Training lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and civil society actors to identify, challenge, and seek reform of unjust laws at every level. The Academy is not a training programme — it is a multiplier. Every lawyer we train can impact thousands of people in their jurisdiction.
A single OLJA litigation case can change a law that affects thousands of people. A single OLJA Academy graduate can go on to bring dozens of cases in their jurisdiction over a career spanning decades — each reaching thousands more. The Academy is the programme with the greatest long-term impact multiplier of any OLJA initiative.
We focus specifically on lawyers and civil society practitioners in jurisdictions with the most urgent need for legal capacity — the MENA region, Sub-Saharan Africa, and other regions where human rights lawyers are under-resourced, under-supported, and often under threat.
Each track is designed for a specific professional audience and delivered by practitioners with direct experience in the relevant legal arena.
For practising lawyers. Case selection methodology, evidence standards for international courts, filing procedures before the ECtHR and African Court, and coalition-building for complex multi-party litigation.
For lawyers and constitutional law practitioners. Identifying laws vulnerable to constitutional challenge, drafting grounds of challenge, engaging with national constitutional courts, and managing media strategy during high-profile cases.
For lawyers, military legal advisors, and civil society. The law of armed conflict, the Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocols, customary IHL, and OLJA's critique of IHL's structural failures in modern conflicts.
For advocates and civil society. How to engage with Special Procedures, Treaty Bodies, Universal Periodic Review, and the Human Rights Council. Drafting parallel reports, shadow reports, and individual communications.
For civil society organizations and legal researchers. How to identify rights-violating laws, assess treaty compliance, engage with legislative processes, and build advocacy coalitions for legal reform.
For lawyers and defenders under surveillance risk. Secure communications, operational security, protecting client confidentiality in high-risk environments, and using OLJA legal technology tools safely.
Whether you are a lawyer seeking training, an organization seeking partnership, or a donor who understands the multiplier power of legal education — we want to hear from you.