FIU Law has been awarded two separate grants – each with a specialized area of focus and each to span a two-year period.
$200,000 grant to assist the Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union
Professor Charles C. Jalloh, a scholar whose research focuses on questions of jurisdiction, selectivity and legitimacy of international criminal law, including the tense relationship between Africa and the International Criminal Court (ICC), on which he is a globally renowned expert, will lead this effort. The $200,000 grant is made possible by the Foundation to Promote Open Society and will provide the Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union with independent technical expertise in international criminal law and to help develop well-informed planning for the implementation of the criminal jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human Peoples Rights.
$620,000 grant to provide education and consultation to lawyers who are representing clients facing the death penalty
A $620,000 grant, provided by the Themis Fund, a Proteus Fund initiative will provide education and consultation to lawyers who are representing clients facing the death penalty. Clinical Professor Stephen Harper, who runs FIU Law’s Death Penalty Clinic’s Florida Center for Capital Representation, will oversee the execution of the grant. Harper has more than three decades of experience with the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office where he served as co-coordinator of the Capital Litigation Unit. He also coordinated the Juvenile Death Penalty Initiative where he oversaw the drafting and filing of amicus briefs in Roper v. Simmons.
“We are very excited about these two initiatives and appreciate the support from our funders,” shared FIU Law Dean R. Alexander Acosta. “These opportunities will enhance the learning opportunities of our students all while making an impact not just here at home, but also internationally.”