Legal Fellowship

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is a dynamic, nonprofit organization that works at the intersection of human rights and the environment. CIEL is comprised of attorneys, campaigners, researchers, and communicators who have extensive experience in leading international strategies to advance everyone’s right to a healthy environment. Many of our program areas explore innovative developments in international environmental law and human rights, including in their direct link with other international legal fields, such as international investment law or international trade law.

In some circumstances, CIEL may be able to offer legal fellowships to recent law school graduates so they may gain experience in the field of international environmental law. Legal fellows typically work full or part-time, often receiving credit from their schools.

Responsibilities of a legal fellow include researching and writing about areas of international law and policy; assisting with policy analysis and advocacy; attending meetings and conferences; assisting with the production of CIEL publications; and otherwise working closely with CIEL staff on various projects.

Please note the following provisions:

• Legal fellows must come with their own funding (often from a university, but can also be a third party or scholarship).
• We cannot guarantee a future position for legal fellows at CIEL.
• We cannot guarantee a particular area of focus or interest.

Requirements:

• When submitting the application, applicants must have recently completed, or are in the final stages of completing, a graduate degree in law (e.g, LLM, JD). The expectation is that this fellowship will take place after graduation.
• Applicants must be willing to make a commitment of at least three months.
• Successful applicants generally possess excellent research and writing skills and a strong dedication to public interest law. 

FAQ:

• May I undertake my internship remotely (US)? All CIEL Fellowships in the United States may be carried out remotely. Please note that we can only consider applicants for this US fellowship who will carry out their internship while physically residing in and working from the United States. Remote work from other countries cannot be accommodated. Fellows located in the Washington DC area may also work in a hybrid manner from our DC office.
• May I undertake my internship remotely (Switzerland)? Fellowships with CIEL’s Geneva office may take place remotely if residing in and working from Switzerland; depending on space considerations, they may also be able to take place in a hybrid manner in our Geneva office.
  
• Will CIEL sponsor a visa for me? CIEL in the United States is unable to sponsor visas. CIEL's Geneva location may be able to sponsor a student visa for you depending on your nationality/citizenship.
  
• What should I submit as a writing sample?  Feel free to submit something that you feel demonstrates your writing ability, preferably relevant to CIEL's work but that is not a requirement. This can include undergraduate work.

If you have further questions or need assistance, please contact info@ciel.org.