Internships

Overview

The LAC offers dynamic internships to law students and law graduates in the following areas:

• Social Justice Project
• Gender Equality & Awareness
• Land Rights & Environmental Law

Criteria
Applications will be assessed on the basis of the their suitability and the present needs of the organisation. Please provide a time frame for your stay and a CV together with your application.

Interns should be willing to commit to:

• A minimum of three months time frame. Priority will be given to applicants who are able to commit to a longer period of time.
• Obtaining their own funding since the LAC cannot assist with accommodation, transport and living allowances.
• Interns also please must read our policy on employment. .

Interested candidates should apply to the LAC in writing via email.

Testimonials

I felt very welcome at the LAC (and especially GR&AP) from the very first day on. I was entrusted with different kinds of assignments which allowed me to get an insight into a broad variety of topics relevant in Namibia. I also got to accompany staff members to workshops around town, which was a very enriching experience! A big thank you to everyone who I met through the LAC, I very much enjoyed working with & learning from you.
Felicitas Rachinger, 2020

The time has gone too fast!.
I am very glad to have met everyone of you.
Thank you for being so kind, warm and welcoming and to always offer help when I needed. LAC is a very special place because of all of you. A special thanks to all at GRAP. Thank you for all the guidance and the good memories you have given me to take along.
Negin Namaei Hesari

“I must say the work here is satisfying in both substance and procedure. The exposure tentacles into different areas, which allows you to experience a variety of areas of the law. I have managed to work on over 20 files though not in great detail. LAC is like a think tank of free spirits and genius’s with the end goal of bettering the next person’s situation with the acquired skill. It is an oasis of knowledge and learning on a daily, which is helping me shape myself into a great lawyer. You actually see the practical side of a lawyers work infinitely here, from consultation, to research straight through into and after litigation. The resource base, amplifies my mental library without any or little limitation. The staff is friendly and ever willing to lend a helping hand from whatever department on matters you might need help or advice in. The cases especially under SJP create a real impact, not only for those individuals involved but also for society as they set precedent for human rights and the standard in which people are to be treated with. I really love the journey and hope I continue learning more so I give back more.
My only regret is I did not seek guidance or an opportunity with the institution earlier though I had read and heard about its work. I am grateful to be part of a team that shifts mindsets and creates access to justice as this one.”
Immanuel Tomas (currently at LAC – SJP)

“Being part of the ever committed diverse team of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) is, for me, truly a blessing that many can only dream of. The working environment, humility and resourcefulness of all LAC’s staffs and most of all the guaranteed unparalleled opportunity for me to learn more in a shorter time really inspire me. Above all, the greatness of my attachment at the LAC imbedded in fact that I am being capacitated in seeking legal recourse in public interest matters in our society. So I undertake to use this opportunity to cultivate the LAC’s fertile land to be able to competently provide public interest oriented legal services to the benefit all in our Namibian society and beyond.”
Moses Moses (currently at LAC – LEAD)

“I started at LAC in March 2019, as a new law graduate. My decision to apply to intern/volunteer at LAC was largely influenced by LAC being a public institution that is dedicated to tackling human rights issues and more so; offering services to those who are in no position to afford legal services but desperately need it. Pursuing a career in law for me means using the platform and both my skills and knowledge to add value and create sustainable change to the communities around me. The purpose ultimately remains serving as opposed to looking for ways to take.
Coming here, I must admit that there was an identifiable disconnect between the conceptual knowledge acquired in law school and the practical application of the same knowledge. Being at LAC allows me to move from concepts to enforcing wat I studied. It challenges my thinking capacity and it has taught me how to become even more committed in producing excellent work. I am constantly reminded that all the work I do is directly connected to the chance of a client having better access to their rights and being able to enforce these rights successfully.
Additionally, I am challenged to think big scale and to remain intentional in my professional capacity. I think the biggest privilege for me is the ability to be mentored and guided by leaders who are diligent in their work, have a passion for social issues and remain willing to pour into the development of interns like myself.
I have plans to be around for a while and depending on where the next step in my life leads me, and potentially become permanently employed by LAC. However, that remains unknown. In this moment I am simply dedicated to learning as much as I can and using my skills and natural talents to push forward the vision of LAC as an organisation.
Beyond grateful to be part of this team.”
Umunee Matundu July 2019 (SJP)

