Description:
Accountability Counsel (https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/) strives to create a world where people and our planet are prioritized over profits; powerful institutions are responsive to the needs of communities; and the global financial system respects human and environmental rights. We hold trillions of dollars in international investments accountable to human rights and environmental standards. We work alongside communities whose rights, livelihoods, and environment are under threat. Case by case, and investor by investor, we shift power to communities to build a more just financial system.We work toward change through three programmatic approaches. Advocates in our Communities (https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/community-cases/) program provide grassroots legal support and assist communities to use accountability offices effectively; our Research (https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/research/) team delivers concrete research and tools for the movement for accountability more broadly; and our Policy (https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/policy-advocacy/) team advocates for accountability offices that are accessible, transparent, and fair tools for justice. Our respect-based approach (https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/about-us/respect-based-approach/) underlies all that we do: internally, it guides how our team treats one another, and externally, it ensures that marginalized people, particularly women and girls, are included as full participants in community-led strategies seeking accountability.
The Opportunity:
We are seeking applicants who believe in the agency of communities around the world to protect their human rights and environment and are committed to meaningfully partnering with those communities to disrupt the systems of power, privilege, and injustice that undermine their rights and interests.
Law Fellows will primarily support Accountability Counsel's collaboration with communities around the world in filing complaints and the development of resource materials for communities and advocates. Law Fellows will primarily focus on our portfolio of casework in Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with more infrequent engagement in our portfolios spanning Asia and Africa. Law Fellows will work on legal research assignments and fact memos and participate in meetings with community members, international institutions, and NGO colleagues as opportunities arise.
Applicants are requested to have relevant work experience and/or an academic background in at least some of the areas in which we work: environmental and human rights; international law; development and economics; and/or public policy. Applicants are required to have excellent communication, research, writing, and critical thinking skills.
We accept applications from current law students and recent law graduates (within one year of graduation). Please note that law student applicants are expected to have finished at least their 1L year before the fellowship begins.
Spring and Fall positions are unpaid volunteer positions, but we will be happy to work with your institution to arrange academic credit.
Hours and Location:
16 hours per week minimum.
Accountability Counsel is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other prohibited category. We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and all qualified persons to apply for this position.
