Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic

Forced displacement often strips defenders of their agency, but as a Clinic student, you’ll help amplify their voices, leverage their expertise, and support their fight for justice on the global stage.

You’ll collaborate directly with human rights defenders and their communities to design and implement advocacy plans that make a difference. Through this work, you’ll develop vital skills for your career, including:

• Interviewing clients, experts, and witnesses.
• Strategic planning, client counseling, and trauma-centered lawyering.
• Legal research, writing, and advocacy in local and international forums.
• Building campaigns, organizing, and using media to raise awareness.
• Fact investigation, report writing, and lobbying for systemic change.
• Reflecting on ethical concerns, identity, and positionality in global human rights work.

Connect Theory with Practice

The Clinic’s seminar bridges theory with real-world experience. You’ll build lawyering skills while engaging in meaningful reflection on your role within the global human rights movement. For students ready to go deeper, opportunities for domestic and international travel allow you to carry out the strategic plans you co-develop with clients, creating change in communities around the world.

Faculty

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Professor Lindsay M. Harris

Professor Lindsay M. Harris is a professor of law and director of the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Clinic. Before joining USF Law, Professor Harris served as Associate Dean of Clinical and Experiential Programs at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law where she directed the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. Professor Harris was the recipient of the AILA 2020 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award. Professor Harris has visited as Acting Director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic at American University and previously taught at Georgetown Law and George Mason.