The Human Rights Law Clinic is a module providing postgraduate students on the LLM International Human Rights Law with the opportunity to work with real clients, on real issues.

What does the Human Rights Law Clinic do?

Students participating in the Clinic do so as part of the LLM in International Human Rights Law, which means that they will have successfully completed the degree's core module on international human rights law.

The Clinic offers students the chance to build on law and theory through the preparation of pro bono legal opinions for clients.

The Clinic is convened by a human rights academic with experience of engaging with practitioners, NGOs and inter-governmental organisations. All students will be supervised by an academic member of faculty with a specialism in human rights.

The opinions prepared by students respond to a specific legal question related to international human rights law set by and tailored to the clients' needs. Depending on the complexity and nature of the legal opinions sought, students work individually or in small groups to produce memoranda for their clients, following a process of consultation with clients, close supervision, oversight and review by the Clinic’s convenor, seminar discussions on work in progress, and presentations to clients of draft memoranda.

When does the Clinic operate?

To allow Clinic students to first complete the degree’s core module on international human rights law, which is taught in the Autumn Term of each year, the Clinic operates each Spring Term. 

Please note that the Clinic does not operate as a placement programme. Clinic students undertake their work at the University of Sussex, in Brighton, under the supervision of academic members of staff.

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