Doughty Street Chambers & the Death Penalty Project

The Death Penalty Project (DPP) is a legal action charity, based in London, working to promote and protect the human rights of those facing the death penalty.

DPP provides free legal representation to death row prisoners worldwide, with a particular focus on the Commonwealth- currently operating in over 30 countries. It also provides access to justice to vulnerable prisoners, including juveniles, those who suffer from mental health issues and victims of domestic abuse. To complement its legal work, DPP delivers capacity-building programmes to judges, lawyers and mental health professionals and others working within the criminal justice system. It also commissions original research and engage with governments and key stakeholders to support a more informed debate on the death penalty.

Driven by a belief that the death penalty is cruel and often discriminates against the poorest and most disadvantaged members of society, DPP works strategically to safeguard the rights of those facing the death penalty and other vulnerable prisoners. Its work has saved the lives of thousands of prisoners and transformed the legal landscape in the countries in which it operates.

The Death Penalty Project & Doughty Street Chambers – Kalisher Trust Internship was established in 2019 and will continue for three years. Internships are based at DPP’s office in London. One position is available per year, for a six-month period. The 2020 Internship will run between January 2021 and June 2021. The intern will receive a remuneration of £6,000 for this period.

Kalisher DPP-DSC interns will work with our legal team and leading human rights barristers on ongoing casework and on projects focusing on death penalty litigation in Commonwealth countries. Interns will undertake comparative research, draft submissions, prepare court documents and will gain first-hand experience in litigation before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Interns will also gain exposure to the workings of a legal NGO.  The interns will accompany the DPP team to meetings with lawmakers and NGOs, speaking engagements and events, as well as court hearings.

For more information on criteria for the Internship, please go to https://www.deathpenaltyproject.org/who-we-are/

Further details regarding future internships will be provided in due course via our website and Twitter handle.