In sintesi
Join our Law internship in Ghana to gain invaluable experience in the legal field. You’ll work at a law legal aid centre, and gain a deeper insight into a developing country’s judicial system. You’ll learn directly from local lawyers, which will add valuable work experience to your CV and help your future career.
Your work will focus on providing legal support for human rights disputes. This means that you’ll work with organisations that offer legal advice to people who don’t usually have access to lawyers. Many of their clients earn a small income and can’t afford to take matters to court, so you’ll gain work experience and help those in need at the same time.
You will live with a local host family in the bustling city of Accra. Make the most of this time to learn more about the local culture, customs, and eat loads of delicious traditional food.
Is Law in Ghana the right internship for me?
Would you like to gain legal work experience in a developing country? Are you passionate about helping people in need? Then our Law Internship in Ghana is perfect for you.
You’ll learn from experienced lawyers, and work alongside paralegals and legal clerks. You can use this experience to boost your CV, and it will give you interesting points to talk about in interviews and applications.
You don’t need previous experience to join this project. We’ll assign work to you based on your skill and experience. Large volumes of work and complex cases are only assigned to interns with relevant skills and experience. The work assigned to you is also dependent on which cases we take on while you’re in Ghana.
This programme runs year-round, with a short two week break over Christmas and New Year. You can join at any other time for a minimum of four weeks. We recommend staying longer to learn more and work on a larger number of cases. You’ll also return home with more law work experience from your time in Ghana.
What will I do at my Law placement in Ghana?
As a Law intern in Ghana, you will be working alongside local lawyers, paralegals, and clerks in a professional environment. You can expect to perform some of the following tasks:
- Help local lawyers with important administrative legal tasks, such as drafting documents
- Observe local legal practitioners as they work with clients and in court
- Work directly with clients to help them prepare for their cases
- Assist with cases from our Human Rights Project in Ghana
Your work will focus on these areas:
Administrative tasks
During your Law internship in Ghana, you may encounter any number of administrative legal tasks similar to those found in a law firm in your own country.
These may include:
- Registering new applicants
- Conducting interviews
- Attending court
- Drafting legal documents.
Through this work, you will also get an insight into the legal and human rights challenges people face everyday in Ghana. One day, you may help out with a child maintenance case and the next with a probate landlord.
Observe local legal professionals at work
When you aren’t busy with administrative tasks, you will be able to attend court and observe live cases. This is a great opportunity to see Ghana’s legal system in action. Since you will be accompanying resident lawyers from the organisation you’ll be working at, you may be expected to take notes. These could be used to refer back to at a later stage, so be thorough!
Interact with clients
The local lawyers you work with may ask you to help with various client meetings. This could include preparing them with information for their upcoming case, or interviewing them about their side of the story.
The types of cases dealt with vary depending on your placement, but often include:
- Constitutional matters
- Probate (wills and inheritance)
- Landlord/tenant
- Family, custody, child maintenance, and matrimonial disputes
- Criminal
- Property
- Contracts
- Employment
- Personal injury/negligence
Assisting with the Human Rights Project
In addition to your full time law placement in Ghana, you could assist our interns in the Human Rights Project. Your legal knowledge and experience will no doubt enhance these projects.
This can include conducting in-house seminars, assisting with office research, or attending one of our advocacy and outreach sessions. You may also assist in training and mediation in more community-based dispute resolution settings.
The availability of this work will depend on our current Human Rights Project, as well as your experience, interests, and personal schedule.
Where you will be working as a Law intern in Ghana
Accra
You will be based in the city of Accra. Here, you will work at a legal aid centre.
With a population of 2.7 million people, Accra is the largest city in Ghana and also the country’s capital. There is plenty to see and do in your free time and over weekends. We encourage you to make the most of your time in Ghana and explore with other Projects Abroad interns and volunteers.
A typical day as a Law intern in Ghana
As a Law intern in Ghana, your typical working hours will be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
You will normally start your mornings in the office at your placement. The first hour or two of the day will be dedicated to helping with legal administration. This may include drafting legal documents and affidavits, and conducting legal research.
By late morning, you may either accompany one of the local lawyers to court or interact with clients. The latter may include registering new cases, conducting interviews, or preparing clients for their cases.
You will get an hour and a half break over lunch time. If your host family lives close by, you could head home to eat and have a short rest. Alternatively, you will be able to enjoy a packed lunch.
