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War Crimes Research Office

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Student Volunteers

Volunteer positions at the WCRO offer students exposure to the field of international criminal justice and the opportunity to contribute to the WCRO's public work. Interested students are encouraged to contact the Staff Assistant with particular interests at the beginning of the semester. The WCRO maintains a database of all volunteers; for less regular assignments (e.g. temporary research assistance or spading), the WCRO will put out an e-mail notification to eligible volunteers. We frequently need volunteers proficient or fluent in Spanish, French, and other critical languages, so please note any languages you speak in when reaching out.

Status updates

 

The WRCO posts regular updates on significant events and landmark decisions in international courts and tribunals on its International Criminal Law Updates blog. Status Updates teams of students are responsible for monitoring the activities of these tribunals, summarizing their findings and reporting them to the WRCO. Teams meet with the WCRO Staff Assistant every other week to discuss developments in the field. Status Updates are monitored mostly on volunteers' own time, but benefit from collaboration and guidance, making this a good opportunity for 1Ls and others who want to learn more about international criminal justice. In recent years, teams monitored the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, International Criminal Court, Special Court for Sierra Leone, Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Find status updates here !  

Jurisprudence Collections

 

The WRCO maintains a database of jurisprudence from major international courts and tribunals. This collection is one of a kind and currently in the process of being converted to a searchable, web-based resource for researchers and practitioners of international law. Volunteers assist in maintaining this resource. This is a great opportunity to become familiar with the jurisprudence of these courts and tribunals, and to make a significant impact on the quality of research materials available in the field.

Research Volunteers

 

The WRCO maintains a list of law students interested in assisting our Dean's Fellows and Assistant Director with various types of research and spading help on an as-needed basis. Several times each semester, the Office needs the help of volunteers to check sources and citations carried out on behalf of client institutions. Student who wish to assist in spading should be detail-oriented and have Blue Book knowledge, or at least previous experience in research or editing.

International Student Resource Panel

 

International students or those who have legal experience in countries other than the U.S. are encouraged to sign up for the WCRO's International Student Resource Panel. The WCRO maintains this list as a resource of people willing to contribute time to projects with a comparative law element: