# Building Your Craft, People-Centered Justice, and Cross-Border Human Rights with Milena Klimberg van Marrewijk
Episode of Studying Law Around the World, hosted by Claudio Klaus.
Published: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 01:04:56 GMT
Duration: 00:16:33
## Summary
This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Milena Klimberg van Marrewijk. Milena is the program advisor on human rights and access to justice at the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Law. Originally from Buenos Aires, she began her international career representing states in investment arbitration in Paris before deliberately transitioning into human rights litigation in New York.We talked about her work coordinating the Women in Prison Network across 30 countries, what it actually takes to build effective partnerships with grassroots organizations, and why mastering the technical craft of law is the ultimate differentiator for advocates.What you will learnThe craft of international law. Milena explains why she started in big law investment arbitration. Representing states taught her how to build a legal record, draft rigorous arguments, and interpret treaties. These technical skills were the exact foundation she needed for high stakes human rights work.People centered justice. Traditional justice reform usually starts by looking at institutions. Learn how to flip the model and start with the actual, daily legal needs of individuals at the grassroots level.The Women in Prison Network. Women make up less than 10 percent of the global prison population, meaning facilities and procedures are designed entirely by default for men. Discover how Milena advocates for gender sensitive approaches to address the specific, systemic barriers incarcerated women face globally.Why this mattersWhat is the unspoken rule here? Passion alone will not make you a great human rights lawyer. The field is full of highly committed people, but you will only stand out if you are an excellent, detail oriented technician under pressure. Junior lawyers often believe the path to international advocacy is a straight line, but Milena proves that the journey is non-linear. When you focus on building a rigorous legal craft, treating language fluency as a core career strategy, and securing reliable mentorship, you become incredibly hard to replace.Three takeawaysBuild your craft first. Passion is common, but technical excellence is rare. Your ability to draft impeccably, pay attention to detail, and operate effectively under pressure is what will actually move the needle for your clients.Languages are a career strategy. Being able to communicate across legal cultures and translate complex international law into accessible, everyday language opens doors that remain firmly closed to monolingual lawyers.Build genuine partnerships. Effective cross border advocacy never involves flying in, extracting information, and leaving. It requires building absolute trust with local organizations and matching your pro bono capacity to their actual, stated needs.Guest: Milena Klimberg van Marrewijk, program advisor on human rights and access to justice at the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Law.Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC).For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/
## Listen
- Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/studyinglawaroundtheworld/episodes/Building-Your-Craft--People-Centered-Justice--and-Cross-Border-Human-Rights-with-Milena-Klimberg-van-Marrewijk-e3pho7d
- Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/38a26d44/podcast/play/126459565/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-8-29%2F432867318-44100-2-a8cf5ccaa59ae.m4a
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- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/studying-law-around-the-world/id1547616885
Show page: https://claudioklaus.com/podcast
Canonical: https://claudioklaus.com/podcast/episodes/building-your-craft-people-centered-justice-and-cross-border-human-rights-with-m.md