usc law family
Seeking International Justice Prestigious fellowship takes Brian Rifkin ’11 to The Hague
By Gilien Silsby
Brian Rifkin ’11 has always been interested in justice for victims of atrocities. From a young age, he was exposed to stories of the Holocaust, and grew up in a community attuned to human rights issues. While in law school and the summer following graduation, Rifkin worked on cases pending in
the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia with USC Gould’s International Human Rights Clinic. Rifkin’s international work continued when, as a litigation associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, he was awarded a
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USCLaw magazine
competitive one-year fellowship working with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Chambers in The Hague. An anonymous gift from a USC Gould alumni funded Rikin’s one-year fellowship, which culminates in August. “I am honored to be working with the judges at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Chambers,” Rifkin said. “I am interested in working toward justice for international crimes and this opportunity has built upon the training I received during my clinical experience at USC Gould.” As a law clerk for Tribunal President David Baragwanath and Judge Nicola Lettieri, among others, Rifkin assists in drafting decisions and working with the judges throughout the deliberation process. Much of the work concerns evidentiary disputes between the parties and the rights of the defense with respect to preparing for trial. He also helps prepare judges’ speeches and publications on wide-ranging international law topics and analyzes and monitors developments in international law. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was created to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the 2005 terrorist attack in Beirut, which killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and 22 others. It is the first international tribunal to declare terrorism an international crime. “This has been a tremendous honor for both Brian and USC,” said USC Gould Dean Robert K. Rasmussen. “I consider it a priority to prepare students with the legal knowledge and skills required for working in a globalized world.” Rifkin brings unique experience to his job. In 2011, after graduating from USC Gould, he served as a judicial intern to Judge Rowan Downing at the Cambodia Tribunal in Phnom Penh, working on the Khmer Rouge trials involving some of history’s worst crimes against humanity. “My experience at the Cambodia Tribunal, and now at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, cemented my desire to work in the area of international law,” Rifkin said. “I hope these international criminal tribunals achieve a measure of justice for victims and advance important moral and legal principles.”