Lunch with H. Knox Thames

On Tuesday, March 21st, the Public International Law and Policy Program
was pleased to welcome back WCL and PILPP alum H. Knox Thames for a lunch with current PILPP students. Mr. Thames is Counsel to the U.S. Helsinki Commission and has held positions in both the public and non-governmental sectors on a wide variety of issues relating to international affairs.

Mr. Thames spoke to students about his work at the Helsinki Commission and about opportunities for students with an international relations background to find employment. The event was well attended and current students appreciated the opportunity to have an extended, open conversation with a distinguished alumni regarding the state of the job market and the applicability of the JD/MA dual degree.

This was the first event in the "International Law in Practice" series which seeks to expose students to alumni who are currently employed in jobs related to international law. Future sessions will be held with alumni representing private law practices and non-governmental organizations.

H. KNOX THAMES - Since 2001, Mr. Thames has served as Counsel to the U.S. Helsinki Commission, an independent federal agency tasked with monitoring human rights within the 55 participating States that comprise the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  Mr. Thames monitors for the Commission religious freedom and issues concerning refugees and internally displaced persons in all 55 OSCE countries.  He has served as a member of U.S. State Department delegations to numerous OSCE meetings, as well as traveled on behalf of the Commission throughout Europe and Central Asia.  The State Department has also selected Mr. Thames to serve as one of the two U.S. appointees to the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Mr. Thames' previous work experience includes World Relief Refugee Services, AmeriCorps, and graduate legal research with the U.S. State Department's Office of Legal Advisor for Human Rights and Refugees, the legal office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Mr. Thames has a Bachelor of Arts in History and American Studies from Georgetown College. He earned a juris doctorate with Honors from American University's Washington College of Law, and was named to Who's Who Among American Law Students.  He also holds a Masters of Arts in International Affairs from the School of International Service at American University, where he received the Amnesty International Certificate of Achievement in the Study of Global Human Rights.  He has also studied at Jagellonian University in Krakow, Poland.

Mr. Thames has authored numerous articles and reports on a variety of human rights issues, both for the U.S. Helsinki Commission and in his private capacity. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and the American Society of International Law.