Summer Work Abroad

Summer offers Harvard Law School students the opportunity to acquire full-time, hands-on experience in public or private sector work in countries all over the world. Summer work abroad can enable students to become immersed in a foreign legal culture under the supervision of practicing attorneys from other countries, enhancing students’ legal education and serving as valuable preparation for their careers. In the summer of 2010, more than 100 HLS students spent time in over 40 countries working with a wide range of organizations and law firms on a diverse array of projects. The following are just a few examples of HLS students’ recent summer work experiences:

• Preparing legal memoranda on prosecutorial discretion and admissibility of evidence at the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials in Cambodia
• Conducting legal research on transactions involving international joint ventures and multinational corporations at a law firm in Brazil
• Drafting a court complaint for the Human Rights Law Network in India against a state for not following the legal safeguards required for displacing peoples when planning construction of a new dam
• Advising a foreign bank on the restructuring of its guarantee/counter-guarantee packages under the International Chamber of Commerce rules at a law firm in China
• Working in France at the Council of Europe on a terrorism and human rights project
• Writing memos summarizing the procedural posture and background of a tax fraud case for the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa

The Chayes International Public Service Fellowship and Human Rights Program Scholarships for Summer Internships are just two examples of summer opportunities available to HLS students with international interests. Whether a student is considering working as a summer associate in the foreign office of a large law firm, engaging in public service with a non-governmental organization in another country, or working with an international agency, HLS provides a wide range of resources to assist students in exploring the world of law.