Afternoons are normally divided between going to court and continuing with administrative tasks. If you had been to court earlier, you may be expected to prepare some notes for a discussion. If you’ve been working with clients, you would be able to complete filing their most recent case information.
Evenings and weekends are your free time to explore, rest, and relax. Accra has a lively atmosphere and some fabulous restaurants. You can use weekends to adventure slightly further afield. Head out on a hiking trail in the mountains, take a trip to the beach, or visit a nature reserve.
What are the aims and impacts of the Law Internship in Ghana?
The aim of this project is to expand your knowledge about law and give you insight into the judicial system of a developing country.
You will work alongside local lawyers, paralegals and clerks in a professional environment, and learn from them. This will add valuable practical experience to your CV, which will help you with your career or postgraduate studies.
This project also has an altruistic goal. In Ghana, getting legal help can be a lengthy and expensive process. This makes it difficult for disadvantaged people to settle disputes and fight for their rights in courts. As a legal intern working at a placement like the Ghana Legal Aid Scheme, you can help these people take their cases further.
You can also support the work we do at the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office in Accra. Here, we deal with a range of issues, from domestic violence to child labour.
Join us as a Law intern in Ghana and kickstart your legal career in a different country.
Volontariato per professionisti
Questo programma è perfetto anche per professionisti qualificati. Sarai inserito in un progetto dove le tue competenze sono necessarie. Grazie alla tua esperienza, il nostro impatto può essere ancora più grande.
Potrai condividere la tua conoscenza con gli altri e collaborare con le nostre organizzazioni partner e le comunità locali per sostenere lo sviluppo sostenibile.
Se hai competenze o qualifiche particolari, scopri come puoi utilizzarle per contribuire ai nostri progetti.
Misurare il nostro impatto
Ogni anno, definiamo degli obiettivi specifici per ogni progetto e ci impegnamo per avere un impatto sostenibile e a lungo termine in ogni Paese. Ogni volontario e stagista contribuisce al raggiungimento di questi obiettivi, indipendentemente dalla durata del loro progetto.
Per documentare i progressi e i risultati raggiunti, elaboriamo un report annuale chiamato Global Impact Report. Scopri di più sui risultati raggiunti dai volontari, stagisti e dallo Staff di Projects Abroad. Leggi l'ultimo report.
Vitto e alloggio
Soggiornerete presso una famiglia ospitante in Ghana. Vi accoglieranno nella loro casa, desiderosi di condividere le loro usanze e di farvi insegnare la vostra cultura. Crediamo che questo sia il modo migliore per immergersi nella cultura del Ghana e vivere un'esperienza davvero unica.
Cercheremo sempre di farvi vivere insieme ad almeno un altro volontario o stagista di Projects Abroad presso la stessa famiglia ospitante. La tua stanza sarà modesta, ma confortevole, pulita e sicura.
La quota di partecipazione al programma comprende tre pasti al giorno.
Attività nel tempo libero
Il volontariato in Ghana è un modo ideale per esplorare questo colorato Paese dell'Africa occidentale. Il Ghana offre tante attività entusiasmanti per trascorrere il tempo libero. La cultura ghanese ruota intorno alla musica. Nelle città più grandi, specialmente ad Accra, ascolterai alcune grandi band dal vivo e trascorrerai delle serate indimenticabili. Nei ristoranti locali potrai anche avere un assaggio di alcuni dei deliziosi piatti della cucina locale.
Potrai anche scoprire di più sulla storia del Paese e visitare il forte di Cape Coast e i musei locali. Se ami la natura, non perderti il trekking attraverso le foreste pluviali del Kakum National Park o del Mole National Park. Gestiamo una vasta gamma di progetti in Ghana e avrai la possibilità di conoscere volontari da tutto il mondo. Ciò significa potrai esplorare il Paese da solo o in compagnia.
Sicurezza e supporto del nostro staff
La tua sicurezza è la nostra priorità. Adottiamo diverse procedure per darti il supporto di cui hai bisogno e per farti vivere il tuo viaggio all'estero senza pensieri. Lo Staff di Projects Abroad sarà sempre disponibile, 24 ore su 24, e ti aiuterà ad ambientarti a casa e all'interno del progetto. In caso di necessità, potrai contattarlo in qualsiasi momento.
Scopri di più sul Supporto e Sicurezza.
Meet the team in Ghana
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