The Open Society Justice Initiative, a program of the Open Society Foundations, is pleased to invite applications for its 2021-2022 Aryeh Neier Fellowship Program. The deadline for applications is 24 March 2020.

The Open Society Foundations works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. The Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open Society Foundations, uses litigation and other forms of legal advocacy to empower people, defend the rule of law, and advance human rights. Through litigation, advocacy, research, and technical assistance, we engage in the following thematic areas of work:

• Promotion and defense of accountability for international crimes;
• Combating racial discrimination and exclusion;
• Advocating for migrant workers;
• Promotion of criminal justice reform;
• Challenging abuses related to national security and counter terrorism policy and practice;
• Expansion of access to and exercise of democratic rights, including association, assembly and expression;
• Investigation of grand corruption; and
• Bringing law to bear on addressing climate and economic injustice.

To our activities, we bring a deep and varied practice of litigation and other forms of legal advocacy, familiarity with legal and related political and diplomatic fora, substantive knowledge of human rights issues, and issue- and place-specific expertise and experience. We collaborate with a community of dedicated and skillful human rights advocates across the globe, and form part of a dynamic and progressive justice movement that reflects the diversity of the world it inhabits.

The Aryeh Neier Fellowship Program

The Aryeh Neier Fellowship is a full-time, two-year program that offers lawyers and other advocates an opportunity to gain practical experience in international human rights advocacy and litigation across a broad range of thematic areas and geographies, embedding them as an integral part of the global Justice Initiative team.

Fellows work across the Justice Initiative’s themes described above. In addition, they work with our methodological teams, which both conduct advocacy in support of our work and promote engagement with and legal empowerment of the communities whose rights we seek to vindicate.

In order to ensure rich and varied experience, selected Fellows will rotate through two different placements during their fellowship terms. Placements will be decided according to the anticipated needs and priorities of the Justice Initiative, taking into account the interests and preferences of the selected Fellows. 

Fellows can expect to conduct research on a broad range of justice-related issues; draft reports, legal briefs, advocacy memos, blogs, and other written products; monitor developments at trials and other legal proceedings; engage legal, jurisprudential, legislative, and governance developments worldwide; liaise with civil society and other justice advocates to promote Justice Initiative objectives; and help develop and execute evidence-based advocacy strategies.

Selected Fellows will demonstrate a strong commitment to human rights and the rule of law in general and show particular interest in our thematic areas of work. Additional requirements include:

• A university degree in Law or an LL.M or M.A. in Human Rights; graduate degrees in related fields (e.g. economics, politics and statistics) may be considered sufficient in exceptional circumstances, provided the applicant can demonstrate substantial human rights advocacy experience and a demonstrated capacity to work on legal issues;
• A maximum of five years’ practical experience in the human rights field;
• A demonstrated record of accomplishment in legal analysis, legal research and writing, litigation, and/or relevant advocacy;
• A high degree of English proficiency (speaking, writing and reading; and
• Proficient knowledge of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and/or other languages is an asset.

We seek Fellows who manifest a desire to gain exposure to different human rights topics, advocacy tools, and geographies which may be currently unfamiliar to them. Selected Fellows will demonstrate a willingness to take initiative and have an ability to work successfully both as members of a global team, sometimes under geographically remote supervision, and as individual advocates. Some international travel will be required for internal meetings; additional project-related travel will be at the discretion of supervising teams.

The Justice Initiative provides a competitive financial award and benefits package for the duration of the fellowship.

For further information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button.

Closing date: 24 March 2020.

We aim to build an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the populations we support, and actively seek applications from those who are marginalized and underrepresented. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.