Student Spotlight: Julie Recinos '08
Few law students expect their jobs as research assistants to lead to international travel, yet my two years as assistant to Professor Paolo Carozza, currently Chairman of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, took me to Guatemala, Washington, D.C., and, ultimately, to San José, Costa Rica. Although I also worked on assignments dealing with international law generally, most of Professor Carozza’s assignments were related to issues debated by the Commission, and so I was able to learn a great deal about international human rights. I was also able to follow him three times to the Commission’s sessions, where I witnessed firsthand how the Commission functions, and connected with attorneys who work within the Inter-American system of human rights protection.
Eventually, my work with Professor Carozza led to a summer internship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San José, Costa Rica. This Tribunal issues binding judgments to governments that the Commission alleges have violated their obligations under the American Convention and failed to follow its recommendations. As an intern, I was assigned to one of the Court’s legal teams, each of which is charged with developing the Court’s judgments, and was again able to witness the workings of an organ of the Inter-American system. During those summer months, I stayed with the family of a fellow Notre Dame graduate, and was able to explore much of the Costa Rican countryside.
Fortunately, with the help of Professor Carozza and the Law School’s Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the guidance of several LL.M. candidates and alumni, I have been able to embark upon a career in international human rights, as I will be returning to the Inter-American Court in September as a junior staff attorney. I hope that during my time there I can contribute to its mission of ensuring that states parties to the American Convention comply with their obligation to respect and guarantee the dignity of every human being within their jurisdictions.
