Call for legal Projects from NGOs Relating toBusiness and Human Rights

University of Washington School of Law Launches

Pilot Clinical Program in Business and Human Rights

In January 2014, the UW School of Law will launch a pilot clinical course focused on business and human rights. Both JD and LLMstudents, including experienced international lawyers working on their LLMs will participate in the clinic, working under the supervision of two faculty members. Students will work on a variety of projects in partnership with select nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations focused on issues relating to business and human rightsand the prevention of corporate involvement with human rights violations. Students involved with the clinic will have spent the fall quarter enrolled in a course on human rights advocacy, exposing them to the different types of tools that human rights organizations use to (a) advocate for policy and legislative reforms, (b) call attention to human rights violations, and (c) provide victims of human rights abuses withaccess to grievance mechanisms and remedies.

Students will work in small teams and be assigned to one project as part of the clinic – which will meet from January through late May 2014 (winter and spring quarters). We anticipate enrolling up to 10 students and would select 3 to 4 projects for our inaugural/pilot year.

Examples of types of projects where students might contribute include:

1. Developing draft legislation or research in support of legislation or regulations;

2. Drafting an amicus brief;

3. Conducting comparative legal or empirical research to support an active campaign or report;

4. Supporting work and research of ongoing multi-stakeholder initiatives;

5. Assisting with research, evidence collection and complaint drafting for various types of business and human rights grievance mechanisms (e.g. OECD national contact point, IFC Compliance Advisory Ombudsman; national human rights commissions, etc.).

The projects can have a global reach andneed not be focused on the United States. All students in the clinic have English proficiency and some will be fluent in Spanish and perhaps other languages

What is expected of UW Law Clinic faculty and students?

  • The teaching faculty will assume primary responsibility for the ongoing supervision of students, and for the quality of the final work product.
  • Students will producehigh quality research, and work product in a timely fashion with the NGO serving in effect as the clinic’s “client”

What is expected of partner organizations?

A main objective of the course is to expose students more directly to the work of human rights attorneys and the organizations for which they work, as they think about their own career paths. We would ask partnering organizations to:

  • Engage with students via teleconference or Skype to explain the nature of the project and the goals and objectives of their work and how it contributes to a larger project or campaign.
  • Provide guidance as to expectations and time lines as well as available resources.
  • Educate students about the mission of their organization and its ongoing work. Expose students to how lawyers work in the human rights/NGO context
  • Provide feedback, via email, teleconference and/or Skype, at scheduled intervals on student work product

Organizations interested in partnering with the UW clinic should send a short proposal or expression of interest to Professors Stephen Rosenbaum and Anita Ramasastry by September 30, 2013 (email: ) with a brief description of potential projects. The faculty will follow up with organizations by phone to discuss potential collaboration.