27 April 2011 - 12 July 2011

This e-learning course provides participants with knowledge of the concept, types, venues and strategies of human rights litigation. It focuses on strategic litigation and legal aid both internationally and domestically, and explores a variety of strategies: issue or group oriented litigation, community based services, legal clinics, NGO or law firm resourced actions and others. Participants are familiarised with court ordered structural relief, as well as with conventional victim-centered legal remedies. Non-litigation strategies to maximise the chances of winning cases and to ensure the effective enforcement of decisions too are considered. The course places impact litigation in its social and institutional context exploring issues of its legitimacy, as well as the ethics and accountability of human rights lawyering. In the last part it highlights litigation for the vindication of several groups of substantive rights, including economic and social rights, freedom from torture, equality and asylum. Participants will be provided with examples from various jurisdictions in the world illustrating strategic human rights litigation in practice.

Course outline

Week 1: Concept of Strategic Human Rights Litigation
Week 2: Types of Human Rights Litigation Strategies
Week 3: International Litigation – Mechanisms and Remedies
Week 4: Transnational and Domestic Litigation – Mechanisms and Remedies
Week 5: "Open week"
Week 6: Strategising in Practice
Week 7: Ethics of Human Rights Litigation
Week 8: Challenges and Obstacles to Human Rights Litigation
Week 9: Advocacy - Maximising the Effectiveness of Litigation
Week 10: Strategic Litigation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Week 11: Strategic Litigation in Cases of Discrimination

Level: professional

Location: Internet (e-learning course)

Participants: legal professionals -- lawyers, staff working in legal advice centres, lawyers workings at NGOs. It is assumed that participants are familiar with the relevant human rights standards. Candidates should have a good written command of English and have high competence and comfort with computer and Internet use.

Tuition, fee, lodging: The course tuition fee is US$ 725; permanent residents of non-OECD countries are eligible for a discounted tuition rate of US$ 450. Tuition for auditors is US$ 275; permanent residents of non-OECD countries are eligible for a discounted tuition rate of US$ 175. There are no scholarships available for this course. Further information and application form can be found at: www.hrea.org/human-rights-litigation.

Contact Information:
Sandra Quintin
HREA
Distance Learning Programme
689 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-3302
USA
Tel: +1 617 301-4379
Fax: +1 617 249-0278
E-mail: applications@hrea.org
Web: http://www.hrea.org