In 2011, Jeff Claydon spent the first part of the summer interning at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, before returning to Toronto to work at Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME).


Internship Opportunities

What are the Internships?

Western Law’s International Law Internship Program (ILIP) can be broken down into four different types of summer opportunity: (a) Privately funded internships; (b) Faculty sponsored internships; (c) Self-proposed internships; and (d) Placements arranged for students working with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin’s Toronto office. Each is described in more detail below.

We strongly encourage you to seek out internships that fit your individual interests, as some of the best experiences have been those “created” by students themselves. Don’t feel obliged to rely specifically upon the internships that the ILIP arranges, or any of the listed programs set out below, as there are many other opportunities available. Your creative self-proposed internship proposals are welcomed! See the details on self-proposed applications set out below.

1. Privately funded internship opportunities

 

Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP World Bank International Student Internship in Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law at International Finance Corporation
in Washington, D.C.

The selected candidate will intern for approximately four months (from early May until the end of August) with the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C., United States, and will receive a stipend of $10,000 to cover living and travel expenses. The student will be working on World Bank-related bankruptcy and insolvency issues. The student selected for this internship should have a demonstrated interest in bankruptcy and insolvency law, or related area of the law; a willingness to travel, if necessary, to developing and transition economies with expenses covered by World Bank or Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP; and be in possession of a valid passport of a World Bank shareholder nation with an expiration date at least 9 months from the final date of the internship. Ability to speak other languages (including at least one official United Nations language other than English - i.e. Arabic, French, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish) - and previous international or intercultural experience would be an asset.

Note: the selection for this internship takes place separately from the general call for applications. For summer 2012, applications were due on November 24, 2011.

Cassels Brock International Internship in Mining Finance
(Location to be announced)

The student selected for this internship will intern at the head office of global mining company (a client of Cassels Brock) with operations and development projects located throughout the world. The company and exact location of the internship (either Vancouver or Toronto) will be decided by Cassels Brock shortly after the selection of this intern. The student will receive a stipend of approximately $10,000, thanks to the generous support of Cassels Brock. This internship will involve work related to mining finance and the day-to-day operations of a global mining company. The student selected for this internship should have a demonstrated interest in international business, mining and corporate finance. It is helpful to be taking “Mining Law and Project Finance” during the January Term. Knowledge of French and/or Spanish would be an asset.

Larry J. Innanen International Student Internship in Economic Law
(Location to be announced)

The student selected for this internship will receive a stipend of approximately $10,000, thanks to the generous support of Larry J. Innanen. The location and host organization for this internship will be confirmed. The student selected for this internship should have: a demonstrated interest in international trade law and/or international and comparative commercial law; self-motivation and good time-management skills; excellent research and writing skills; and an ability to work cooperatively in an international workplace.

 

 

2. Faculty Sponsored Internships

Western Law’s provides Faculty sponsorship for a variety of other internships. The number of internships offered, the host organization placements and the stipend amount awarded can vary from year to year. Below is a small sampling of placements that have been offered in past years. Please note that the internships listed below are for illustrative purposes only. The ILIP cannot guarantee that a student will be placed with a specific internship in a given year. This year’s call for applications, to be released in January 2012, will provide details about internship opportunities for the summer of 2012.

In past years students have been placed in the following organizations: 

International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland

This internship placement has been in the ILO’s Programme for Promoting the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. It requires an interest in international law issues, interest in labour, employment and equality issues, and ability to work cooperatively in an international workplace. Knowledge of French and/or Spanish is highly desirable, but not required.

Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

The student selected for this internship assisted, and conducted international and comparative law research for, the judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Requirements include: a demonstrated interest in international or comparative law; self-motivation and good time-management skills; excellent research and writing skills; and an ability to work cooperatively in an international workplace.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) (Toronto or Ottawa) and Embassy of Canada to the United States (Washington D.C.)

This internship was split between the two host organizations during the summer. The student selected for this internship should have: a demonstrated interest in cross-border trade issues, especially as they relate to Canada and the United States or an interest in international business and trade law; self-motivation and good time-management skills; and excellent research, writing and oral communication skills. Language ability in French is an asset, but not required.

Canadian Red Cross in Ottawa, Ontario

This internship provided the opportunity to assist the Canadian Red Cross with research on international humanitarian law issues (that is, on the laws governing the means and methods of warfare). The student also assisted with the annual one week Red Cross and University of Ottawa International Humanitarian Law Summer Course. The student selected for this internship should have: a demonstrated interest in international humanitarian law and/or international criminal law; and an ability to work cooperatively in a bilingual English-French work environment. Knowledge of French is an asset, but not required.

Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI) – a part-time internship

The GLSLCI is a binational coalition of mayors and other local officials in Canada and the United States who work to advance protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The intern’s work has primarily involved online and library research into municipal, environmental and international law issues. It is helpful if the student has taken an environmental law-related course, but it is not required. The student was free to be based anywhere at his/her convenience, but was required to intern approximately 20 hours a week and be in close contact with GLSLCI headquarters in Chicago.

3. Self Proposed 

Students are strongly encouraged to also seek out an internship opportunity that fits with their own specific interests.

For this option, the student needs to have done in-depth research about the host organization to which they plan to apply. The ILIP application must be a concrete proposal to undertake an international law-related internship at an international or regional organization, government office, university or nongovernmental organization. The internship can be located in Canada or abroad. The student should have already made contact with the proposed organization at the time of applying to ILIP. The proposal must explain the international law-related work the intern would conduct for the organization, and whether this work would take place under the supervision of a lawyer. If the work proposed would take place using another language, the student must already possess those language skills.

Below are some examples of internships which were successfully submitted through the self-proposed option.

World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland

Past interns have worked in two different areas of the WHO: the Human Rights team in the Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights; and the Mental Health Policy and Service Development team. A background in or demonstrated interest in public health is required for these internships. In addition, the student should have a demonstrated interest in international issues, particularly international human rights and an ability to work cooperatively in an international workplace. Knowledge of other languages, such as French, is an asset.

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, the Netherlands

The student selected for this internship assisted and conducted international criminal law  research for, the judges of the ICTY’s Trial Chamber II.

Rural Women Making Change in Guelph and North Bay, Ontario & Atlanta, Georgia

This self-proposed internship placement allowed a student to work as a researcher with ‘Rural Women Making Change’ (RWMC), a University-Community research group headquartered at the University of Guelph. It included completing field work in North Bay, Ontario as well as presenting a paper at the ‘Women in Development for Institutional Empowerment’ panel session at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society in Atlanta, Georgia. The internship enabled the student to work on the cutting edge of interdisciplinary research, to present a paper to scholars from across the globe, to broaden the audience through the prospect of publication, and to provide the fieldwork subjects with an opportunity to contribute to positive social change. The recipients notes that any student who is interested in international law and who completed grad work should consider how the two could interrelate, and consider proposing an interdisciplinary international law research project in future years.

4. Special arrangement with the Toronto office of
       Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

The ILIP has an agreement with the Toronto office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP that allows Western Law students hired by the firm to complete a 4-6 week secondment at an international internship placement over the summer. In the past, students have completed their secondment with international clients of the firm, as well as at:

United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in Vienna, Austria
Embassy of Canada to the United States, trade policy branch in Washington D.C.
British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London, UK

Western Law: A national law school with an international outlook.