First month of summer placement in HFHR legal department

Last week the Legal Department of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights started this year’s edition of the summer student placement programme. As part of their placement at the HFHR, students participate in the works of the initial review team and are involved in the Foundation’s key legal programmes, including the Legal Intervention Programme and Strategic Litigation Programme.

Six new interns are students of law departments from the universities in Warsaw, Wrocław and Szczecin. “This is my first placement at a non-governmental organisation. I wanted to see the inside of the Foundation’s work”, says Monika Niemeczek, third year law student from the University of Warsaw.

The range of interns’ duties include monitoring and observing judicial proceedings and drafting briefs which are later reviewed by HFHR lawyers. “What I like in this placement is that we are guided by the Foundation’s lawyers – we may at any time ask for their advice and we work together on all cases”, says Magdalena Rosa, second year law student of the University of Warsaw.

During the placement, the students sit down in meetings and seminars with HFHR lawyers, and are given the opportunity to discuss a number of issues concerning the protection of human rights.

The placement programme will run until 31 July.