Human Rights @ Duke Law

Applications Open

DEADLINE: January 31, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Duke Law School is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2025–2026 post-graduate fellowship in public international law and international human rights. Created in 2017, the one-year fellowship is intended to support students with a demonstrated interest and commitment to pursuing a career in public international law and human rights.

The fellowship is open to JD, JD-LLM, and LLM students of Duke Law School who are graduating in May 2025, as well as to recent graduates within the past three years (i.e. the JD, JD-LLM, and LLM classes of 2022, 2023, and 2024). Preference will be given to students who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in public international law and/or human rights through their course work, clinical activities, externships, and other professional experiences. For 2025–2026, the fellowship will enable one Duke Law graduate to work from Fall 2025 in one or more nongovernmental or international organizations to be determined in consultation with the selection committee. The selected fellow will receive a stipend of $55,000.

Application process:

Applications must be submitted in full no later than January 31, 2025. A complete application must include:

• Personal statement of 1–2 pages
• Resume/C.V.
• Official law school transcripts
• List of three references
• Writing sample

Applications should be sent as email attachments to Bonnie Blundell, bonnie.blundell@law.duke.edu with the reference “International Law and Human Rights Post-Graduate Fellowship” in the subject line.

Selection process:

Qualifications and criteria for selection will include the following:

• Demonstrated knowledge of public international law and/or human rights law
• Relevance of fellowship to applicant’s career goals
• Curricular and extra-curricular activities undertaken in public international law and/or human rights law, including clinics and externships
• Commitment to a career in public international law and/or human rights
• Highly motivated and able to work effectively, both independently and as part of a team
• Professional experience in public international law and/or human rights law
• Written and oral communication skills, including additional knowledge of languages

A selection committee will notify finalists for interviews.