UGA vs. Emory Forum

[brownbear146]

What are your opinions on UGA and Emory?? At Emory I am left with $70k after scholarship and at UGA $15k. I an interested in immigration or international law. Which would you choose between the two??

[kinge]

For those cost numbers, UGA and it isn't close. I don't think "international law" is a real possibility out of either school. Are you planning on staying in Georgia after graduation?

[brownbear146]

For those cost numbers, UGA and it isn't close. I don't think "international law" is a real possibility out of either school. Are you planning on staying in Georgia after graduation?

Well what about the Dean Rusk International Law Center? And yes I do plan on staying in Georgia. Also what schools would you recommend then for international law?

[kinge]

For those cost numbers, UGA and it isn't close. I don't think "international law" is a real possibility out of either school. Are you planning on staying in Georgia after graduation?

Well what about the Dean Rusk International Law Center? And yes I do plan on staying in Georgia. Also what schools would you recommend then for international law?

Actually, can you clarify what you mean by international law? If you mean stuff like working for the UN, I recommend Yale (and even still, it's far from a guarantee)

[brownbear146]

For those cost numbers, UGA and it isn't close. I don't think "international law" is a real possibility out of either school. Are you planning on staying in Georgia after graduation?

Well what about the Dean Rusk International Law Center? And yes I do plan on staying in Georgia. Also what schools would you recommend then for international law?

Actually, can you clarify what you mean by international law? If you mean stuff like working for the UN, I recommend Yale (and even still, it's far from a guarantee)

Still undecided but definitely between international business (corporate) and non-profit/humanitarian. Definitely not government involvement international law (so not the UN)

[cavalier1138]

For those cost numbers, UGA and it isn't close. I don't think "international law" is a real possibility out of either school. Are you planning on staying in Georgia after graduation?

Well what about the Dean Rusk International Law Center? And yes I do plan on staying in Georgia. Also what schools would you recommend then for international law?

Actually, can you clarify what you mean by international law? If you mean stuff like working for the UN, I recommend Yale (and even still, it's far from a guarantee)

Still undecided but definitely between international business (corporate) and non-profit/humanitarian. Definitely not government involvement international law (so not the UN)

I think you might want to do a little research into what "international law" is. International corporate work tends to just mean that you're working on deals at ungodly hours of the night, not that you're doing anything substantively "international" in the work. International human rights work exists, but it's extremely competitive and requires a top school for most of the big-name NGOs. And although IGOs involve governments, it's weird to refer to the UN as a governmental body, and it's especially weird to draw that line in the sand.

In reality, the "easiest" area of international law practice to get into is international arbitration, which is still a tough area to access. That kind of practice exists at some biglaw firms, but the work is generally not going to be done in Georgia. And that raises another issue: Where do you think lawyers tend to practice international law?

[pianolesspianist]

[/quote]
International human rights work exists, but it's extremely competitive and requires a top school for most of the big-name NGOs. [/quote]

Could you say more about this? How top is top? T14, T10, T3?

What would be required to be competitive, and what does the actual work look like? Also, salary range?

I've been looking for this info on TLS and haven't really been able to find anything at all. So if someone has info, please share!

[The Lsat Airbender]

From a good, old TLS post:

There are few people who actually practice human rights law. There are a small number of firms and non-profits who litigate before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights or present cases to the Inter-American Commission. The same is true for the European Court of Human Rights, although as an American your jobs of getting these jobs are slim to none.
Most people in the field are more of an advocate, researcher, or analyst than a lawyer, although the legal training is quite necessary. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other human rights NGOs hire these kinds of people. The jobs are very hard to get.
Other opportunities include the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, UN missions and offices, smaller NGOs, international tribunals or the ICC, the Red Cross, etc. These jobs are all very, very hard to get. Consulting or being hired on by other governments is also a possibility.
Really the most likely and easily obtainable job for someone interested in human rights is in refugee/asylum work. There are also other areas of law such as employment law, housing, disability, HIV/AIDS discrimination which are all human rights law yet less flashy than stuff like genocide. Jobs in those kinds of law actually do exist.

Basically, if it interests you, go through this checklist: Do you have prior international experience (think Peace Corps, development work, stuff like that)? Can you get into a T10? Do you speak other languages? Are you willing to go beyond a JD and do a JD/MA or even a PhD? Are you willing and able to work for a pittance? Are you okay with getting stuck in a shitty location just because that's the only place you can get a job? Are you okay seeing really, really difficult things like tortured children or 3 year old rape victims?

If you answer no to any of those, then it's not for you.

[cavalier1138]

Could you say more about this? How top is top? T14, T10, T3?

What would be required to be competitive, and what does the actual work look like? Also, salary range?

I've been looking for this info on TLS and haven't really been able to find anything at all. So if someone has info, please share![/quote]

Depends on the org, but HYSCCN (mostly Yale for the most highly selective groups). And ditto to everything mentioned in the older post. It's extremely hard to get a job in the field. Burnout rates are high. Salaries are low.

[ksm6969]

For those cost numbers, UGA and it isn't close. I don't think "international law" is a real possibility out of either school. Are you planning on staying in Georgia after graduation?

Well what about the Dean Rusk International Law Center? And yes I do plan on staying in Georgia. Also what schools would you recommend then for international law?

I would think the Carter Center (which is closely connected to Emory) would have more opportunities for you. I know they are always looking for international election observers, and if you get in and network a little, you could probably work your way up. It's probably one of the best international human rights/democracy focused NGO's thats not in new york or DC (where all the HYS kids will want to go). I'd find an instructor at Emory who is connected with Carter Center, and ask to talk to them and see how realistic they think your plan is. Be aware Carter will probably die in the next few years, so the Carter Center may see a flood of donations or it may become less relevant or nothing may change, who knows.