Information for Students
Oxford Pro Bono Publico (OPBP) provides pro bono legal research, particularly in the fields of international and comparative law, to individuals and organisations who are themselves working on a pro bono basis. In particular, we prepare or assist in the preparation of research briefs, expert opinions, amicus curiae briefs, policy submissions, and reports.
Over the last decade, OPBP has produced more than 50 projects for around 25 project partners across 12 different jurisdictions. We have worked on issues ranging from the reform of India’s sexual harassment laws to the use of secret evidence in judicial proceedings, from the scope of freedom of information laws in Hungary to women’s inheritance rights in Botswana, and from the regulation of food advertising in the European Union to the protection of children’s rights in Brazil.
Read on to learn more about how you can get involved in OPBP's work.
If you are a graduate student at the University of Oxford (including a visiting student), there are lots of opportunities to get involved with OPBP.
- If you want to use your legal research and writing skills to help pro bono lawyers and organisations around the world, you can volunteer as a researcher on one of our projects.
- If you know of an organisation or individual working pro bono who could use high-quality comparative or international law research, you can invite or work with them to submit a project proposal.
- If there’s an area of public interest law that particularly appeals to you, you can volunteer as a student co-ordinator for an OPBP project.
Volunteering as a researcher
Whenever OPBP begins a new project, our student co-ordinators send out a call for volunteers specifying the nature of the project, the overall timeframe (anywhere between one and six months), and the estimated time commitment (anywhere between two days’ and two weeks’ work). Prospective researchers are invited to send a CV and a brief statement of interest to the co-ordinators, who make selections based on the needs of the project.
Once the selection process is complete, the volunteer researchers, student co-ordinators and Faculty supervisors meet to discuss the context and aims of the project and the best way of organising the research and drafting process. Volunteers are provided with a detailed set of research questions and a timeframe for their initial draft, and are encouraged to be in touch with one another and with the student co-ordinators as they move forward. Once their drafts have been submitted, volunteers may also be involved in compiling and proofing the consolidated report and in responding to follow-up queries.
Volunteer researchers are acknowledged as contributors on the cover pages of the final report. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer researcher, and are based out of the Law Faculty, keep an eye out for our calls for volunteers which are sent to the Law Postgraduates and Law Research mailing lists. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer researcher, but are based out of other departments in the University of Oxford and have completed a degree in law previously, write to us at opbp@law.ox.ac.uk. This will allow us to get in touch with you if and when we are looking for volunteers for a project.
Volunteering as a student co-ordinator
Each OPBP project is co-ordinated by one or more graduate students with interest or expertise in the relevant area(s) of law. Student co-ordinators are responsible for selecting and supporting volunteer researchers, organising meetings, delegating research and drafting tasks, liaising with the project partner, and compiling and editing the final report. As a result, co-ordinators need to have excellent organisational and communication skills and a genuine commitment to producing a high-quality and timely project. Co-ordinators receive ongoing support from our Executive Committee and from the project’s Faculty supervisor.
If you’re interested in becoming a student co-ordinator, please contact us at any time at opbp@law.ox.ac.uk and tell us about your background and area(s) of expertise. This will allow us to get in touch with you if and when we receive an appropriate project proposal.
Please see our current Calls for Application.