Since January 2009, interns and volunteers have been involved in legal research, writing concept papers, and assisting with publications and communications. To date, eight people have participated and two are currently based in the Cape Town office. The program seeks to give work experience to students or recent graduates studying within the framework of environmental law or sustainable development, while at the same time benefiting from relationship-building with individuals, organizations, and academic institutions.

We seek committed individuals with experience and/or a keen interest in environmental law who intend to spend at least 3 months with us. Please note that we are unable to provide remuneration at this point. If you are interested in applying for an internship or to volunteer, visit our Get Involved page for more information.

CURRENT INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS

Stephanie Booker: Stephanie is an Australian lawyer who has worked in the field of immigration for the last four years. She recently completed a Masters in Human Rights Law at Monash University, Melbourne. She has a keen interest in the links between human rights and environmental law and hopes to explore the connections whilst volunteering for Natural Justice in Cape Town.

Johan Lorenzen: Johan joined Natural Justice after working for a few years in communications, reporting and policy for various development and/or advocacy organisations primarily based out of Kampala, Uganda. He is supporting Natural Justice’s communications work and helping out on the African BCP Initiative while studying for an LLB at the University of Cape Town.

PREVIOUS INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS

Sylva Ntumba Batshi (University of Western Cape, South Africa): Sylva is an LLM Masters law student and is in the process of completing his studies in International Environmental Law and Trade law (expected in 2011). He has a keen interest in environmental law, particularly its impact on trade. He has focused his thesis on this topic, which is entitled, “An analysis of the legal and economic aspects of the link between trade and climate change”. Sylva also has work experience as an Electoral Official for the Electoral Independent Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Roshan Khan (Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan): Roshan has completed a BA in Anthropology, Psychology, and Literature, and a law degree that involved topics such as globalization, ethics, and human rights, jurisprudence, and Muslim law. Her main areas of interest are public policy, international law, and environmental law. With Natural Justice, she assisted in researching and drafting a concept note around the notion of a Traditional Knowledge Commons.

Tarryn Lawrence (University of Cape Town, South Africa): Tarryn attended the Hoodia Stakeholder Meeting convened by Natural Justice in January 2009. Following this experience, she conducted research and contributed to the Natural Justice website.

Isabelle de Louvrier (Georgetown University, USA): Isabelle’s interest and studies in Justice and Peace and African Studies led to her to intern with Natural Justice while studying at the University of Cape Town from August to October 2009. During her internship, she assisted with researching and writing a paper on Marine Coastal Genetic Resources.

Misha Rehman (Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan): Misha is passionate about Public International Law, Environmental Law, Human Rights, and Public Interest Litigation. Her interest in these fields has been largely due to her perception of the needs, rights, and privileges of the people of a Southern country like Pakistan. Misha is inclined towards working for the community in a manner that brings progress and well-being for a society that has long been suffering from multi-faceted impediments. With this in mind, she investigated the possibility of applying biocultural community protocols within her own local context, drafting a paper on the subject and providing legal advice to a local NGO in Pakistan.

Mikey Salter (University of Georgia School of Law, USA): Mikey received his BA in Latin, Philosophy, and Classical Culture from the University of Georgia and is beginning his second year at the University of Georgia School of Law. He is studying environmental and international law and is the vice president of the Environmental Law Association and 2012 Red Clay Conference Co-Chair.

Rob Wilson (University of Calgary, Canada): Rob’s current field of study thus far has been in general legal studies, however, he intends focusing on resource law, environmental law, and business law. He has completed both an honours BA and a Masters degree in political science and maintains a strong interest in international relations and political economy. While interning with Natural Justice, Rob did research on forestry issues, coastal marine resource management, and traditional healers in South Africa.

Jenah Zweig (University of Georgia School of Law, USA): Jenah Zweig received her BA from the University of Southern California and is currently studying at the University of Georgia School of Law. Her work at Natural Justice focused on the Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme analysis regarding the Blyde River Hydropower Plant and traditional medicine. She also provided resource lists and other information for the Natural Justice website. As a 2009 Equal Justice Fellow and 2010 Red Clay Conference Co-Chair, volunteering at Natural Justice has served as a catalyst for a future in public interest work and environmental law at the international level.