Many of those victories can spark right in Philadelphia, a city "ripe for bringing human rights home," says Paoletti. She sees Philadelphia, with its central location, strong legal services base, and history of collaboration on human rights issues as "a place where you can do this bridging of international human rights and U.S.-based clients."

Paoletti is enthusiastic about building the Transnational Legal Clinic, and she is working in multiple directions to enrich it. She would like to build on the interdisciplinary opportunities available at Penn. She sees potential for collaborations with the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Political Science Department, and the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict.