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Training Design and Methodology
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Since its inception, ILI-ACLE has been committed to providing internships to students interested in international trade and development issues in the sub-Saharan region. The aim is to expose foreign law students to the Ugandan legal system, and to stimulate interaction between Ugandan law students and students from abroad. Interns are involved fully in the workings of the Centre, and are encouraged to formulate independent projects concerning legal capacity building in developing nations and international commercial law. The internship is unpaid but the Institute provides assistance in locating housing. Applicants must currently be enrolled in law school. Students interested in interning at ILI-ACLE should contact the Executive Director, Swithin Munyantwali at ILI-ACLE, with a resume, cover letter and writing sample. Meet the Interns ILI-ACLE hosts interns from all around the world throughout the year. Here is what some previous interns have to say about their experience at the Institute:
Name: Megan Herberger School: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Country: USA Internship Period: May-August 2007 My internship at the International Law Institute--African Centre for Legal Excellence exposed me to an entirely new world within the legal profession. As an American law student who just finished my first year of law school, I previously had little time or opportunity to really stop and think about what I was learning, or reflect on how the information from my classes could be beneficial in doing some sort of good in the world. Through this internship, I saw an example of the kind of achievements that were possible through the ILI-ACLE's use of the law to create change in individuals, countries, and societies. As I became more deeply involved in my various assigned projects and responsibilities, I began to understand the true value of the Institute's contribution to capacity enhancement on the African continent. My main project was writing the final evaluation report for the Austrian Development Scholarship Programme. This was a donor-funded programme that provided scholarships for over 90 legal and related professionals from Burundi, Rwanda , Kenya and Uganda to attend ILI-ACLE seminars on topics such as good governance, development, human rights, regional integration and trade, among others. My main task was to asses how well the project achieved its original goals and objectives. I created a general questionnaire and got in touch with the program participants, asking them about how the seminar information impacted them in their professional lives, and how they were further using it to impact their communities and countries. I was personally inspired by the participants' experiences. For example, I loved hearing how a female financial officer working in a loan department used her newfound mediation skills to help ensure that wives received the same rights as their husbands in getting loans on their home equity; a human resource officer used her knowledge on the legal issues surrounding HIV/AIDS to help infected employees fight against stigma and discrimination in their employment; and a development professional used the strategies shared in a seminar to guide impoverished villagers on turning their limited resources into economic capital by forming sustainable businesses. The stories went on and on about how the scholarship program participants were directly applying some of the skills and knowledge they had acquired from the seminars they attended at ILI-ACLE. All this information and data was compiled into comprehensive report. This experience provided me with a practical perspective on the usefulness of the theories, ideas, and strategies I was learning in my own legal education. The law is a powerful tool for creating good governance, fighting poverty, ensuring equal protection of rights and freedoms for all, and generally improving all aspects of daily life. I was also simultaneously involved in many other interesting projects. For example, I helped with the various legal seminars that were running at the institute. This included interacting with legal professionals from different countries in Africa through lunches, field trips, and daily activities. I formed lasting friendships with the participants, and gained many useful professional contacts by talking with the faculty—these people represented some of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts in their respective fields around the globe, but they were all very open and ready to talk with me about their work, global issues, and my own career interests. I was given the task of both redesigning and updating the content for the Institute's website. This involved doing a lot of research and writing about ILI-ACLE's past, present, and future activities. It was a very challenging but enjoyable project which greatly enhanced my website design skills. I also appreciated the value of the project as a reflection of what an amazing, progressive, and influential place the Institute is. I was also involved in editing various written projects and legislation, as well as researching and putting together a biannual e-newsletter for the Institute's Board Members. I thoroughly enjoyed all the friendships I made at the Institute. The staff was extremely friendly and social—they really were the ones that made the experience so special and enjoyable for me. They genuinely cared about me from day one, and we enjoyed both our times together in the office, as well as various outings around Kampala. I will never forget them, and have already made plans to come back and visit soon. As I leave ILI-ACLE, I will take with me many friends and professional contacts, and I will also take a new appreciation for my legal education and how it can be used to hopefully make a difference. I had both an interest and passion for Africa even before I came for this internship, but these have greatly been strengthened by my time here at the Institute. I plan to go back for my second year of law school and pursue a concentration in International Law. I later hope to obtain an LLM in International Human Rights. I plan to be involved in working on African legal issues for a very long time, and will always view this internship as the foundation for my professional activities.
Name: Adrian Smith School: New York University Law School Country: USA Internship Period: May-August 2007 At the International Law Institute – African Centre for Legal Excellence (ILI-ACLE), I was able to see how the rule of law directly influences social and economic development. As an intern I was exposed to many interesting projects. Among the most notable were the COMESA Public Procurement Reform Project, the Enhanced Public Procurement Reform Project and the Rwanda Commercial Law Reform Project. Both of the public procurement projects were COMESA-wide initiatives designed to develop the infrastructure and capacity necessary to create a single public procurement process across the 20 Member States. I enjoyed this project because I gained a better understanding of the benefits that regional integration agreements offer and I was able to see how ILI-ACLE, the lead consultant, coordinated its efforts with the COMESA Secretariat, Member States, and its own staff of consultants in the development of a three year implementation plan. I began my internship with ILI-ACLE, as it was just completing the Rwanda Commercial Law Reform Project. This project involved drafting the16 laws that currently comprise the entirety of Rwanda 's business and commercial law. As a first year law student I consider myself privileged to have been exposed to the process of drafting the commercial laws. As part my research into the Ugandan economy, ILI-ACLE put me in touch with executives at the following organizations: Uganda Investment Authority, Capital Markets Authority, Uganda Securities Exchange and the Micro-Finance Support Centre Ltd. Based on interviews with those executives, I was able to write a report that emphasized the role that good governance and government lead capacity building played in the development of Uganda 's economy and the creation of its capital markets. As a result of this experience not only have I made professional connections as well as personal friends, I have been able to clarify my academic and professional goals. When I return to law school I intend to take courses that focus on Competition Policy, International Trade, International Financial Institutions and the Rule of Law. In addition this internship has helped me focus on a career in international development and finance.
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