THE LEGAL ASSISTANCE CENTRE (LAC), WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA 

My work with the LAC mainly consisted of research, writing, editing, and attending stakeholder meetings. The content of my assignments was quite varied, including researching and writing a report comparing international law to existing domestic law and suggesting improvements; writing plain language chapters for a manual on new legislation; writing fact sheets on topics such as divorce and the International Criminal Court; representing LAC at meetings on gender-based violence; assisting with training sessions for the government, police, and NGOs on gender-related issues; and digging through old texts in libraries to find pre-Independence regulations for an annotated legislation compilation. GR&AP is quite small so interns are heavily relied upon – which means you get interesting work and your time is valued.

Outside of work, life in Namibia has been amazing. The people I’ve met have been very friendly and welcoming. Thanks to this experience, I’ve developed friendships that will continue past the end of my placement. The experiences gained, both professional and personal, have made participating in YLIP such an amazing opportunity. I would gladly recommend YLIP to any young lawyers interested in international work. If I could, I would do it all over again!