Working in Human Rights Law

Hi,
I am currently still at school but I think that I would like to work on human rights and international law cases when I am older.
I would like to do a BA in Philosophy and after that study law. How would I go about this? Could I stay in academics and do an MA and a doctorate and then enter law at a higher, more specialised level, doing just international law, or would I have to take a law conversion straight after my degree and do a more general qualification in law?
Also, how would I get into the career which I want? I would like to work on civil liberties and war crimes cases. Where would be a good place to start?
I understand that this is not easy, but I am willing to work very hard.
Thanks.

Reply 1

Clip

19

If your first degree is not Laws, you need to take a 1-year postgraduate qualification called the "GDL" or Graduate Diploma in Law, which is offered by a great many University law schools.

That puts you on par with the laws graduates.

Assuming you are going to practice as a solicitor of some description, you then need to take a 1-year professional course called the Legal Practice Course (LPC).

Then, you need to find a law firm that will take you on as a trainee for two years. This is often done years beforehand for the big firms. It may not be so easy to find a Human Rights specialist, as there is a shortage of all kinds of training contracts.

After that, assuming all that works out - you would be a NQ solicitor, and you can look for your first proper job.

Reply 2

jjarvis

14

Original post by foxtrot123

Hi,
I am currently still at school but I think that I would like to work on human rights and international law cases when I am older.
I would like to do a BA in Philosophy and after that study law. How would I go about this? Could I stay in academics and do an MA and a doctorate and then enter law at a higher, more specialised level, doing just international law, or would I have to take a law conversion straight after my degree and do a more general qualification in law?
Also, how would I get into the career which I want? I would like to work on civil liberties and war crimes cases. Where would be a good place to start?
I understand that this is not easy, but I am willing to work very hard.
Thanks.

To practise as a lawyer, you must complete the academic stage of training. This can be a law degree or the GDL, but must include the seven foundation subjects (tort, contract, land, equity and trusts, constitutional, EU, and criminal). You don't have to take the law conversion immediately after you finish your degree, but you can't just walk into a specialist firm and only do international law.

Get stellar academics--A*AA or better if you can--and go to the best university you can get into. Get the best degree result you can, ideally a first. If you want to do international law, start doing relevant extracurricular activities/charity work now--the competition for the kind of work you discuss is exceptionally fierce, and the candidates who tend to succeed have a strong background in the area. The few people who specialise in this area tend to have exceptional academics and a very strong background of extracurricular activities.

Reply 3

Ethereal

19

Original post by foxtrot123

Hi,
I am currently still at school but I think that I would like to work on human rights and international law cases when I am older.
I would like to do a BA in Philosophy and after that study law. How would I go about this? Could I stay in academics and do an MA and a doctorate and then enter law at a higher, more specialised level, doing just international law, or would I have to take a law conversion straight after my degree and do a more general qualification in law?
Also, how would I get into the career which I want? I would like to work on civil liberties and war crimes cases. Where would be a good place to start?
I understand that this is not easy, but I am willing to work very hard.
Thanks.

No, you would enter as a trainee and work your way up the hard way like everyone else. Academic qualifications are just that.

For war crimes work etc keep your eye on the ICC - they sometimes recruit qualified lawyers.

Reply 4

HistoryRepeating

13

Original post by foxtrot123

Hi,
I am currently still at school but I think that I would like to work on human rights and international law cases when I am older.
I would like to do a BA in Philosophy and after that study law. How would I go about this? Could I stay in academics and do an MA and a doctorate and then enter law at a higher, more specialised level, doing just international law, or would I have to take a law conversion straight after my degree and do a more general qualification in law?
Also, how would I get into the career which I want? I would like to work on civil liberties and war crimes cases. Where would be a good place to start?
I understand that this is not easy, but I am willing to work very hard.
Thanks.

International Human Rights is the legal equivilent of "I want to be an ASTRONAUT when I grow up"

The above advice is mixed. You can't just stumble into such a competative field.

You will need:
As and A*s at a-level (pref all A*s)
A 1st from a top 10 uni (pref Oxbridge)
A Masters in international law or human rights law, (pref doctorate)
Work experience with various charities, supra-nationals and similar (pref 1yr+)
At that point you will be in a reasonable position.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 5

jjarvis

14

Original post by HistoryRepeating

International Human Rights is the legal equivilent of "I want to be an ASTRONAUT when I grow up"

The above advice is mostly poor.

Is it?

Your advice in most respects matches that already given. The only thing you mention that isn't covered above is postgrad study. Don't slag off other people's advice and then repeat it as though you were saying something new.

Original post by HistoryRepeating

You can't just stumble into such a competative field. {This has been said twice now--by me and by Ethereal.}

You will need:
As and A*s at a-level (pref all A*s) {I said this}
A 1st from a top 10 uni (pref Oxbridge) {I also said this}
A Masters in international law or human rights law, (pref doctorate) {not necessary--though I'd agree it's helpful}
Work experience with various charities, supra-nationals and similar (pref 1yr+) {and I said this}
At that point you will be in a reasonable position.

Reply 6

HistoryRepeating

13

Original post by jjarvis

Is it?

Your advice in most respects matches that already given. The only thing you mention that isn't covered above is postgrad study. Don't slag off other people's advice and then repeat it as though you were saying something new.

Your advice applies to anyone wanting to get a city training contract.

Specialising in human rights (easily the most glamourous part of law there is) is an order of magnitude more difficult / competative to get into.

When I said "mostly" unhelpful, your second paragraph was the bit I meant to exclude.

Your first paragraph could be wrong though - jumping to GDL/LPC before doing some post-grad study would be an error.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 7

jjarvis

14

Original post by HistoryRepeating

Your advice applies to anyone wanting to get a city training contract.

Specialising in human rights (easily the most glamourous part of law there is) is an order of magnitude more difficult / competative to get into.

When I said "mostly" unhelpful, your second paragraph was the bit I meant to exclude.

Your first paragraph would be wrong though - jumping to LPC before doing some post-grad study would be an error.

I'm well aware that it's more difficult to get into human rights law at the bar than to get a TC. Whether it's the most glamorous part of law is entirely subjective, though its popularity makes getting a place difficult.

I never mentioned the LPC, so I'm not sure where you're getting this from. It's possible to get a city TC with ABB or AAB and a 2:i, and without any charity extracurricular work, so the advice isn't the same. The OP didn't know how one qualified in law, and the purpose of my first paragraph was to apprise him of the way that works rather than to offer advice specific to human rights law.

Reply 8

Aerasay

The advice I have received on getting into international HR law or a similar area is as has been said above,:
good degree in law,
LLM or human rights masters depending on what you want to do,
a qualification - either solicitor or barrister (barrister is the preference if you want to work for any of the international courts) obviously better if this is with a human rights firm/chambers, but lots of people I have met who are working in the arena have trained at big commercial firms,
learn a second language,
spend a year doing something meaningful (i.e a job not travelling) overseas and
make connections in the area

Working in Human Rights Law

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