1. What did you do there? How did you get your internship?
I worked as a research assistant to FIU Law Professor Charles Jalloh, who is an elected member of the ILC and is also serving as a Special Rapporteur. While working at the ILC, our responsibilities varied depending on the day’s agenda. As assistants, we were tasked with keeping detailed records of the rigorous debates that played out amongst the Commission members, sourcing relevant legal materials, and formulating drafting revisions for the Commission’s work product. In the past few years, FIU Law has established an International Law Commission Fellowship that grants several students the opportunity to spend their summer in Geneva. During my 2L year, I worked as Professor Jalloh’s research assistant as he prepared his first exploratory report as Special Rapporteur. Accordingly, after two semesters of research work, he extended the invitation to join him in Geneva to continue our work.
2. What projects did you work on? How did your internship connect back to your coursework?
The Commission had several fascinating topics on its agenda this past summer, including Prevention and Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea, Settlement of Disputes to Which International Organizations are Parties and Sea Level Rise in Relation to International Law. However, my focus was on a topic titled “Subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law”—this was the topic for which Professor Jalloh was appointed as Special Rapporteur. Broadly speaking, the project dealt with how courts should apply teachings and judicial decisions when determining rules of international law. The project’s goal is to formulate “draft conclusions” that the General Assembly will eventually adopt to serve as guidance for courts interpreting international law. This experience felt like the culmination of the various courses in international law that I was able to take at FIU. In addition to courses in comparative law and international human rights, I was also required to take a seminar on the work of the International Law Commission as a prerequisite for the Fellowship. This seminar dealt specifically with the topics that were being debated in Geneva and assured me that I would hit the ground running once I arrived.
3. What was the coolest thing that happened during your internship? What did you like most about your experience?
I don’t know if I can narrow this down to one specific experience. The opportunity to work at the famous Palais des Nations each day was unreal. But some highlights included a visit from the President of the International Court of Justice and a special reception at the residence of the UK’s Ambassador to Geneva.
Geneva is also geographically situated in the middle of it all, which gave me easy access to some unforgettable experiences such as hiking in the Alps, catching a stage of the Tour de France, and attending the Montreux Jazz Festival.
4. How did the position increase your professional confidence?
This experience was an immense boost to my professional confidence. I spent each day in the same room as thirty-four of the world’s leading experts in international law, along with a cohort of research assistants from some of the leading institutions in international law. It was a fast-paced environment where you had to learn on the fly, and I felt I was prepared to handle any task that came my way.
5. What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that I work well in collaborative environments. I’ve always preferred to take on projects alone, but in such a dynamic setting I found that most tasks required constant collaboration with other research assistants. WhatsApp and shared Google Docs always had to be open and ready to go as we were constantly delegating tasks on the fly. It helped that we had an awesome team, and we accomplished a lot.
6. What advice do you have for those beginning the internship process?
When pursuing internships, don’t just do something because you think it will look good on a resume. Think about what kind of experience will really excite you. When you care about the work that you do, you will get so much more out of it. Being a student, you have a rare opportunity to explore options that may not be available down the road, so trust your instincts and put yourself in a position to have unique learning experiences.