SCHR: Internship Opportunities
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HUMAN RIGHTS INTERNSHIPS
The Center's Human Rights
Internships provide undergraduate, graduate and law students with
hands-on training in all areas of capital and civil rights litigation
and advocacy. Each year students from schools across the country and
abroad spend an entire semester or summer at the Center completing a
variety of assignments under the supervision of experienced staff.
Interns assist staff attorneys in
all aspects of our work. Depending on what needs to be done in our cases
at a given time, interns should expect to do several of the following
tasks while they are at the Center: conduct legal research and draft
pleadings, motions, and briefs; locate and interview witnesses; visit
and interview clients; monitor court proceedings for human rights
violations; participate in case strategy sessions; locate, obtain, and
organize documents; gather statistical data; read and digest
transcripts; assist in conducting inspections of jails and prisons;
conduct social science and other research; assist in locating and
preparing expert witnesses; respond to requests for information from the
public or people in prison; and attend depositions, court hearings, and
arguments.
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We give our interns a great deal of responsibility, and they have been
instrumental in many of our successes. For example, law students
researched and helped draft significant portions of the briefs in the
case that led to the Georgia Supreme Court’s declaration that
execution by electrocution was unconstitutional. Interns have also
tracked down witnesses that have literally saved the lives of some of
our clients. Interns' assistance in investigating prison conditions
have led to court orders and settlements that have greatly improved
the lives of thousands of incarcerated men and women in Georgia and
Alabama.
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SCHR intern Martha Woods at a press
conference calling attention to the need for indigent defense
reform in Georgia |
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We expect our
interns to be committed, to work hard, to have fun, and to learn a great deal.
As many of the Center's clients are in prisons outside of the metropolitan Atlanta area,
our interns are often asked to travel with attorneys,
investigators, and other interns throughout Georgia and Alabama. The Center's small staff size ensures that interns receive regular supervision and support. Upon completion of their assignments
interns review their findings with the attorneys and develop follow up action plans.
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Students enrolled in semester long programs may receive academic credit from their schools, while those in our summer long program
often receive work study or other financial support from their schools.
Although the Center pays for business related travel expenses, we are
generally unable to provide financial assistance to our interns. |
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Former Alabama Death Row inmate and
SCHR
client Gary Drinkard speaks with
summer interns |
Application deadlines and how
to apply for an internship:
The Student Internship program is no
longer accepting applications for Summer 2008. We are currently accepting
applications for Fall 2008. All applications for
internships must
include the following:
It is not necessary to include
a transcript. Applications should be addressed to Amanda Parks,
Southern Center for Human Rights, 83 Poplar St., N.W., Atlanta, GA,
30303.
Applications should be submitted by mail with 2 copies of all application
materials. However,
you may email applications if that is more convenient for you. Please do
not fax applications. All applications must include an email address at which you can
be reached. For more information please email
Amanda Parks.
The Southern Center for
Human Rights is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. The
Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender,
religious creed, national original, ancestry, disability, or sexual
orientation. The Center encourages applications from minorities, women
and other groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession.
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