From women’s rights issues in Sierra Leone to landmine surveillance in indigenous territories in Colombia, 16 Chayes International Public Service Fellows from Harvard Law School are working in 11 countries this summer with governmental or non-governmental organizations concerned with issues of an international scope or relevant to countries in transition. Below are photos from this year’s Chayes Fellows from their time abroad.
Rachel Anderson ’26 – AdvocAid, Sierra Leone
Rachel Anderson ’26 (third from left) is working with AdvocAid, an NGO that works to ensure that women and girls in Sierra Leone are educated and empowered to fully access their legal and human rights. Her projects have included coordinating advocacy around a childhood marriage case before the court of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) Court of Justice.
Mason Barnard ’26 – International Commission of Jurists, Belgium
In his placement in Brussels, Mason Barnard ’26 has been drafting comments on pending EU legislation on the rights of children and conducting research on judicial independence protections under EU and domestic law to support potential strategic litigation. He has also enjoyed some local travel, including this hiking trip in the Pyrenees.
Elena Ivanova ’26 – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United Kingdom
In her placement in London, Elena Ivanova ’26 has been assisting with drafting documents and negotiating financial covenants and terms for transactions that facilitate the sustainability objectives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and she has drafted a memo on the issue of unfair competition. She has also enjoyed visiting other cities in the UK, including Canterbury (pictured here).
Sarah Boxer ’25 – European Court of Human Rights, France
During her summer in Strasbourg, Sarah Boxer ’25 has focused her projects on researching the European Court of Human Rights Court’s case law, a paper on the intersection of cultural heritage and human rights, and memoranda on forced arbitration and human rights and climate change and human rights. She was also able to observe the much-anticipated Grand Chamber hearing for Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia.
Supriya Mishra ’26 – Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas, Colombia
Supriya Mishra ’26 has been researching U.S. and Colombian laws and United Nations Security Council resolutions to help Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas develop a compliance manual for landmine surveillance in indigenous territories across Colombia. She is pictured here on a visit to an organic coffee, cacao, and panela farm in the town of Jardín.
Julia Kepczynska ’26 – TRIAL International, Bosnia and Herzegovina
At TRIAL International in Sarajevo, Julia Kepczynska ’26 has conducted in-depth legal analyses of a recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights on the acquittal of military officials convicted of crimes during the Holocaust and its relevance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a decision by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia holding senior Serbian State Security officers guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Ruth Teklu ’26 – Media Legal Defence Initiative, United Kingdom
Based in London, the Media Legal Defence Initiative provides legal aid to journalists, citizen journalists, and independent media through litigation in domestic and regional courts and amicus briefs for ongoing litigation. Working with the organization, Ruth Teklu ’26 has conducted legal and factual research on issues of freedom of expression and engaged in a research project on third-party standing in various domestic law jurisdictions throughout Europe.
Michael Pusic ’26 – International IDEA, Tunisia
At his placement in Tunis, Michael Pusic ’26 has been working on synthesizing International IDEA’s recommendations to re-start the Libyan peace process to present to the UN mediator on the conflict, and on researching potential options for the federal government of Iraq and the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan to share oil and gas rights and resolve broader issues of federalism.
Clara Chiu ’26 – United Nations International Law Commission, Switzerland
Clara Chiu ’26 has spent the summer in Geneva at the United Nations International Law Commission, focusing on issues of sea level rise and piracy as well as armed robbery at sea. She is pictured here with commission member Andreas Mavroyiannis (center) and a colleague at a reception marking the commission’s 75th anniversary.
Monica Dey ’26 – Climate Whistleblowers, France
Monica Dey ’26 is working in Paris with Climate Whistleblowers, an NGO dedicated to protecting individuals who expose wrongdoings that worsen the climate crisis. She has conducted research on consumer protection, defamation law, and U.S. legal frameworks that could be used to protect whistleblowers.
Sophia Kontos ’26 – UNIDROIT, Italy
Sophia Kontos ’26 (third from left, with fellow interns) has spent the summer in Rome, conducting research and drafting reports on issues ranging from the consideration of benefits for the U.S. to accede to the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects to Montenegrin property laws.
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