HUMAN RIGHTS LAW Choose one of the best human rights programs in the country.
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HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
10 Reasons to Study Human Rights at Minnesota Law 1 Faculty who are internationally recognized and sought-after experts in human rights law. Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin holds the position of U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism. She previously held positions as U.N. Expert on Promoting Gender in Post-Conflict Peacemaking, expert to the Council of Europe, and expert advisor to the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims. She teaches courses in international law to first-year students.
Opportunities to work with human rights organizations
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around the world and in Minnesota, including The Advocates for Human Rights, American Refugee Committee, and Center for Victims of Torture.
4 Study and travel opportunities through international exchange programs with universities throughout the world.
3 The Human Rights Fellowship Program, through the Law School’s worldrenowned Human Rights Center, provides opportunities to gain practical human rights experience.
Wide variety of courses, ranging from
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international human rights law to American Indian law, poverty and human rights to immigration.
On the cover: Fabiola Gretzinger, 3L, has taken part in the Latinx Law Student Association and the Asylum Law Project, served as an editor on the Minnesota Journal of International Law, was named a Human Rights Fellow, and was a student in the Human Rights and International Advocacy Clinic.
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Human Rights Law Concentration that
International and Civil Rights Moot Court opportunities
adds depth to your studies and advances career options.
A+
HUMAN RIGHTS (PreLaw Insider)
where you practice and enhance research, writing, and oral advocacy skills.
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Student-Edited Journals include:
Human rights-focused clinics include the Immigration & Human Rights Law Clinic, the Federal Litigation Immigration Clinic, the Rural Immigrant Access Clinic, the Detainee Rights Clinic, and the Human Rights Litigation & International Legal Advocacy Clinic, where you gain transformative legal and practical experience while working on cases and policies that make a real impact on the clients and the community.
9 Networking and service opportunities through student-led organizations, including Amnesty International, Asylum Law Project, and the Human Rights Advocacy Project.
International conferences and research activities through the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, the Minnesota Human Rights Lab, the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity, and the Human Rights Center.
Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice Minnesota Journal of International Law Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology Minnesota Law Review
30 2020 graduates hired for JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
10 91%
EMPLOYMENT RATE Ched Nin, a client of the Detainee Rights Clinic, and his wife, Jenny Srey,
(3 Year Average: FT/ LT JD Required/ JD Advantage/ Graduate School)
at the James
H. Binger Center for New Americans Immigration Law Forum: Civil Rights Behind Bars.
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HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
43%
of graduates from the class of 2020 started directly in public interest careers and judicial clerkships, serving in nonprofit, government, and international organizations.
Katie Smith, 3L, interned at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. She was able to join Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin at the U.N.’s 27th Annual Meeting of Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Chairs of Working Groups this summer.
Learn By Doing 700
HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER FELLOWS have worked at
390+ 100+
ORGANIZATIONS in
COUNTRIES
There is no substitute for experience—the kind you get when you work with real clients on real-world problems. In our Immigration & Human Rights Law Clinic, you serve clients seeking asylum, victims of human trafficking, and immigrant detainees. In the Human Rights Litigation & International Legal Advocacy Clinic, you gain valuable experience in human rights advocacy and litigation in federal or state courts or before the United Nations. Through the human rights law concentration, you benefit from opportunities throughout the Law School, the wider University of Minnesota, and the deeply engaged human rights community
The Human Rights Lab is a joint effort between the Human Rights Center and the University’s Human Rights Program that is aimed at supporting cutting-edge research by faculty and students for use with NGOs, communities, institutions, and policymakers to reduce inequalities and advance human rights. Students and faculty have worked on multiple projects from Minnesota to Mexico to Uganda, and taken the research to key spaces including the International Criminal Court, and before the U.S. House of Representatives.
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in the Twin Cities.
Immigration and Human Rights Clinic students Yemaya Hanna, 3L, and Patrick Murray, 3L, and Ryan Rainey ’21 (not pictured) worked with Professor Stephen Meili (left) and the Organization for Refuge, Asylum, & Migration to produce a comprehensive report that shines a light on the harsh and repressive conditions faced by the LGBTIQ community in Guatemala.
Study with World-Class Faculty Dynamic and engaged, the faculty at Minnesota Law are exceptional scholars and committed teachers.
Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin traveled with students to Geneva, Switzerland to present at the U.N.’s Geneva Academy last year.
Our faculty includes:
Professor Ben Casper Sanchez ’97, who is an internationally renowned immigration expert, faculty director of the Binger Center for New Americans, and recipient of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association’s Access to Justice Award for 2020.
• Regents Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, who holds the position of U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism is also the faculty director of the Human Rights Center. • Professor Stephen Meili, who supervises students in the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic to help immigrants from El Salvador, West African nations, Iraq, and other countries around the world gain asylum in the U.S. • Professor Jennifer M. Green, who specializes in international and international human rights law, and in litigation in U.S. courts and the international legal systems, directs the Human Rights Litigation and International Advocacy Clinic.
Professor Christopher Roberts combines law, sociology, and public policy to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to his teaching and scholarship in human rights, international law, and legal history.
Professor Stephen Meili leads the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, which led 3 public policy projects on behalf of national and international NGOs, directed at federal and international law.
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HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
40+ COUNTRIES Represented in the Student Body
Our human rights partners in the Twin Cities include: The Advocates for Human Rights American Refugee Committee
Leading the Way in Human Rights
Center for Victims of Torture
As home to numerous human rights organizations, the Twin Cities
Global Rights for Women International Institute of Minnesota Children’s Law Center Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Minnesota Justice Foundation
With easy access to the state capitol, Minnesota Law offers students the opportunity to take the classroom to the statehouse in courses such as Legislative Process.
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The Twin Cities is often ranked as one of the best places to live in the country.
is an ideal place to study human rights law. The Law School collaborates frequently with the wider human rights community at the University of Minnesota and in the Twin Cities. The Law School’s Human Rights Library offers one of the most extensive collections of human rights documents and research tools in the world.
A view of downtown Minneapolis supporting LGBTQ Pride.
Prepare for Success We offer a dedicated employer relations team, focused public interest and clerkship resources, and lifetime alumni career counseling and professional development resources. Our unique Professional Essentials Workshops introduce law students to core concepts surrounding the development of interpersonal skills critical for career success. Students learn from staff, faculty, alumni, and professionals who are experts in career development and the legal field.
“I chose Minnesota Law for its strong international human rights program and faculty as well as handson clinic and research opportunities. The chance to work on real-time issues with the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims, as a research fellow for the Transitional Justice Institute in Belfast, and as a Robina Foundation fellow with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid helped shaped my understanding of global challenges.” —Megan Manion ’16 Senior Legal Advisor to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism
2021 J.D. graduates with Dean Garry W. Jenkins at the 2021 University of Minnesota Law School commencement.
WHERE OUR GRADS GO CLASSES OF 2018, 2019, AND 2020
96% BAR PASSAGE (MN July 2021)
TOP MARKETS FOR 2020 GRADS:
Minnesota Law alumni are working in all
50
STATES
Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Texas, Washington, D.C. Wisconsin
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COUNTRIES > For more information, visit LAW.UMN.EDU 7
JDADMISSIONS@UMN.EDU
University of Minnesota Law School Admissions N130 Mondale Hall 229 19th Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55455
The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. © 2021 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
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