Post-graduate fellowships are an excellent opportunity to fund a public interest law position. There are several types of fellowship programs. Some fellowships are sponsored by specific organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, and provide funding to work at the sponsoring agency. Other fellowships allow the recipients to design their own positions at a wide range of organizations, such as Equal Justice Works. Some fellowships also provide the opportunity to earn a degree, such as a Master of Law. Fellowships are highly competitive and an invaluable opportunity to gain experience. The following are some answers to frequently asked questions about applying for fellowships.
How do I find out about possible fellowships? Good places to start are the guidebooks listing many legal fellowships, including: the Harvard Law School Public Interest Job Search Guide and the Yale Fellowship Opportunities Guide. Another source is www.PSLawNet.org. A good place to start is PSLawNet at www.pslawnet.org. PSLawNet lists post-graduate fellowships chronologically by deadlines.
Some of the fellowships require me to design my own project -- where do I start? A number of the major fellowships will fund you to do a specific project at an existing legal organization. Others will even allow you to start your own organization. Don't go overboard -- funders want focused projects that have achievable goals -- they don't want to fund an amorphous project to "Save the World." Four of the better known fellowships include the Equal Justice Fellowships, the Skadden Fellowships, the Soros Postgraduate Fellowship, and the echoing green Public Service Fellowships.
Before you start, you may wish to review summaries of projects that have been funded or proposed in the past. Then, think about the subject areas that interest you. Spend some time researching the cutting edge issues in the field. Remember that research can include library research (e.g., law review articles), but should also include speaking with practicing lawyers and faculty members in the field. You should also research each funding organization as each fellowship has its own funding preferences and history.
A public interest summer placement can serve as the testing ground for a post-graduate fellowship program. Also, think about the geographic location that you would like to be in. You may have a better chance of obtaining a fellowship if you are willing to go to a geographic area that has difficulty attracting attorneys or an area that has significant funders.
You must then identify some organizations that may be interested in having you work with them if you obtain a fellowship. A good place to start is with an organization with which you have previous contacts, perhaps through an internship or summer job. Another approach is to use alumni or faculty contacts. The sponsoring agency does not have to be a big name; however, make sure that it is respected and has had experience supervising new attorneys, because the funders will be considering whether the agency is an effective one in considering whether to fund your fellowship there. It can be helpful if you have a preexisting relationship with the sponsoring agency. Remember to work with the sponsoring organization in developing your fellowship proposal.
Skadden Fellowship
The Skadden Fellowship is a program of the international law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The Program awards approximately twenty-five fellowships to graduating law students and outgoing judicial law clerks. The duration of a Skadden Fellowship is one year and may be renewed for a second year. The Program pays all fringe benefits as well as all debt service on law school loans for the duration of the Fellowship. Grants are made to sponsoring organizations, which are chosen by the Fellows. Thus, applicants must secure a potential position with a sponsoring public interest organization before applying for the Fellowship. The sponsor must be a 501(c)(3) organization which provides civil legal services to the poor, including the working poor, the elderly, the disabled or those deprived of their civil or human rights.
1999 BC Law Skadden Fellow
Tara Twomey at Legal Services Center - Community Enterprise Project, Jamaica Plain, MA.
1994 BC Law Skadden Fellow
Christine Griffin, Executive Director, Disability Law Center.
Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program was founded in 1992 by the National Association for Public Interest Law to provide salary and loan repayment assistance to lawyers who advocate on behalf of individuals, groups, or interests that are not adequately represented by the civil legal system. The duration for the program is for two years. The Fellowship accepts applications from experienced as well as recent law school graduates. Their primary interest is to " launch public interest careers." The fellow's salary is set by the host organization at a level comparable with that of an entry-level attorney. Equal Justice Works fellowships pay competitively with other public interest positions. For information on compensation package, please see www.equaljusticeworks.org. Host organizations are responsible for the costs of standard fringe benefits. Equal Justice Works also provides loan repayment assistance.
2001 BC Law NAPIL Equal Justice Fellow
James Eldridge at Merrimack Valley Legal Services, Lowell, MA. Beth Werlin at the Legal Action Center of the American Immigration Law Foundation, DC.
2000 BC Law NAPIL Equal Justice Fellow
Gretchen Hunt at Center for Women and Families, Louisville, KY, working with immigrant populations. 1999 BC Law Fellow Patricia Mejia at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Florence, AZ, working with immigrants held in detention centers.
1998 BC Law Fellow
Jennifer Nye at Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Tucson, AZ, working with battered women.
echoing green Graduate Public Service Fellowship
echoing green is a private foundation applying a venture capital approach to giving. The foundation awards fellowships to "individuals to create new autonomous public service projects or organizations that catalyze positive social change." Projects may national or international and can address any social issue area including, but not limited to, human rights, the environment, arts, public health, education, criminal justice or community development. The Fellowship is awarded for a two-year commitment. Applicants must first submit a concept paper. The application process is online at www.echoinggreen.org.
Soros Justice Fellowships - Postgraduate Fellowships
The Soros Justice Postgraduate Fellowship, first offered in 1997, is awarded to individuals to develop innovative criminal justice programs in collaboration with existing organizations in the United States or overseas. Eligible applicants must be in their final year of graduate study or within six years of graduation. Applicants secure sponsorship from nonprofit or government organizations whose mission is related to the fields of criminal justice. The Soros Justice Fellowships are a program of the Center on Crime, Communities & Culture which is a project of the Open Society Institute, a private foundation.
2001 BC Law Soros Fellow
Rebecca Young at MA Correctional Legal Services, Boston, MA. 1998
BC Law Soros Fellow
Barbara Kaban at the Children's Law Center, Lynn, MA.
What do the fellowship applications consist of? Most programs require: personal statements and essays by the applicant, recommendations from professors and/or former employers and transcripts. Some require a statement from a sponsoring organization; others require a legal writing sample.
How do I prepare my application? Make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to prepare your application. Most fellowships will require you to write one or more essays describing your project and your background. Edit and edit again! Ask others to give you feedback on the essays. Networking with those familiar with the funding source is also important.
Fellowships are often awarded on how well the applicant conveyed the goals of the project, the concrete and specific strategies to accomplish these goals and the particular skills and experience the applicant has to make the project succeed. Commitment to the public interest and sincere enthusiasm are both qualities that can make an application stand out.
A final word of encouragement
Although competition for fellowships can be fierce, do not let this discourage you from applying. The rewards are great -- obtaining a fellowship may allow you to create and work at your "dream job" for a year or two and give you some great experience. And even if you don't end up with a fellowship, the time that you spent applying for fellowships will not have been wasted. In the course of teaming up with a sponsoring agency, you will have made some valuable contacts in the public interest community. Also, the personal statements require you to really think about why you want to practice public interest law and what your strengths are. This will be extremely useful when you apply for other job opportunities.
Best Resource Materials for Fellowships:
· Yale Fellowship Opportunities Guide.
· www.PSLawNet.org
· BC Law School Fellowship Binder and Files.
· Harvard Law School Public Interest Job Search Guide
· Website for echoing green foundation is www.echoinggreen.org.
· Website for the Soros Fellowship Programs is www.soros.org.
