Human Rights Summer Programme

This 10 week summer programme has been devised by Clive Stafford Smith OBE, a human rights lawyer fighting for justice for people singled out by the state for imprisonment or execution, to support a generation of new advocates for justice.

About Clive Stafford Smith 

Clive has spent his career representing over 400 people in death penalty cases in the US and around the world, as well as 87 of those tortured and rendered to Guantánamo Bay, along with assorted similar cases. He is currently involved in several such cases, as well as various projects aimed at exposing the conviction and execution of innocent people. 
 
Clive founded the capital trial charity LCAC in New Orleans, and then the legal action charity Reprieve in London, and has now set up a new charity the Justice League (formerly 3D Centre) in Dorset to help mentor young people into their “element” - the kind of work they would like to do for the next 40 years.

What does the scheme involve?

This 10-week scheme involves working on various cases and projects under Clive’s direct supervision. He is based in Bridport, Dorset, but the work will primarily be carried out online. 
 
Clive will also present an interactive lecture series each week, covering three areas: 

  • a ‘how-to’ of capital defence, 

  • a discussion of assassination and rendition cases; and 

  • a mentoring project on how you can create a job that you might want to do. 

The course is open to 15 University of Bristol Law School students who wish to make a career in human rights. You will be joined by a similar number of students from other universities in the US and UK. 

When does the scheme start and end? 

The scheme runs from Monday 17 June 2024 until Friday 23 August 2024. The time commitment will be approaching that of a full-time role but will vary across the 10 weeks. 

Who is eligible and how can I apply? 

This scheme is open to first and second year LLB students, first year MA Law students and LLM in Human Rights students.