ILSP Intern/Externships

The Vanderbilt International Legal Studies program’s internship and externship programs allow Vanderbilt students to gain substantial experience working alongside legal professionals on a range of important international law projects in organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Coordinated by Professor Michael Newton, the program places students in international courts, international institutions, offices of the U.S. government, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

As part of the International Legal Studies Program, Vanderbilt students frequently participate in opportunities directly related to client support that lead directly to externship opportunities or create contacts that later lead to employment opportunities.

Current and recent externships served by Vanderbilt law students include:

Semester Externships

Fall 2012

U.S. State Department, Office of the Assistant Legal Advisor for Private International Law, Washington, D.C. [Anna Beth Martin, ’13]
U.S. State Department, Office of the Legal Advisor, Legal-Political Military Affairs, Washington, D.C. [Margaret Artz, ’13]
British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Competition Law Forum, London, England [Deborah Yang, ’13]
Uganda Lawyers for Human Rights, Kampala, Uganda [Stella Forcehimes, ’13]

Summer 2012

Southern Migrant Legal Services, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Inc., Nashville TN [Emily Zenger, ’14]
U.S. State Department, International Organizations Bureau, Office of Peacekeeping, Sanctions, and Counter-Terrorism, Washington, D.C. [Carly Stern,’14]
Oxford university Press, Legal Editors, New York, NY [Sean McCann,’14]
International Law Institute, African Center for Excellence, Kampala, Uganda [Lauren Gilbert, ’14]
U.S. State Department, Office of Population, Refugees, & Migration [Colleen Stone, ’14]
U.S. State Department, Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Washington, D.C. [Jennifer Morrissey, ’13]
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps [Jean O’Friel-Quigley, ’13]
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps [Sean Mahard, ’14]
US Court of International Trade, New York, NY [Rogan McCally, ’13]
Center for Law and Military Operations, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Center and School, Charlottesville, VA [Hampton Tignor, ’14]
American Bar Association, Center for Human Rights, Washington, D.C. [Deborah Yang, '13 & Miriam Abdel-Malek, ’14]
International Criminal Court trial team, Prosecutor v. Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain & Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus, The Hague [Anthony Garcia, ’13]
Special Tribunal for Lebanon, The Hague [Shawn Alves, ’13]
Centro para el Desarrollo de la Justicia y la Seguridad Ciudadana in support of the Ministry of Justice, Lima Peru [Mary Gale Hall, ’13]
Irish Centre for Human Rights, Galway, Ireland [Chris O’Donnell, ’14 & John Craven, ’14]
U.S. Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, International Affairs Division, Washington, D.C. [Mackenzie Phillips, ’13]
Freshfields Bruckhaus and Deringer, Frankfurt, Germany [Margaret Artz, ’13]
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, The Hague, Defence Team [Yasmin Karimi , ’14]
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Judicial Chambers, Arusha Tanzania [Andrew Solinger, ’14]
The LIST Project to assist Iraqi Refugees, Immigration Law practice of Mayer & Brown, Washington, D.C. [Melissa Tuttle, ’14]
Center for Law and Military Operations, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Center and School, Charlottesville, VA [Hampton Tignor, ’14]
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Air Force [Noah Coakley, ’13]
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Air Force [Ryan Brooks, ’13]
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Air Force [Jonathan Patrick Dial, ’13]
World Legal Forum, The Hague [Mary DeLuca, ’14]
Kurdish Regional Government Mission to the United States, Washington, D.C. [Julia Johnson, ’14]
Legal Office of the LDS, East Europe and Asia, Moscow, Russia [Tim Stratford, '14]
U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. [Matt Downer, '14]
International Bureau, Strategic Analysis and Negotiations Division, FCC, Washington, D.C. [Elizabeth Maratee, '14]
World Intellectual Property Organization, Copyright and Related Rights Sector, Geneva, Switzerland [Maxwell Sills, ’13]
World Bank, Washington, D.C. [Yasmin Kharimi, '14]

Spring 2012

International Bar Association, London, England [Kathryn Maxon, ’13]
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, International Affairs Division, Washington, D.C. [Mackenzie Phillips, ’13]
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of Chief Counsel, Regulatory Affairs Legal Division, Washington, D.C. [Nathaniel Greeson, ’12]

Fall 2011

Office of the Legal Advisor, United States Mission to the United Nations, New York [Evan Brewer, ’11]
U.S. State Department, Office of the Assistant Legal Advisor for Private International Law, Washington, D.C. [Laura Deck, ‘12]

Spring 2011

U.S. State Department, Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Washington, D.C. [Tiffany Nichols, ‘12]
U.S. State Department, Bureau of U.N. Political Affairs, Washington, D.C. [Noah Coakley, ‘12]
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Law and Policy, National Security Division, Washington, D.C. [Clare Hatfield, ’12]
U.S. Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, International Affairs Division, Washington, D.C. [Raquel Stringer, ‘12]

Raymonde Paul Scholarship

The International Legal Studies Program awards a scholarship to an entering student in memory of the late Raymonde I. Paul, who developed a diverse practice in international law and participated extensively in the International Federation of Women Lawyers. The scholarship goes to a student who shows a demonstrated interest in participating actively in Vanderbilt's International Legal Studies Program. All admitted students who express an interest in international law are considered.

Ones W. Polk II International Studies Stipend

This fund provides a stipend of up to $1,500 each year to enable a student in financial need to pursue a summer externship in international law. The fund commemorates Ones W. Polk II, a member of the Vanderbilt Law Class of 1998, and was established through gifts from Mr. Polk's family and the Class of 1998.

Public Interest Summer Stipends

Vanderbilt's Public Interest Summer Stipends provides students pursuing public interest work with international organizations financial support.

Financial Aid for Summer Externships

The Ones W. Polk II International Studies Legal Fund provides a stipend of up to $1,500 each year to a student in financial need for a summer externship relating to international law. Applications for the Polk Stipend, which describe the criteria considered by the application review committee, are available in the Career Services.