“I would highly recommend an internship with the LAC to anybody with an interest in law, advocacy, human rights and the work of NGOs. My time with the Gender Research and Advocacy Project gave me work (and life!) experience that I would never have been exposed to back home in the UK. From researching information to assist the government with legal reform, to helping design and distribute publications aimed at all Namibians, the work I was given by GRAP was real, important and has a meaningful impact on society. They are also especially accommodating by allowing interns to see the practical follow-up processes to the projects they are working on.

GRAP entrusted me with important and demanding work which encouraged me to explore new challenges and required lateral thinking about varied and interesting legal and human rights issues; as an aspiring lawyer, this was perfect for me. Additionally, the internship tested all sorts of skills: social, writing, design, research, and presentation and took place in Namibia’s beautiful and fascinating environs.  The fantastic and friendly staff and social events are a definite a perk too.
I can’t thank the lovely people at the LAC enough for such a fascinating and unique opportunity!
Ewan Bruce, Aspiring Lawyer and MA (Hons) International Relations & Modern History student at the University of St Andrews

As a volunteer at the LAC, I’ve had the unparalleled experience of both being entrusted with, and mentored in, legal work that I find truly meaningful.  It is rare to find an organization so effective and passionate that it is able to provide interns and volunteers with the opportunity to work hard and feel that they have contributed even in a small way to furthering human rights.  My time with the LAC has been useful, interesting, and most of all, a privilege
Cindy Cho, Fulbright Scholar with the Gender Research & Advocacy Project and the Aids Law Unit. 2009-2010

My eight month internship with the Gender Research and Advocacy Project at the Legal Assistance Centre was a tremendously enriching experience on both a personal and professional level. I gained considerable experience in the areas of legal and field research, public engagement, and policy development and law reform initiatives. As part of field work I conducted for several studies, I had the opportunity to travel throughout the country and to see first-hand the impact of the LAC’s work in communities across Namibia. It is inspiring and rewarding to work for an organization that is so obviously dedicated to the fight for human rights and gender equality, and which has an undeniable impact on improving the legal system, justice and equality for all in Namibia. I am grateful to the talented and dedicated women of the Gender Research and Advocacy Project for offering me such an outstanding opportunity.
Christina Beninger, a Canadian lawyer from the Canadian Bar Association Young Lawyers International Program, funded by the Canadian International
Development Agency, 2011

I could recommend an internship at the Legal Assistance Centre to anyone interested in human rights, development, gender issues and legal reform. During my time at LAC I got to meet many interesting people who not only did interesting and important things for Namibia, but who also proved to be helpful with my research and fun to spend time with. While working at LAC you get a feeling of the influence that the organization has in Namibia – it is an amazing and informative experience to be part of an organization that truly makes a difference in many different ways. Moreover, due to the huge amount of work that LAC takes up, you get to do interesting and important work as an intern and you get many responsibilities once you have proven to be up for the challenge!
Eline Peters, Master’s student with the University of Amsterdam

“I came to GRAP at LAC to conduct research for my doctoral dissertation in political science. To this end, my experience in Windhoek was a tremendous success. GRAP gave me the connections that I needed to find existing resources on my dissertation topic as well as the guidance to conduct original research. My fieldwork would not have been nearly as successful without the support of GRAP. At a personal level, the staff at LAC made my time in Windhoek a joy and made Namibia a place I hope to return to some day soon.”
Amanda Clayton, PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at
the University of Washington, USA

“I would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone in GR&AP for welcoming me into the GR&AP family. It was a privilege and pleasure to work with such a dedicated and talented team of people. Each of you enriched my life in so many ways, that I cannot even begin to describe.”
Sharon Fox, a Canadian lawyer from the Canadian Bar
Association Young Lawyers International Program, funded by the Canadian International
Development Agency, 2013