The Day-to-Day work of a Human Rights Lawyer

Human rights lawyers engage with one of the most comprehensive areas of the law there is and work across a huge variety of important legal subjects. While much of their day-to-day work is like other lawyers, the broad nature of their work means it is defined by specific experiences.

In this article we will discuss the kind of work that dominates the day-to-day duties of a human rights lawyer.

What is Human Rights Law?

Human rights law is typically said to cover issues relating to human dignity, civil rights, and equality. It is by far one of the broadest (and most important) areas of the law.

Human rights was originally outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In the UK human rights became their own aspect of the law in 2000 under the Human Rights Act 1998. The act covers a variety of rights, from the right to life to freedom from degrading treatment to the right to a fair trial.

The broad nature of the human rights act means that the application of human rights can come up in matters concerning the right to work, the right to education, refugee and immigration rights, and discrimination.

Lawyers specialising in human rights law tend to defend and define the laws which surround violations of human rights, effectively working to ensure human beings can maintain them properly. Many human rights lawyers specialise in subjects. These include,

Workers’ rights and labour rights
Freedom of speech
Racial discrimination
Refugee and immigration rights
Domestic abuse
Prisoners’ rights and the treatment of prisoners
LGBTQ rights

Many of the issues involved in human rights work is highly contentious, especially immigration and refugee related matters.

What do Human Rights lawyers do?

In effect, a human rights lawyer’s job is to defend and uphold human rights. Their actual work is largely the same as any other lawyer, so they will often spend their time researching material for cases, talking with clients, and negotiating with representatives of other parties. They will also of course spend their time in court representing clients.

What really differentiates human rights lawyers from other lawyers is the kind of cases they are handling. Because human rights law is such a broad area a human rights lawyer will require a broad understanding of many different laws, from immigration law to family law. Often a human rights lawyer will have experience in many areas, and the best human rights lawyers are highly experienced in practically every time of law.

The clients of human rights lawyers vary hugely as well. Typically, human rights law clients are those people who believe their civil liberties have been violated or abused – either by another individual or public authorities. A common case are people who feel they have been discriminated against in work for a disability or mental illness. Another common issue are prisoners who feel they have been abused by staff.

Like with any other lawyer, a human rights lawyer will need to talk with their client regularly to ascertain the full facts of the case. They will gather statements, evidence, and research the relevant laws. Like other lawyers it’s vital they research previous cases to better understand what their client is dealing with. It is vital they can do this successfully as it will provide them the ability to negotiate with the representative of other parties.

Research

Research is often an underplayed element when it comes to the practice of law, and the typical image of lawyers, solicitors, and barristers does not consider the extensive academic research they have to do. Lawyers must be able to understand the cases they are engaging with and so must look at how previous cases and laws have been argued to formulate their own arguments. They also of course must understand the facts of the case, so they do not make costly errors.

Specialisation and working practices

Where a human rights lawyer focusses on will tend to depend on how they are employed by and working for.

Government employed human rights lawyers tend to focus on ensuring the policies of government departments comply with human rights legislation, for example. Private practice human rights lawyers on the other hand may be conducting proceedings against the government, targeting discriminatory practices or potential violations of important laws. Others will be engaged in similar proceedings against large organisations or businesses. Many human rights lawyers provide advice to the police.

Pro bono (voluntary) work is a common practice for many human rights lawyers and is frequently the bulk of many human rights lawyer’s jobs. This is often taking up the case of an individual relating to their speciality and providing them with assistance. Many human rights lawyers have cut their teeth performing pro-bono work and it is often considered a vital part of working in the field. It is also often a source of excellent experience, and many human rights lawyers have developed their careers via work in NGOs and charities.

The character and skills of a human rights lawyer

Human rights lawyer above all else requires a huge deal of empathy and patience. The cases they face are often very demanding and many clients are extremely vulnerable.

Other skills required are academic ability – the qualifications required to enter law, combined with the need for research of previous cases, makes academic ability invaluable. There is also resilience – work hours are long and demanding, not to mention the stressful nature of cases.