Andrés Pérez '04

Andrés Pérez, a lawyer for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, (ICTR) knows what he wants and is not afraid take the road less travelled to get it. At the age of 13, Mr. Pérez moved to the United States from Venezuela with his family. He asserts that his experience growing up in South America and transitioning to the U.S. was instrumental in developing his interest in issues of international social justice.

Mr. Pérez saw attending law school at Case Western Reserve University School of Law as a way to make a difference. Throughout law school, Mr. Pérez focused on classes that catered to his interest in environmental and human rights law. He recalls feeling pressured to take courses geared towards the bar exam and apply to big law firms. However, Mr. Pérez decided to stay true to his passions. “I know it’s a bit scary, but I figured I could just do the 30-year loan repayment plan and then just do something that I cared about.” With funding from the Fredrick K. Cox International Law Center, Mr. Pérez was able to do internships related to international law. During his first summer, he worked for the Center for International Environmental Law in Washington, DC and the next summer, obtained an internship at the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative in Kampala, Uganda.

After graduating from Case Western Reserve in 2004, the Cox Center also helped fund Mr. Pérez’s internships with the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the Center for the Environment and Human Rights in Patagonia, Argentina. These internships eventually led to his current position as Legal Officer to the judges of the ICTR in Arusha, Tanzania. For those unfamiliar with the ICTR, the United Nations Security Council established the international criminal tribunal in November 1994. The ICTR is investigating and prosecuting a select group of high-ranking officials for their involvement in the Rwandan genocide that took place from April to July 1994.

From a chambers perspective, Mr. Pérez, who has been instrumental in expediting proceedings, affirms that the court is in a position to render a judgment in his case in the very near future. “When I was promoted, there was a lot of turn-over in the office. There was five years of evidence that hadn’t been managed properly, but in less than a year I created a massive project to bring it all under control. We are now on the cusp of saying we will deliver the judgment in December. This means we will have done in 10 months what normally takes two years to do.” Mr. Pérez states that the only question that remains is whether the written judgment will also be filed simultaneously.

For students who are interested in working for an international court, Mr. Pérez emphasizes that there is no better way to achieve that goal than by doing an international internship and keeping those contacts alive. Alternatively, he urges students who cannot do an international internship to choose positions with transferable skills, such as the prosecutor’s office or a judicial clerkship. However, he’s quick to assure that experience in the private sector would not be seen in a negative light. “While internship coordinators respect continuity in your work,” Mr. Pérez asserts, “a court won’t turn you down if you try out a firm.”

Mr. Pérez is undoubtedly a source for inspiration, especially for those students who are attracted to unconventional career paths. Mr. Pérez comments that in law school, it is easy to get tunnel vision. “There appears to be a hierarchy of worthy choices that puts fear in hearts of people who want to do alternative paths. But if you like a particular aspect of the law and that’s what truly makes you happy, that’s what you should go for.” Drawing from his own experience, he acknowledges the reality of financial concerns, but urges students to pursue their passions. “As long as I’m engaged emotionally and intellectually with my work, I’m happy,” states Mr. Pérez.

Case Western Reserve is one of the few law schools that allow students to obtain a full semester’s credit for interning at one of six international criminal tribunals during the second or third year of law school. First year students are eligible to work in an international criminal tribunal the summer after their first year. Students interested in these internships should contact the Career Services Office or Professor Michael Scharf for more information.

Andrés Pérez '04

Andrés Pérez, a lawyer for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, (ICTR) knows what he wants and is not afraid take the road less travelled to get it. At the age of 13, Mr. Pérez moved to the United States from Venezuela with his family. He asserts that his experience growing up in South America and transitioning to the U.S. was instrumental in developing his interest in issues of international social justice.

Mr. Pérez saw attending law school at Case Western Reserve University School of Law as a way to make a difference. Throughout law school, Mr. Pérez focused on classes that catered to his interest in environmental and human rights law. He recalls feeling pressured to take courses geared towards the bar exam and apply to big law firms. However, Mr. Pérez decided to stay true to his passions. “I know it’s a bit scary, but I figured I could just do the 30-year loan repayment plan and then just do something that I cared about.” With funding from the Fredrick K. Cox International Law Center, Mr. Pérez was able to do internships related to international law. During his first summer, he worked for the Center for International Environmental Law in Washington, DC and the next summer, obtained an internship at the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative in Kampala, Uganda.

After graduating from Case Western Reserve in 2004, the Cox Center also helped fund Mr. Pérez’s internships with the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the Center for the Environment and Human Rights in Patagonia, Argentina. These internships eventually led to his current position as Legal Officer to the judges of the ICTR in Arusha, Tanzania. For those unfamiliar with the ICTR, the United Nations Security Council established the international criminal tribunal in November 1994. The ICTR is investigating and prosecuting a select group of high-ranking officials for their involvement in the Rwandan genocide that took place from April to July 1994.

From a chambers perspective, Mr. Pérez, who has been instrumental in expediting proceedings, affirms that the court is in a position to render a judgment in his case in the very near future. “When I was promoted, there was a lot of turn-over in the office. There was five years of evidence that hadn’t been managed properly, but in less than a year I created a massive project to bring it all under control. We are now on the cusp of saying we will deliver the judgment in December. This means we will have done in 10 months what normally takes two years to do.” Mr. Pérez states that the only question that remains is whether the written judgment will also be filed simultaneously.

For students who are interested in working for an international court, Mr. Pérez emphasizes that there is no better way to achieve that goal than by doing an international internship and keeping those contacts alive. Alternatively, he urges students who cannot do an international internship to choose positions with transferable skills, such as the prosecutor’s office or a judicial clerkship. However, he’s quick to assure that experience in the private sector would not be seen in a negative light. “While internship coordinators respect continuity in your work,” Mr. Pérez asserts, “a court won’t turn you down if you try out a firm.”

Mr. Pérez is undoubtedly a source for inspiration, especially for those students who are attracted to unconventional career paths. Mr. Pérez comments that in law school, it is easy to get tunnel vision. “There appears to be a hierarchy of worthy choices that puts fear in hearts of people who want to do alternative paths. But if you like a particular aspect of the law and that’s what truly makes you happy, that’s what you should go for.” Drawing from his own experience, he acknowledges the reality of financial concerns, but urges students to pursue their passions. “As long as I’m engaged emotionally and intellectually with my work, I’m happy,” states Mr. Pérez.

Case Western Reserve is one of the few law schools that allow students to obtain a full semester’s credit for interning at one of six international criminal tribunals during the second or third year of law school. First year students are eligible to work in an international criminal tribunal the summer after their first year. Students interested in these internships should contact the Career Services Office or Professor Michael Scharf for more information.