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Call for applications:ÌýInternational Clerkships Program 2025-2026

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McGill’s Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP) is currently accepting applications for:

• a 12-month clerkship at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA);
• a 10-month clerkship at the International Court of Justice (ICJ);
• a 4-month clerkship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

The clerkships are expected to start in September 2025.

Clerks at each court are assigned to assist one or more judges or staff of the Courts with tasks such as drafting legal and administrative documents, preparing case files, and researching legal issues.

Eligibility

General requirements:

Current McGill BCL/LLB, LLM or DCL students graduating in June 2025, and recent McGill graduates from Fall 2023 onwards may apply for these positions.

Criteria

The Centre, on behalf of the Faculty of Law, will select a shortlist of candidates to submit to each court for final selection.

Candidates will be selected based on:

• an excellent academic record;
• demonstrated writing and research skills;
• demonstrated interest in international law supported by relevant courses, professional and extra-curricular engagement;
• proficiency in the Court’s official languages: French and English for the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ);
• proficiency in other languages preferable.

Application Process

Candidates should apply to a specific clerkship. Should they wish to apply for more than one clerkship, they should submit separate cover letter for each candidacy and indicate the ranking of each clerkship in the body of their application email.

Candidates should submit the following documentation:

• A cover letter that specifies the particular Court for which they are applying;
• A completed and (for ICJ applications only);

• A CV;

• Copies of transcripts for all post-secondary study;

• Two letters of recommendation*; and

• A sample of written work no longer than fifteen (15) double-spaced pages.

All application materials (including recommendation letters) must be submitted in a single attachment in an email sent to clerkships.law [at] mcgill.ca by 17:00 PM ET on January 15, 2025 Short-listed candidates will be asked to provide original, hard copies of their application materials to be forwarded to the Courts for the final selection in February.

All cover letters and recommendations should be addressed (but not sent) to:

For the ICJ:

H.E. Philippe Gautier, Registrar

International Court of Justice

Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands

Note: the title of the ICJ clerkships program is now the Judicial Fellows Programme.

For the PCA:

H.E. Hugo Hans Siblesz, Secretary General

Permanent Court of Arbitration

Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands

For the IACHR:

H.E. Nancy Hernández López, President

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Apartado Postal 6906-1000, San José, Costa Rica

* If referees prefer to submit their references in confidence, they can directly email nandini.ramanujam [at] mcgill.ca.

Stipend: The Faculty provides a 15,000 dollars stipend for ICJ and PCA clerkships. For the clerkship with the Inter-American Court, the stipend amount is 8,000 dollars. All amounts are subject to change depending on the available funding for 2025-26 clerkship year.

For further information, please contact clerkships.law [at] mcgill.ca

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