Professor James Cavallaro, the founding director of Stanford Law School’s International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic, has dedicated his career to human rights—in both his scholarly research and his legal practice. His extensive expertise is derived from active involvement in the defense of rights, in the development of international human rights law and the human rights movement, particularly in the Americas and in international human rights litigation. A prolific scholar and sought-after voice on international human rights issues, he is frequently called upon to offer his expertise by the media and civil society. Professor Cavallaro received his BA from Harvard University and his JD from Berkeley Law School. He also holds a doctorate in human rights and development (Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain). In 1994, he opened a joint office for Human Rights Watch and the Center for Justice and International Law in Rio de Janeiro serving as director, overseeing research, reporting and litigation before the Inter-American system’s human rights bodies. In 1999, he founded the Global Justice Center, a leading Brazilian human rights NGO. He has held positions at Harvard Law School as a clinical professor of law and executive director of the Harvard Law School Human Rights Program. He joined Stanford Law School’s faculty in 2011. In June 2013, Professor Cavallaro was elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Professor Cavallaro has authored or co-authored dozens of books, reports and articles on human rights issues, including most recently: No Nos Toman en Cuenta: Pueblos Indígenas y Consulta Previa en Las Pisciculturas de la Araucanía (2013); Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Practices in Pakistan (2012); “Reevaluating Regional Human Rights Litigation in the Twenty-First Century: the Case of the Inter-American Court,” American Journal of International Law (2008).