Internship Opportunities with the Justice Initiative at OSI-

Positions Available
Intern - Legal Researcher (unpaid)
Open Society Justice Initiative
Dates:
January internship (full time)
Spring Internship, February – May (part time, 12 hours per week minimum)
Summer Internship, June – September (full time)
Fall Internship, September – December (part time, 12 hours per week minimum)

The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that develops and implements a range of programs in the areas of legal, economic, and social reform, as well as civil society, education, media, public health and human and women’s rights. OSI is at the center of an informal network of foundations and organizations that are active in more than 50 countries worldwide. Established in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros, OSI is based in New York City and operates network-wide programs, grantmaking activities in the United States, and other international initiatives. OSI provides support and assistance to Soros foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, and South, Southern and West Africa.

The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open Society Institute, promotes rights-based law reform, builds knowledge and strengthens legal capacity worldwide. Justice Initiative projects seek to shape law reform policy and achieve concrete results through hands-on technical assistance; litigation and legal advice; knowledge dissemination and network building; and counsel to donor institutions. The Justice Initiative works in the following thematic areas: national criminal justice reform; international justice; freedom of information and expression; anticorruption; equality and migration. Its offices are in New York, Budapest, and Abuja.

Responsibilities: The Justice Initiative is seeking a legal research associates intern on a part-time basis during the semesters and full-time over the summer months and in January. Working under the supervision of Senior Legal Officers or Senior Program Managers, the research associates will support the Program through the following tasks in the fields of national criminal justice reform (specifically pre-trial detention, access to justice, and safety, security and accountability), legal capacity development, freedom of expression and information, equality and citizenship, and international justice:

Conduct all-source research via websites, Lexis/Nexis, foreign source materials, academic studies, oral interviews of experts, legal and political documents, Library of Congress materials, etc.

Write concise legal research memorandums and informational and analytic reports priority topics addressing the main themes of the Program, as outlined above, as well as specific country studies, political and economic developments, international organization activities, civil society surveys and evaluations, etc.

Attend scheduled staff conference calls and relevant meetings hosted by think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, government briefings, etc.

Maintain electronic and paper files on substantive research areas.

Qualifications:

Presently attending law school

A Masters and/or Bachelors degree in international affairs, political science, government or other related field;

Prior legal research-related experience, preferably in the field of international law;

Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication, and organizational skills;

Very strong research, writing and analytic abilities;

Advanced computer research, database management and word processing skills, including Outlook 2000, web searching, Lexis/Nexis, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access;

Ability to effectively manage several projects in a fast-paced environment;

Pleasant, diplomatic manner and disposition in interacting with senior management, colleagues, and the general public;

Integrity, professional discretion and ability to handle confidential matters;

Upon acceptance, interns will need to provide a letter from his/her university indicating that he/she is receiving credit and/or funding for the internship.

Time period for fall, spring internships: 12 weeks
Time period for January internship: 4 weeks
Time period for summer internships: 12 weeks

Application deadlines: January internship, November 15, 2007
Spring internship, December 1, 2007
Summer internship, January 10, 2008
Fall internship, September 10, 2008

Volunteer positions (eligible for pro bono credit)

To Apply: Send résumé, cover letter and brief writing sample by fax or mail to:

Attn: Human Resources Department, Code JIN/INT
Open Society Institute
400 W. 59th Street
New York, NY 10019
Fax: 1 (212) 548-4675

Or by e-mail to humanresources@sorosny.org, Code JIN/INT must be in the subject line.

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