What US law schools have programs in either torture or refugee law?

September 19, 2006 10:13 AM

What US law schools have programs in international law related to either torture or refugees?

My good friend has an MA in international relations where she focused on international law torture cases. She has 5 years of working in refugee/IDP issues at NGOs and organizations. She also has done some academic study of refugee issues in international law. She wants to become a lawyer focusing on these issues. Let's assume that she'll do well on the LSAT, has a good undergrad and MA GPA, and has excellent recommendations. What programs are out there?

posted by k8t to Education (9 answers total)

Georgetown University Law Center has a good international law program, a new international law library, an asylum clinic, and a women's international human rights clinic. Being in DC, she could supplement her coursework with internships at the various international human rights NGOs in the DC area.
posted by n'muakolo at 10:20 AM on September 19, 2006

she should email Nick Rine at the University of Michigan. He is heavily involved in asylum/refugee work.
posted by dpx.mfx at 10:35 AM on September 19, 2006

I should also have added that he's a nice guy, passionate about his work, and I think would be happy to discuss options for your friend.
posted by dpx.mfx at 10:37 AM on September 19, 2006

Notre Dame.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:44 PM on September 19, 2006

I second Georgetown U Law Center. I went there for a meeting on the Sudan/Darfur issues last week, it was well-done and there was an excellent turn-out of students and a great student directed Q-and-A afterwards.
posted by parmanparman at 4:31 PM on September 19, 2006

The lovely Boalt Hall (my alma mater, I'm sad to say) employs a man as a tenured professor who actively participated in drafting and advocating for this administration's policies on torture (Jonathan Yoo, you can search internet for "torture memos" and find them easily). I encourage you to write them to explain why you will definitely not be going there.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 5:12 PM on September 19, 2006

Notre Dame offers an LLM in international civil rights; i'm sure they cover the topic.
posted by craven_morhead at 5:21 PM on September 19, 2006

Michigan claims to be "the world's center for the study of refugee and asylum law."

I know there's a Program in Refugee and Asylum Law as well as a Center for International and Comparative Law. There's also a student group devoted to refugee/asylum issues.

And I sure get a lot of emails about all of them.
posted by tew at 8:01 PM on September 19, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks a ton all! My friend really appreciates it.
posted by k8t at 9:48 AM on September 25, 2006