Global Engagement

Cincinnati Law offers an impressive range of opportunities for students to pursue their interests in the global practice of law—both inside and outside the classroom.

Whether working to advance human rights abroad through the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, competeing internationally in the Wilem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, editing articles for leading Immigration and Human Rights Journals, or participating in the International Law Society, one of the largest student organization at the law school, students have access to a robust selection of international opportunities.

Founded in 1979, the Urban Morgan Institute was the first endowed institute at an American law school devoted to international human rights law and has long been a world leader in legal education and human rights scholarship. For more than four decades, the Urban Morgan Institute (UMI) has educated and trained human rights lawyers who promote and protect human rights in the international arena.

Established at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, the Institute now serves as a model for many other human rights programs. The Urban Morgan Institute offers many opportunities, both inside the classroom and beyond, for students who are interested in international law and human rights. At the core of the Institute’s success is the Human Rights Quarterly, recognized as the leading academic journal in the human rights field. The Quarterly covers the range of human rights issues encompassed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, the Human Rights Quarterly is edited by Cincinnati Law students who are overseen by Professor Bert Lockwood, Editor-in-Chief and Director of the Institute.

Recently, UMI hosted “The Sir Nigel Rodley Human Rights Conference” that brought together important human rights advocates to pay tribute to the late Sir Nigel Rodley, one of the giants in the human rights field. The quality of the discussions of human rights issues was excellent, and UMI students played a pivotal role making our distinguished guests feel welcome in Cincinnati. UMI’s next major conference will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019. Through the course of the year, human rights activists and delegations from around the world participate in our Distinguished Visitors Program. The format typically includes a dinner conversation with human rights students, and these dinners often become some of the students’ most informative and memorable moments in law school.

Students working on the Human Rights Quarterly may also choose to participate in our Summer Experience Program which provides placement opportunities in human rights organizations around the world. Cincinnati Law students have interned in places like Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Chile, China, Colombia, Ireland, India, Nepal, South Africa, Spain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Uganda.

Since the founding of the Urban Morgan Institute, Arthur Russell Morgan fellowships have been offered to a number of outstanding students who demonstrate a commitment to international human rights. Each year the Institute awards five fellowships to incoming first-years at the College of Law. The fellowships carry stipends for both the academic year and the summer externship placement after the first year of law school.

If you are interested in being considered early for this fellowship opportunity, please apply here.