Student Fellowship in Human Rights – The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)
Applications for 2025 will open in mid January 2025.
The Bonavero Institute Summer Fellowship at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) in London is an eight-week internship, tenable from early July to late September 2024. The successful candidate will work primarily on projects at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law.
About BIICL
The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) is one of the leading independent research centres for international and comparative law in the world. Our high quality research projects, seminars and publications encompass almost all areas of public and private international law, comparative law and European law, and we are at the forefront of discussions on the many contemporary issues of international and comparative law. BIICL includes within it the innovative Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, which has a particular focus on the many rule of law issues world-wide.
About the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
Since its launch in 2010, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law has taken on a remarkably wide range of projects in the UK and internationally, demonstrating the need for a body solely dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the rule of law worldwide. The Bingham Centre is a constituent part of BIICL. The Centre’s mission is to advance the Rule of Law worldwide, by pursuing four strategic aims:
- Democratising the Rule of Law by mainstreaming it into policy-making, law-making and decision-making in all relevant sectors and explaining it clearly to all relevant audiences, including the public.
- Embedding the Rule of Law by helping to develop the necessary institutional machinery, processes and procedures to give it practical effect.
- Building Rule of Law leadership in all relevant institutions to ensure a sustainable, long-term increase in Rule of Law capacity.
- Broadening agreement about the core meaning of the Rule of Law by building global awareness of the emerging international consensus about the Rule of Law as a practical concept.
About the Internship opportunities at the Bingham Centre and BIICL
The nature of the Bingham Centre's work means that there will be suitable projects both for those with a general background in UK public law (from a first degree) or international law or constitutional law of other countries (typically students who have, or are completing, a Master’s). Interns should be able to contribute to a broadly based research, training and events programme. In particular, they will have opportunities to assist the Research Fellows, Director and staff of the Centre with current research, and the development of new projects and events. Candidates may also undertake similar activities within BIICL, particularly in areas such as human rights, where there are overlapping interests with the work of the Bingham Centre. There may also be opportunities to work on BIICL projects more broadly if interns have a well-rounded knowledge of the relevant legal area at national and international levels.
Summer Fellowships at this institution can in principle be taken up outside the core summer months and the Bingham Centre and BIICL are open to discussing eight-week blocks at other times of the year. The expectation is that Summer Fellows will have a four-day week on average, to allow some time for their own activities (past Summer Fellows have undertaken mini-pupillages, for example, and balanced out their time in other weeks to reach the average).
BIICL and the Bingham Centre endeavour to offer interesting opportunities that provide, research experience and skills development. Target audiences are varied and include policy-makers and civil society, both in the UK and internationally, as well as academics, youth groups and the general public. The Bingham Centre currently provides the secretariat of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on the Rule of Law.
About the Bonavero Fellowship at BIICL
The successful candidate will receive an award to assist with travel, accommodation, living, and other reasonable expenses associated with the internship. In determining the amount to be awarded, other sources of funding will be taken into account.
The candidate will also be expected to provide a full report on their work at the end of their internship.
Please refer to the overview page referring specifically to the application process and eligibility criteria.
This Fellowship is made possible by generous gifts from the AB Charitable Trust and Eric Lewis.