Call for candidates - International Clerkships 2023-2024
Supported by the McGill International Experience Awards and the Hon. Morris J. Fish Clerkship award, and McGill's Faculty of Law, the Centre manages an international clerkship program in collaboration with the following:
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a 10-month clerkship at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
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a 12-month clerkship at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
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a 3-month clerkship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR)
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a 3-month (or more) clerkship at the Supreme Court of Israel
Applications are generally due in January of each year for the International Clerkships at the ICJ, the PCA and IACHR. See the 2023-2024 Call for Candidates for the ICJ, PCA, and IACHR. 
Call for applications - International Clerkships Program 2023-2024
Applications to the Supreme Court of Israel is open during four periods every year. See the 2023-2024 Call for candidates for the Supreme Court of Israel.
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15 February – 15 March;
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15 May – 15 June;
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15 August – 15 September;
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15 November – 15 December.
International Court of Justice Judicial Fellows - The Hague, The Netherlands
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, invites the Faculty of Law to submit applications as Judicial Fellows (clerks). This offers a unique opportunity for one McGill student or recent graduate to work at one of the world’s most important legal institutions. The nine-month clerkships begin in September, concluding in June of the following year. The successful candidate will receive a stipend to assist with living expenses and other costs.
The International Court of Justice's Judicial Fellows Program is directly inspired by the North American practice of appellate courts hiring law clerks for a short period of time to assist judges in fulfilling their duties. Judicial Fellows (clerks) are assigned to one or more members of the Court to assist with tasks such as drafting opinions, orders, and other court documents; preparing case files; and researching legal issues.
To apply to this program, please download and fill out these files (zipped package contains English and French MS Word templates).
Deadline: 17 January 2023, 17:00 EST. Start date: September of each year.
Permanent Court of Arbitration Clerkships - The Hague, The Netherlands
The purposes of the Permanent Court of Arbitration clerkships are
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to increase the participant’s understanding of current dispute resolution and arbitration issues, both at the regional and international levels, and give them an insight into the work of the PCA; and
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to provide the PCA with the assistance and contribution of an outstanding young graduate.
The candidate is chosen to work within the PCA’s Secretariat, helping counsel in their work in support of major arbitration or other cases. This clerkship normally starts in September.
Deadline: 17 January 2023, 17:00 EST. Start date: September of each year.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights Clerkships - San José, Costa Rica
The Internship Program at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights offers students in the areas of law, international relations, political science, linguistics and translations an opportunity to gain practical experience in the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights.
This program offers an understanding of the operation of the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights, the applicable international instruments and the activities of the Tribunal. It also aims to provide a practical experience that serves to complement the participant's academic and professional development, which may be applied later in the different work environments that the interns arrive at upon completion of the internship or professional visit. Finally, the program promotes the participation of people of different nationalities, who come from different judicial systems. This clerkship will begin in September.
Deadline: 17 January 2023, 17:00 EST. Start date: September of each year.
Supreme Court of Israel Foreign Clerkships - Jerusalem, Israel
More information about the clerkship is available here .
The Supreme Court of Israel runs a successful and very competitive program for foreign law clerks. A clerkship with a Supreme Court Justice, a position eligible for accredited lawyers and excellent law students (with preference given to those who are at least in their second year), usually includes conducting comparative research and writing memoranda regarding legal issues in various areas of law.
Foreign law clerks at the Supreme Court are assigned to a specific justice and typically research comparative legal issues and draft memoranda regarding legal questions which arise in pending cases. Foreign clerks will likely find themselves engaging in several different areas of law such as public international law, criminal law, civil law and constitutional law. Foreign law clerks conduct their assignments in English. While knowledge of Hebrew is not required (although it is helpful), knowledge of other languages is an advantage.
Application periods
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15 February – 15 March;
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15 May – 15 June;
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15 August – 15 September;
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15 November – 15 December
Financial support
Established in 2019 by Morris J. Fish, former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Hon. Morris J. Fish Clerkship award will enable one current McGill BCL/JD student - or one recent graduate - per year to complete a clerkship at the Supreme Court of Israel: the successful applicant will receive an award of $5,000 to assist with travel and living expenses related to the clerkship. Application for the award is done separately from the application for the clerkship, and only after securing an offer.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the award, candidates must apply directly to the Supreme Court of Israel first, and secure a clerkship offer from the Court Independently.
All current BCL/JD students are eligible to apply for the clerkship. Please be aware that the Supreme Court of Israel expresses a preference for students in 2L or above. Preference will also be given to students pursuing a clerkship longer than the required minimum of three months. Alumni applicants should be able to begin the clerkship no later than 12 months after graduation.
To apply for the Hon. Morris J. Fish Clerkship award, candidates should submit the following items either on myFuture or by emailing clerkships.law [at] mcgill.ca:
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A clerkship acceptance letter from the Supreme Court of Israel
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An updated curriculum vitae
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The names of two referees, at least one of whom must be a McGill Law professor
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A recent law transcript
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A short cover letter addressed to Professor Nandini Ramanujam
Successful candidates must also commit to providing a final report on their experience at the end of the clerkship. Selection for the award will be based on academic achievement.
