Summer Fellow Spotlight: Raymond Perez ’26

Raymond Perez ’26 discusses his time as a Kirby Simon Fellowship at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. 

Part of the Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights and supported by the Robina Foundation, the Kirby Simon Fellowship provides funding for Yale students to undertake at least six weeks of human rights work during the summer.

Where did you work during your Kirby Simon summer fellowship?

I worked at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

What did your day-today-work entail?

The European Court of Human Rights is a complicated institution with two organs: the Judges and the Registry. The judges, of course, exercise the Court’s judicial functions. The Registry provides administrative assistance to the judges. Within the Registry is the Jurisconsult, which is responsible for overseeing the consistency and coherence of the Court’s case law. 
I was assigned to Judge Darian Pavli, who was elected with respect to Albania in 2019. My duties involved reading pre-publication opinions and offering my insights either in the form of written memos or in discussions within his office. This review required not only analyzing the opinions, but also reviewing the underlying materials, like the Applicant and Government briefs, or (legal) evidence submitted by the parties to the court. 
My secondary role was at the Jurisconsult. There, I was tasked with helping to synthesize the Court’s existing case law on the freedom of expression into clear and concise summaries that would be useful for practitioners. This work was equally important to my work with the Judge, but because it was more time-intensive and less fast-paced, I decided to work with the Judge more in depth.

Describe a project you worked on during your fellowship.

One of the highlights of my fellowship was working on a guide about the protection of satirical expression under the European Convention on Human Rights. It was serendipitous — the Jurisconsult had assigned me to research artistic expression within the Court’s jurisprudence, and the judge for whom I worked also had a strong interest in the protections that humor receives within the protection on free expression, not just in Europe but around the world. This overlap allowed me to dive into satirical expression in the Court’s case law for both groups at the same time.
Two memorable things: First, I had not expected to use the research skills that I had learned in my first year because I would be in Europe for the (first half) of the summer. However, to my surprise, the legal research databases that I had become accustomed to at Yale were available abroad — so I was able to readily adapt to research assignments. 

Plus, the topic itself really resonated with me. Having done stand-up comedy in college, I’ve always had a personal connection to freedom of speech: it is the foundational value of any free society. The ability to perform comparative research and gain a deeper understanding of how European jurisprudence treats satire was thus one of the most fulfilling experiences of my Fellowship.

What did you gain during this fellowship experience?

Unlike many of my law school peers, I’m a KJD (i.e., I went straight from undergrad to law school), so my time at the European Court of Human Rights was my first full-time legal job. This experience gave me a firsthand understanding of what full-time legal practice — especially practice that is not client-focused — is really like. 
In some ways, the adjustment was challenging, especially in an entirely new country. I was the only one in the cohort who had never stepped foot in France before. But on the other hand, the experience opened my eyes to just how rewarding a job focused on legal analysis can be. It was also great to work for an institution that, more than almost any other in the world, is successful at protecting human rights. The intellectual rigor of the work, combined with the sense of purpose that comes from upholding human rights, made the experience worth it.

For those considering Kirby Simon, my advice is simple: don’t hesitate to apply, even if you don’t plan to work abroad long-term. Be bold, be curious, and take the opportunity to explore what’s out there.”
— Raymond Perez ’26
 

What was particularly challenging about your fellowship work?

One of the biggest challenges I faced was adapting to the way the European Court of Human Rights operates, which is quite different from courts in the United States. Understanding the Court — especially given that civil law jurisdictions are so different from common law jurisdictions like the United States — was a bit overwhelming at first.

However, this challenge was eased by the support I received early on. The Court has many resources for those who are new to the Convention (primarily geared toward researchers and practitioners). I also had the opportunity to meet many knowledgeable lawyers at the Court, who not only explained the substantive law of the Convention to me but also helped me understand the theory and procedure that drive the Court’s enforcement of it.

Though I had written about the Convention during my undergrad, it was primarily from a philosophical perspective. Working with it as a practitioner — and even contributing to the creation of documents to help other practitioners — was a completely different experience. And frankly, it was interesting, if challenging, to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

What motivated you to pursue this opportunity and what advice would you give other interested in the Kirby Simon fellowship?

My motivation to work at the Court stemmed from my academic background —as I mentioned before, I had written about the Convention during undergrad, so I wanted to explore that in a more practical setting. I was also particularly interested in working with Judge Pavli because of his expertise in freedom of information and defamation law, which aligned closely with my work at the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic and my own research on comparative defamation law. I also frankly wanted to work in France —primarily because I’d taken Eloquent French in undergrad, which would have been a waste if I never had the opportunity.

Unlike many Kirby Simon Fellows, I don’t necessarily see myself working abroad long-term, and I was aware of this even before applying for the European Court of Human Rights. In fact, I mentioned this in my application —though I was a bit naïve to do that! My main goal was to gain exposure to comparative law. In this sense, the experience was an invaluable way to broaden my horizons, even if I don’t foresee an international career.
For those considering Kirby Simon, my advice is simple: don’t hesitate to apply, even if you don’t plan to work abroad long-term. Be bold, be curious, and take the opportunity to explore what’s out there. It’s not (just) a chance to work internationally; it’s also a chance to grow and challenge yourself in ways you may not have anticipated—and may not be able to do in the United States.

Has this fellowship furthered and/or informed your career and post-graduation plans? How so?

Absolutely, the Fellowship has furthered my career plans. When applying for law firms this summer, my experience at the Court was the aspect that interviewers were most curious about. It also informed my career plan insofar as I found it interesting to work with a judge to adjudicate cases.

As I’ve intimated, while the European Court of Human Rights isn’t directly relevant to my immediate post-graduation plans, it has broadened my perspective on how to integrate comparative law into my future career. Meeting professionals at the Court who have successfully incorporated comparative law into their work gave me valuable insight into how I might do the same. So while it hasn’t shifted my immediate path, it has definitely informed my long-term career thinking!

Read more about the Kirby Simon Fellowship  and how to apply from the Schell Center. Fellowships with the European Court of Human Rights will require an advance application to the Court, due before the fellowship application. For human rights summer fellowship advising, contact dina.haynes@yale.edu or james.silk@yale.edu.