Civitas Maxima is launching two Excellence Fellowships in International Criminal Law for graduates who completed a Master’s degree in International Law from a Geneva-based university in 2025 or 2026:

One fellowship is open to graduates from any Geneva-based university with a focus on international criminal law.
One fellowship is specifically reserved for graduates of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID).
The selected fellows will join the legal team of Civitas Maxima for a two-year period and gain practical experience in the field of international criminal law.

Position: Legal Fellow

Employement type: full time (40 hours/week)

Location: Geneva

Starting date: September 01, 2026
Application deadline: June 10, 2026

Qualifications:

Completion of a Master’s degree in International Law from a Geneva-based institution in 2025 or 2026 (first Fellowship) or of a diploma from the IHEID (second Fellowship);
Outstanding academic performance throughout university studies;
Demonstrated and sustained interest in international criminal law;
Excellent command of both French and English; knowledge of Spanish and/or Arabic is a strong asset;
Authorization to work in Switzerland.
Personal Attributes :

Respect for different cultures, flexibility, diplomacy, and the ability to work independently and take initiative;
Ability to adapt in a dynamic environment with frequently changing priorities and to manage multiple tasks simultaneously;
Readiness to interact with victims of serious human rights abuses;
Willingness and availability to travel occasionally, sometimes in challenging conditions.
Duties and Responsibilities:

Fellows are responsible for the following tasks:

Investigation:
Assist in preparing and conducting investigations, including investigative planning, evidence collection, interviews, reporting, etc.;
Assist in conducting opensource investigations.
Legal:
Conduct legal and/or factual research and analysis related to the case assigned;
Assist in drafting and/or draft complaints, legal memoranda, judicial acts, and any other legal documents, as required.
Analysis:
Assist in identifying leads and advise on potential perpetrators, sources of evidence, witnesses (victims, insiders, experts or other), OSINT, documents, etc.; and
Assist in drafting analytical synthesis/reports.
Other:
Assist in day-to-day liaising with a variety of stakeholders and/or partner organizations (e.g. NGOs, international organizations, community leaders, etc.) and in establishing new partnerships, as required;
Participate in drafting detailed preparation documents, agendas, minutes, follow-up communications, etc., as required;
Assist with case management and analysis platforms related to international crimes, as required;
Monitor various conflict developments and/or conduct ad-hoc research related to the main investigation and attend various events/conferences, as required.
What Civitas Maxima offers:

A dynamic environment within one of the leading organizations working on extraterritorial criminal justice for victims of mass crimes;
A unique opportunity to work on concrete cases in the field of international criminal law;
The Swiss minimum monthly salary.

Applications must be sent by email with the following documents:

A CV and cover letter;
The names and contact details of three references (who will only be contacted if the candidate is shortlisted for interviews);
A short legal writing sample in English (maximum two pages).