Student Fellowship in Human Rights - AIRE Centre
Applications for 2024 have now closed.
The Bonavero Institute Summer Fellowship at the AIRE Centre, is an eight-week internship, tenable from early July to late September 2024. This is a unique opportunity to gain direct hands on experience of standard setting in the two European legal orders and of litigation before the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union and to provide direct advice to individuals which makes a real contribution to ensuring that European law works in-practice for the benefit of all.
About the AIRE Centre
The AIRE Centre was established in 1993 by Ms Mole (Jurisprudence, St Anne’s, 1964-67) Situated in central London, it is a voluntary organization giving specialist information and advice throughout Europe on international human rights law and the rights of individuals under EU law. It provides legal representation to individuals litigating against governments before international tribunals, such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and has had a number of highly publicized successes in that Court. It also provides expert assistance to the lawyers who wish to take cases themselves to the ECtHR. It frequently submits amicus interventions to the Court alone or in collaboration with organizations like ECRE and the International Commission of Jurists, and submitted an intervention in the first case to be referred to the ECtHR under Protocol 16. It has also been a regular intervenor in cases that have gone to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. The Centre also assists those who wish to argue international human rights law or EU law points before national courts or authorities and has represented clients or been accepted as a third party intervenor in several cases before the UK Supreme Court and other UK courts.
The Centre provides its expert services to organizations such as the Council of Europe and the office of its Commissioner for Human Rights, the UNHCR, or the UNHCHR and national judicial training centres by conducting courses, workshops and conferences across Europe. Whilst providing general information and training to public authorities, it does not assist such authorities when litigating against individuals. It does not promote or participate in political campaigns. It has a special interest in the European law affecting the rights of families and children and in migration and asylum.
The Centre runs an advice service, which is primarily concerned with the right to reside and to access social benefits of those whose situation is regulated by EU Free Movement law and interns are expected to assist (after training) with this advice work. Since the result of the BREXIT referendum in June 2016 there has been a significant rise in requests for advice from EU citizens who are worried about their status in the UK post BREXIT. We also work with a number of groups of lawyers seeking to identify and solve the multiplicity of problems for children and families that BREXIT is creating. This year we are carrying out two major projects on the legal rights of EU citizens in the UK and of British Citizens in the EEA countries after Brexit. The AIRE Centre is in the process of setting up a presence in Ireland to enable it to continue its work on EU law after BREXIT.
The Centre’s wider work, including its litigation and policy work is concerned with all aspects of individual rights in Europe under international law: family law, particularly cross border issues such as international child abduction, surrogacy birth registration issues and all aspects of separated children’s rights including in relation to prisoners and their families, trafficking and domestic violence in a cross border context.
The AIRE centre does not deal with matters, which fall exclusively within domestic UK law.
About the Internship at the AIRE Centre
Anyone wishing to work in the Centre would need to be adaptable and cooperative, and a fast learner with a demonstrated serious commitment to providing a first class service to benefit the marginalized and excluded of Europe. Knowledge of a second European language would be advantageous but not essential. Interns may be required as needed to research and drafting of the advice required by particular cases and responding to enquiries received by the telephone advice line. They may also be required to work on individual projects or, if the timetables are right, to research and draft submissions to the two European Courts, or to domestic courts considering European law issues or to become involved in the Centre’s policy and standard setting work. In addition, they need to be prepared to turn their hands, as the Centre’s entire staff do, to whatever mundane tasks the circumstances require; the Centre does not have a support staff.
They must have familiarity with International Law and International Human Rights Law particularly the ECHR and ideally also with the law of the European Union.
About the Bonavero Fellowship at the AIRE Centre
The successful candidate will receive an award to assist with travel, accommodation, living, and other reasonable expenses associated with the internship. In determining the amount to be awarded, other sources of funding will be taken into account.
The candidate will also be expected to provide a full report on their work at the end of their internship.
Please refer to the overview page referring specifically to the application process and eligibility criteria.
This Fellowship is made possible by generous gifts from the AB Charitable Trust and Eric Lewis.