Human Rights Lawyer Job Description
Human rights are basic rights and freedoms that all humans are expected to be entitled to across the world. These include the rights to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, cultural and economic rights, the right to food and education and the right to work. Human rights lawyers work to enforce these rights, defending those subjected to human rights violations and prosecuting those who violate them.
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Function
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The work of a human rights lawyer involves both prosecuting and defending people in cases involving a range of human rights issues such as torture and abuse. A human rights lawyer will spend hours examining cases through both domestic and international human rights laws. This also will involve interviewing both clients and witnesses. In many cases, human rights lawyers use the media to highlight cases of human rights violations.
Education
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Human rights lawyers need to complete law school like other lawyers. They should look for schools that offer courses in social justice or human rights law. Other courses that may prove useful include those on immigration law, homelessness, gender justice, world poverty or human rights theory and history. Those interested in human rights law should also look to get some experience in a human rights clinic while they study. In this way, they will gain experience in taking on human rights cases and projects before they graduate increasing their chances of getting an entry-level role in human rights after graduation.
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Skills
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Skills required to be an effective human rights lawyer include good interpersonal skills, as you will be expected to interact and deal with clients, witnesses and media outlets. Good advocacy skills are expected, but so, too, are interviewing and investigation skills, which will be needed to get to the bottom of human rights cases. Human rights lawyers must also have good organizational skills and be able to work within a team setting.
Salary
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for lawyers after graduation was $60,000 in 2008. The National Association for Law Placement also found that entry-level lawyers looking for work in a public interest organization that would take up human rights cases could expect to make an average of $41,000 a year in 2008.
Work Conditions
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Human rights lawyers will spend most of their time in their office, law libraries or the courtroom. Sometimes they might be at the homes of witnesses or clients gathering evidence to be used in court. The working schedule of a human rights lawyer is likely to be irregular including evening and weekend work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 33 percent of lawyers work more than 50 hours a week.
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References
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