Opportunities for Students Interested in Southeast Asia

The following are two opportunities for students interested in Southeast Asia:


1. Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia International Legal Studies Internship Program

Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia ("BABSEA") is preparing to host the 6th Annual BABSEA International Legal Studies Internship Program from May through August 2009. The internship program seeks to connect the skills of aspiring lawyers and law-related persons from around the world with a project that will give them insight into social justice and public interest law internationally and specifically in Southeast Asia. The internship aims to produce a tangible work product that will be utilized in the communities in which BABSEA work, and will directly result in disadvantaged populations gaining greater awareness of and access to their legal systems, as well as helping to provide support to our partner universities and organizations.

Deadline for Applications:
The deadline for early acceptance consideration is January 15, 2009 and the overall deadline for applications is February 15th, 2009. Later applications may be considered depending on circumstances.

More information is available at www.babsea.org.


2. The Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington (VABAW)’s Hong Duc Clerkship

The Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington (VABAW)’s Hong Duc Clerkship provides a law student with the opportunity to clerk at an international law firm in Vietnam for summer 2009. The Clerkship Recipient has the unique opportunity to learn about the local cultures and customs firsthand while living in Vietnam and to learn about international and comparative law by working at a major law firm. The Clerkship will award up to a total of $5,000, with approximately $2,000 applied to a round-trip airfare ticket to Vietnam and a maximum of $1,000 for each month of the Clerkship paid directly to the Clerkship Recipient for living expenses. The Clerkship Recipient is matched with one of the following participating law firms: Baker & McKenzie; Duane Morris LLP; Fraser Law Company; Lovells; Mayer Brown JSM; Tilleke & Gibbins; and VILAF-Hong Duc.

The participating law firm will provide the Clerkship recipient with meaningful legal work, including but not limited to conducting legal research, preparing legal documents, and other related legal. The Clerkship program was not created to provide long-term, post-law-school graduation employment for the Clerkship Recipient. However, the participating law firm has discretion to review such option and extend such employment to the Clerkship Recipient directly. Because VABAW fully funds the Clerkship, the law firm is prohibited from paying the Clerkship Recipient any additional stipend for summer 2009 (excluding complimentary social meals, law firm summer retreat activities, etc.). The Clerkship Recipient is also not allowed to split his/her summer.

Applicants will be evaluated by VABAW based upon the following criteria: (1) overall academic background; (2) community service involvement; (3) professional interests; (4) communication skills; (5) personal statement; (6) references; (7) writing abilities; (8) resume; (9) connection to Washington state; (10) connection to or interest in the Vietnamese American community; and (11) interview (for out of state applicants, VABAW will arrange for a telephonic or video interview).

All application materials must be received by February 2, 2009, by 5 pm (PST).

Application materials may be submitted in one of two ways:

By hard copy (postal or express mail only; no personal deliveries will be accepted) to Thuy Nguyen-Leeper, 1015 Third Avenue, Floor 12, Seattle, WA 98104; or

By legible pdf copy via email to Thuy.NguyenLeeper@expeditors.com.

Both a pdf and word version of the application is available on the CDO Student Portal in the Private Sector folder.