Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s strong connection to the international courts at The Hague, Netherlands continues with more TJSL students headed there.
Five members of TJSL’s International Law Society (ILS) have been selected for internships in The Hague for spring, summer and fall 2011. Emily Cohen, Matthew Odgers and Morgan Simpson, SuzAnna Mohr and Joseph White will all be interning with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), a United Nations court.
“When I was selected, I was so excited I literally jumped out of my chair,” said Cohen, a 2L who will be in The Hague in the Spring and Summer of 2011. “I feel so incredibly lucky to have been given this opportunity.”
Cohen, along with Odgers and Simpson, will be working on the Karadzic Standby Defence Team representing Radovan Karadzic, the former President of Republika Srpska (Serbia) who is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for crimes committed during the war in Bosnia from 1992-1996. They will be working with TJSL alumna Jovana Ostojic Paredes ’08, who works at ICTY.
”I love recruiting interns from TJSL because they have all proven to be capable, intelligent and extremely hard-working,” said Paredes. “Interns are an integral part of defence teams, and are treated like anyone else on the team. It is a truly rewarding and enriching experience, as you see not only what international criminal lawyers do, but you actually get hands on experience with the work.“
”I ended up applying partly because my summer study abroad experience (In TJSL’s China and Nice, France programs) was so positive,” said Cohen. “And partly because the opportunity to intern for an organization like ICTY would give me an invaluable opportunity to learn international criminal law hands on from some of the best attorneys in the world.”
Matthew Odgers, 1L, says he was inspired to apply for the ICTY internship after hearing Paredes speak about her experiences there.
”I am very honored to get the position and look forward to getting over there and getting started,” said Odgers, who will be at ICTY in the summer and fall of 2011. “My goal while I'm over there is to gain a better understanding of how the ICTY works as well as making connections that will help me to carve out a career in International Law.”
“It is a huge honor to be selected for this internship,” said Morgan Simpson a 3L. “There isn't a better place to be exposed to international law than The Hague. I hope while I am there, I will not only learn the workings of international law and the tribunal system, but also take in the culture and the amazing opportunity to network with people from around the world.”
“I am so excited about this opportunity specifically because I was a member of the Model United Nations Team in college and represented the delegation from Bosnia and Herzegovina on several issues of humanitarian law at the international conference held in New York,” said 2L Mohr. “From this internship I hope to gain a better understanding of international humanitarian law, how the ICTY works as well as meet experienced international attorneys and learn from them directly. I am so grateful for this opportunity, it is truly a once in a lifetime chance!”
“It is awesome news for students at TJSL,” said ILS president Ben Aguilar, 2L, who helped the students with the application process.
Four TJSL students and one alumna have interned in The Hague in 2010; Matt Vesterdahl, Doug Mallet, Taylor Olson, Sarah Hudson and Meera Patel '10.
