International Law Programs - The Center for International Law and Policy
New England Law | Boston students have dozens of opportunities to integrate scholarship and advocacy in a global context.
Through the international law school programs of the Center for International Law and Policy (CILP), students and faculty collaborate to research, analyze, and provide resource documents on topics ranging from CIA renditions in Europe to intergovernmental peacekeeper accountability and human rights. Students also immerse themselves in the practice of international law during overseas externships. New England Law has well-established relationships with a number of international criminal courts and tribunals that make it possible for several students each semester to assist in war crimes prosecutions. New England Law is one of only a handful of law schools in the country to place students regularly with these institutions.
To promote the development of global legal work, New England Law often presents international law conferences in Boston.
Recent international law conferences
- Approaching Its Teenage Years: Contemporary Challenges for the International Criminal Court (2012)
- Diverse Voices / Different Strategies: Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2011)
- Reviewing the UN Human Rights Council: Looking back and moving forward (2010)
CILP also hosts numerous international law programs each year on pressing topics. Center activities enable students to gain front-line experience, which is an important step in building careers in international law and international policy.
Recent and ongoing projects and placements
CEDAW Project
- Research international legal issues and help draft submissions related to the Convention on the Elimination of All Form of Discrimination against Women.
The ECCC Training Project
- Develop training materials for the staff of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Interstate Complicity Project/CIA Renditions in Europe
- Research European state complicity and applicable legal frameworks in alleged unlawful arrest, detention, and rendition by U.S. agents within Council of Europe member states.
Peacekeeper Accountability Project
- Research accountability mechanisms for sexual misconduct by civilian and military personnel working on behalf of intergovernmental organizations, including the UN.
Political Violence Documentation and Analysis
- Analyze violence under various international legal frameworks and provide training to staff of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission.
UN Human Rights Council Project
- Working on briefs related to the work of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Council.
U.S. Attitudes Toward Human Rights Treaty Bodies
- Document and analyze the U.S. interpretation of its human rights obligations and the legal authority of the bodies that monitor international human rights treaties.
Universal Jurisdiction Project
- Assist a coalition of nongovernmental human rights organizations seeking advice on legal remedies for gross human rights violations.
The CILP office is located at 31 St. James Avenue, Suite 350, Boston, MA
Click here for directions.