolivia Transboundary River Case.
Fuentes is an Associate Professor of Public International Law at the University of
Chile in Santiago. After Fuentes' presentation, recent graduate and Wyoming Law Review
editor Hannah Mink moderated a Zoom discussion with contributing authors from around
the globe. The event was sponsored by the UW College of Law International Human Rights
Law and Advocacy Center and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Rosa Brooks, The Wyoming Corner Crossing Case and the Legal History of Public Land.
2021
Roberto Saba, “Equality in the Inter-American Human Rights System”
Saba is the Director of the Graduate Studies Center of the University of Palermo School
of Law (Buenos Aires) and a professor of constitutional law and human rights at the
University of Buenos Aires and the University of Palermo, Argentina. He co-founded
the Association for Civil Rights (ADC) in Argentina in 1995 and is an internationally
respected human rights and constitutional lawyer. Saba has given expert testimony
before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on matters relating to freedom of
speech, equality, and due process.
Hamid Khan, Judicial Education Attorney at the Federal Judicial Center.
Khan also teaches courses on a range of Islamic issues at the University of Michigan
Law School. HERE is a Wyoming Public Radio interview with Khan during his visit to the University
of Wyoming. See photos from his College of Law presentation HERE.
