V. CAREERS
1. LANDING THE JOB
There is no clear and guaranteed path leading to a career in international
public law. This is in part because of the great diversity of public
international work done by lawyers. Additionally, organizations doing this kind
of work have fewer resources than private corporations and law firms.
Therefore, they have fewer openings, are less likely to offer formal training
for young attorneys, and usually prefer to hire attorneys with at least three
to five years of experience. However, opportunities for entry level work do
exist. Breaking into a career in public international law may require taking
short-term positions, seeking work as a consultant, or applying for fellowships
or grants to fund your work. Despite the very competitive nature of the
international public interest jobs, you may be able to find, or create, an
opportunity if you are flexible and persistent; willing to research, track down
people, or follow up on personal connections; and willing to work without pay.
For summer internships, 2Ls should begin contacting organizations that interest
them in the fall, and 1Ls should begin as soon after December 1st as they are
ready. Many of these organizations (often the foreign NGOs) will not be willing
to engage in the process for several months, but some (for example, the U.S.
Government) will follow a very structured and early timeline so it is best to
learn the specific employers’ timelines before they expire. The same
advice applies for post graduate opportunities. There are benefits to making
contact early, even though many of these organizations will not know their
needs until a vacancy arises or funding develops. Once again, the exception
tends to be government hiring, which commonly has very early and strict
application deadlines for entry level jobs.
GOVERNMENT
US Government
Internships. Most federal agencies hire interns during the summer as
well as during other times of the year, including winter terms. Most agencies
have internship positions specifically for law students. Some agencies have
summer honors programs, which can lead to entry level employment. About half
the legal internship positions available are paid. Agencies with paid
internship programs frequently will also hire law students for unpaid
positions. Please click here for
more information pertaining to internships offered by various offices.
Post-Graduate employment. Federal agencies usually seek
candidates with several years of relevant work experience when hiring for
international legal positions. A number have honors programs, such as the
Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Trade
Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission and the Departments of
Transportation and Treasury, that provide entry level
employment upon graduation. Honors programs are quite competitive and previous
experience in the federal government, such as a summer or school year
internship, is often helpful.
UN
Internships. The vast
majority of U.N.-affiliated organizations hire interns year-round. Minimum
qualifications include proficiency in one or more U.N. languages and background
in the substantive area of the specific organization’s work. Most
internship positions are unpaid. The minimum duration for U.N. internships
ranges between one and three months, while the maximum duration is usually six
months. Because of the U.N. bureaucracy, it is advisable to submit your
application for an internship as soon as possible.
The United Nations Headquarters Secretariat Internship Program is for the
United Nations Secretariat New York only and is offered on a two-month basis
three times a year: mid-January to mid-March; early June to early August; and
mid-September to mid-November. The program is normally full-time. For further
information please email ohrm_interns@un.org.
Post-graduate employment. There are various paths to
working in the U.N.: fixed contracts, competitive examinations, short-term
consulting positions, and “young” or “junior professional
programs.” Because many U.N. organizations prefer to hire professionals
with three to five years of experience, opportunities for entry level
employment are limited. Most U.N. agencies post job vacancies on their
websites. See www.jobs.un.org. Candidates of 32 years of age or younger, with
fluency in either English or French, may apply to entry level positions via
competitive national examinations. Please see http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/exam.htm.
Other Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)
Internships. The majority of intergovernmental organizations will
accept law interns, though not all have formal internship programs. Internships
are usually unpaid. Where formal internship programs exist, detailed
information on eligibility and application processes is usually available
online. Please note that some intergovernmental organizations restrict
eligibility to prospective interns who are nationals of member countries. Also,
IGOs typically have a rule that interns cannot be
hired as employees in the six months following completion of their internships.
Post-Graduate Employment: entry level positions at intergovernmental
organizations are very competitive. Many organizations post job vacancies on
their websites. For most legal positions within intergovernmental
organizations, experience related to the organization’s objectives, as
well as knowledge of at least two of organization's official languages is
extremely important. As with the UN, some intergovernmental organizations have
entry level programs for young, relatively inexperienced professionals.
Sometimes these programs are specifically devoted to lawyers. Other viable
options for less experienced attorneys are to seek a short-term consultancy or
a position in the domestic civil service - working in the U.S. Department of
State or Justice, for example, might provide the requisite experience. Please
note that many intergovernmental organizations only hire citizens or nationals
of member countries although exceptions may occasionally be made. Most
importantly, be patient. International organizations, especially
intergovernmental organizations, have an extremely bureaucratic hiring process,
and operate on a different hiring calendar than organizations in the U.S. The
website of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State posts vacancy listings for a number of international
organizations. Please see http://www.state.gov/p/io/
IN-HOUSE
LAW FIRM
NON-PROFIT
Internships. Many nongovernmental organizations rely heavily on interns, especially
during the summer. Internships at nongovernmental organizations are as varied
as the organizations themselves. Some are extremely competitive. A very small
number of internship positions are paid and these are almost exclusively in
North America and Europe. Most organizations with formal internship programs
are also North American or European. It is usually possible to arrange unpaid
internships at organizations without formal programs. Please see Section VII for
more resources.
Post-Graduate Employment. For the most part,
entry level professional positions are hard to find at nongovernmental
organizations. With limited resources, most organizations prefer to hire
experienced staff members. When entry level positions do open
up, many NGOs look first to recent interns to fill the positions. In
some cases, organizations that will not hire permanent staff members will hire
short-term consultants or fellows. Some NGOs based in the U.S. have one- or
two-year, internally funded fellowship programs—some geared specifically
to recent law school graduates. Most organizations without internally funded
fellowship programs would be happy to host a recent law graduate as a fellow
for a year or two provided he or she has outside funding. An increasing number
of law schools sponsor post-graduate fellowship programs in public interest
law. Some of these fellowships are limited to the alumni of the sponsoring
school while others are open to all recent law graduates. Eligibility may be
restricted to particular practice areas. Please see Section VII for more
resources.
2. CAREER PATH (Alumni stories to be added)
GOVERNMENT
IN-HOUSE
LAW FIRM
NON-PROFIT