MoForever Alumni News Winter 2021

MoForever Winter 2021 | 24 “CLIENTS AND SURVIVORS DON’T HAVE THE LEGAL SKILLS TO MAKE LEGAL ARGUMENTS OR TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR RIGHTS. BEING A LAWYER GIVES YOU A SET OF SKILLS AND ACCESS TO INSTITUTIONS THAT ALLOW YOU TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS, HOPES, AND DREAMS OF OTHERS.” “When you can get the stars aligned and the U.S. government is committed to a course of conduct, it’s incredible what can be achieved,” states Beth. Collecting blueprints for justice During the Obama administration, Beth served as the deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice of the U.S. Department of State. When the Syrian conflict exploded, she spent much of her time promoting U.S. policy and proposals to achieve justice and accountability for the atrocities that were occurring. “I am a firm believer that you can’t have durable peace without justice, broadly defined,” Beth says. “Victims demand it, and they’re entitled to it under international law. We need to create a set of justice mechanisms that enable us to pursue both peace and justice; if not simultaneously, then in a way that we can sequence them effectively so both can be achieved.” In 2019, Beth published the book Imagining Justice for Syria . “In terms of institutional design and in the documentation of human rights practices, many interesting innovations, technological advances, and theories of extraterritorial jurisdiction were developed in response to the Syrian conflict,” Beth says. “The book tries to capture them all in one place so that when justice becomes part of the global response, the legal frameworks will be readily available.” Human rights leadership Beth is hopeful that the United States will return to its leadership role in helping move the global community forward. She can even see herself returning to an advisory role in the government to help. For now, she continues to tell her students that, to learn how to be a top-notch lawyer, you must surround yourself with top-notch lawyers. “MoFo offers that in a way you won’t get anywhere else. I will always be grateful for the rigor that MoFo brings to the work and training it gives to young lawyers. I’ve been a prosecutor and a defense counsel. I’ve been an advocate and a diplomat. I’m constantly pulling from that well of early MoFo training. I don’t think I could have achieved all I’ve done without it.”