Student Groups | Columbia Law School

Human Rights Student Groups

Rightslink

Rightslink is a student-run human rights law outreach and research organization based at Columbia Law School. Working closely with the Human Rights Institute and other Columbia University entities, Rightslink organizes a variety of academic, social, and professional events throughout the year to foster a human rights community at the Law School and to connect students with scholars and practitioners around New York. Leveraging the vast research resources available to Columbia students, Rightslink also provides free legal research services to human rights groups that lack the capacity or political freedom to conduct their own research. Rightslink members often work with the Human Rights Institute and the Human Rights Clinic, particularly through the ‘Human Rights Advocates Program’. Students interested in human rights have an opportunity to contribute to innovative projects covering a broad range of domestic and international issues such as human trafficking, transitional justice, ethnic discrimination, and political freedom.

Contact: [email protected]

Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

The Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (SIRR) is dedicated to promoting a dialogue about legal rights of refugees and immigrants in the United States and globally. SIRR is also committed to building relationships between student organizations with similar interests, so as to encourage broad participation from the student body. SIRR sponsors a competitive moot court team which allows interested students to delve into immigration law through a fun, yet intense, two-semester program. The program culminates in a weekend competition against other teams from across the country. For those looking for the law-school equivalent of alternative spring break, SIRR co-sponsors several week-long caravans enabling groups of students to volunteer at organizations involved with immigration and refugee law, both in the U.S. and abroad.

SIRR provides meaningful opportunities to do pro-bono legal work during the year.  The group coordinates the Immigration Advocacy Project. Additionally, SIRR directs the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project and the African Services Committee Project. The Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) organizes attorneys and law students to help refugees from Iraq and other areas escape persecution and navigate the rules and processes of resettlement in the U.S.

Contact: [email protected] Website: web.law.columbia.edu/sir

Columbia Society of International Law

The Columbia Society of International Law (CSIL) is Columbia Law School’s principal student group dedicated to issues involving international law. The Society informs its members about opportunities to practice international law and current issues in international law; provides members in-person access to many of the top international firms; allows members the opportunity to meet leading scholars in the field; offers guidance and advice on career paths in the fields of public and private international law; and provides opportunities for American and international law students and alumni to form connections with each other that span the globe after graduation from Columbia Law School.

Contact: [email protected] Website: blogs.law.columbia.edu/csil 

Student Public Interest Network

The Student Public Interest Network (SPIN) strives to build a community for students interested in pursuing public interest law and provide a network for public interest collaboration at CLS. SPIN defines “public interest law” broadly, including plans to work in a non-profit, the government, an international organization, or a for-profit institution that does public interest work, either directly after law school or at a later time. SPIN is deliberately a cross-issue student group, one that welcomes students who are interested in all issues within public interest law. SPIN has monthly social events and mentoring programs, and provides public interest career support through events, panels, and trips to public interest law conferences.

Contact: [email protected] Website: http://blogs.law.columbia.edu/spin/ 

Law in Africa Student Society

The Law in Africa Student Society represents the interests of, and brings together, students who identify with the continent, to create a community on campus. We provide a forum for students, professors, and professionals to meet and pursue their interest in African cultures, societies, legal jurisprudence, and job opportunities. Our goal is to sponsor and support formal and informal events that provide insight into African law and culture, and into current issues concerning the relationship between Africa, the United States, and the rest of the world. We organize events together with African student societies at Columbia's other schools, build a network between current members and alumni, engage in pro bono projects focused on the continent, and support curricular development through reading groups and seminars.

Contact: [email protected] 

Empowering Women of Color

Empowering Women of Color (EWOC) exists to champion diverse women at Columbia Law School in light of the unique challenges they face in the legal profession. The group provides a safe space for collaboration and dialogue about issues relevant to women of color, supports members in their development as full participants in academic, professional, and personal communities, and strives to ensure that the greater Columbia Law School community is an environment where all members feel valued, respected, and empowered.

Contact: [email protected]