Center for Constitutional Rights

Organisation profile

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) is a non-profit legal and educational organisation based in New York dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was founded in 1966 by a group of attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South. CCR has been actively involved in the creative use of law to facilitate positive social change with the aim of empowering poor and disadvantaged communities who currently have few protections and limited access to legal resources.

CCR uses litigation to fight injustices on a wide range of issues including defending the rights of those illegally detained (most notably, the men at Guantánamo) and fighting employment discrimination and racial profiling. Its proactive use of litigation empowers poor communities to ensure those with the fewest protections have access to legal resources.  Most recently, CCR has pioneered the prosecution of human rights abuses committed abroad in U.S courts.

Since its founding, CCR has also focused its attention on training the next generation of constitutional and human rights attorneys and defending progressive movements for social change. It devises new strategies to ensure that fundamental rights are the rights of the many and not just the few.

This internship is a great opportunity for students interested in seeing and being involved in how litigation can be used to address human rights abuses.

Check out the CCR website for more information.

Intern profile

The global intern will assist CCR attorneys with their case load while taking part in educational seminars and talks. The intern is expected to commit fully to CCR's work and will become a fully integrated member of the team. Interns will be required to work on a variety of research tasks which may include research into US law.

Eligibility criteria

Please click here for the eligibility criteria.

Selection criteria

The following selection criteria will be taken into account by the Castan Centre in choosing the intern and applicants are advised to directly address each criterion in the personal statement.

• A demonstrated interest in human rights as shown through your practical or academic experiences;
• Particular interest in the work currently being undertaken by CCR;
• The ability to work independently;
• Strong academic record, in particular marks received in human rights and other relevant subjects;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Application process

This internship is part of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law's Global Internship Program.  For full details of the application process, go to the Global Internship homepage.

Equity grants

The Student Mobility Fund (SMF) has been developed to provide financial assistance for faculty internship programs to those students who can demonstrate financial hardship. Students are advised to apply for Equity Grants by the Equity Grant application deadline. Contact Cathy Meredith (below) for more details about Equity Grants.

Contact information

If you would like further information about this internship please contact:

Forms

Global Internship Application Form

Other useful information

Current Intern - Alison Cole
Past Intern Report - Michael Adams - 2010
Please see the HRF information page for accomodation and cost of living hints