FALL 2025

Dear friends and supporters of the Global Rights Innovation Lab (GRIL) Clinic,

This semester marks a celebratory milestone for GRIL. We are honored to boast our first client cohort of human rights organizations who are served by our first cohort of multidisciplinary teams of law, data science, and public policy students.

At GRIL, we believe that law, data, and technology can work hand in hand to transform how human rights are defended. Over the past months, our student teams have applied these tools to rigorously document and analyze some of the most pressing human rights violations of our time. Our inaugural projects leverage cutting edge pattern analyses to support legal accountability for crimes against humanity, document gender apartheid, and propose new models of investigating war crimes. Our work serves courageous, frontline organizations around the world.

Every project is a shared learning journey. Together, our students and client partners are reshaping what effective human rights advocacy looks like. We are strengthening the capacity of organizations on the ground while training the next generation of advocates to navigate an increasingly digital landscape.

Your support makes this work possible. Through your generosity, GRIL students gain the opportunity to collaborate directly with human rights practitioners, apply cutting-edge methods to real-world investigations, and build the skills and resolve to become leaders in global justice.

Thank you for standing with us, and for believing in a future where innovation and human rights advance hand in hand.

With gratitude, 

Laurel Fletcher and Valentina Rozo Angel

CLINIC NEWS

Why Data Science Belongs at the Heart of International Human Rights Advocacy

As technology reshapes every aspect of society, human rights advocacy faces both new challenges and opportunities. The Global Rights Innovation Lab Clinic argues that data science, multidisciplinary teams, and universities play a vital role in shaping the next generation of advocates.

Read more on the Open Global Rights blog >

CLINIC REPORT

Designing Justice: 
Data Science for Human Rights Advocacy

What new possibilities emerge when human rights advocacy integrates technology and design?

This report offers an in-depth look at GRIL’s model, capturing our vision, research process, and the insights we gained along the way. It also explores how GRIL is developing innovative services at the intersection of law, data science, and digital storytelling, and highlights the impact we aim to make in the human rights field.

Read Designing Justice >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Dana Dabbousi

“Seeing how my background in design thinking, engineering, and technology can be applied in the legal field has been incredibly invigorating. I love building things and having the opportunity to help bring this clinic to life has been an honor."

From day one, Dana Dabbousi has approached law school as an opportunity to expand her toolkit and create meaningful change. Discover how her commitment to innovation and collaboration has left a lasting mark on the UC Berkeley Law community. >

FACULTY ACCOLADES

Laurel E. Fletcher

Honored with the 2025 Riesenfeld Award

"We need to invest in spaces where facts and truth still matter."

In her address at the 2025 Stefan A. Riesenfeld Memorial Symposium: Lawyering for Peace, GRIL Clinic Director Laurel E. Fletcher reflects on the evolving landscape of human rights advocacy in the context of global political shifts and technological advancements.

Read "Reimagining Human Rights Advocacy in a Changing World" >

FACULITY SPOTLIGHT

Valentina Rozo Angel
Selected to present at the Fox International Fellowship Alumni Conference “Global Challenges: Interdisciplinary Voices Across the World"

"I have seen how powerful it is when people from different disciplines join forces to create change." 

In November, Data and Technology Clinical Supervisor Valentina Rozo Angel presented her research on using technology to advance human rights advocacy. Her presentation reflected GRIL’s ongoing commitment to integrating data, technology, and law in the pursuit of social justice.

Learn more about the conference >

Justice is a Collective Effort.



At the heart of Berkeley Law’s commitment to justice, the Clinical Program continues to stand out as a place where learning meets purpose. Over the past year, our 15 clinics — driven by the dedication and work of our students, faculty, and staff — deepened their impact in the East Bay, across the country, and around the world.

Read the Clinical Program’s 2024-25 Annual Report >

Thank you for your continued support of the Global Rights Innovation Lab Clinic and the Berkeley Law Clinical Program!