HLS Guide to Fellowships and Grants By Judith Murciano jmurcian@law.harvard.edu Fall, 2014 An Overview
Agenda Introduction and Overview The Benefits of Fellowships Finding Your Perfect Fellowship The Application Process (Tips on Applying) Other Resources
What are Fellowships? Fellowships offer 3Ls, clerks and law school students and graduates funding for unique public service opportunities with established agencies or offices in the United States or abroad. Fellowships in the form of grants provide seed money for public interest entrepreneurs who wish to launch new projects in the U.S. or abroad.
Different Types of Fellowships Fellowships with established organizations Organizations such as the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, CCR, Earthjustice, Lawyers Committee sponsor post-grad fellowships to bring new attorneys into the firm on a temporary basis. This category includes pro bono fellowships at private firms such as Shute, Mihaly, Hunton & Williams, Heisler Feldman & McCormick, Relman and Dane for Civil Rights, Tycko Zavarei,Cohen Milstein Human Rights.
Different Types of Fellowships, cont. Third Party Sponsorships Nonprofit organizations and private firms sponsor new lawyers to develop innovative public interest projects within an established organization. For example, Fried Frank fellows are associates at Fried Frank for two years and then spend two years at MALDEF or NAACP- LDF paid by Fried Frank (1 yr at Fried Frank+ 1 yr at Legal Momentum), Beagle at the NRDC (Harvard only); and Chadbourne Park. Skadden sponsors fellows at non-profits for two years (not to work at Skadden s firm); Equal Justice Works (civil & criminal), Public Service Venture Fund; Kaufman & Post grad (Harvard only), Ford Fellowships (grantee
Entrepreneurship & Venture Grants Entrepreneurial Grants Entrepreneurial grants, such as Ashoka, Blue Ridge, Echoing Green, Draper Richards, HLS Venture Fund provide financial resources to support independent projects or design new positions at existing organizations. PILF grants support direct service projects in the US, while many entrepreneurial grants support international work.
Different Types of Fellowships, cont. Traveling Fellowships Traveling fellowships provide opportunities for further study, work or exploration anywhere in the world. The scope of traveling fellowships may be broad (allowing travel to almost any country, as the Fulbright and Rotary) or narrow (such as the Luce, which only offers fellowships to Asia); Ecole Normale for France; DAAD Germany; or Harvard China/Yenching. Fulbright, Clinton-India & Embassies/Policy); Language Enhancement; Institute Current World Affairs; Economic Development in the U.S.: The Delta Fellowship and entrepreneurship in Mississippi together with clinical programs at HLS and
Traveling Fellowships Cont d Certain traveling fellowships, such as the Knox or the Sheldon, Kennedy are only for Harvard students. There are several different types of Human Rights Fellowships for Harvard students and grads: Henigson, Satter, Global Health Initiative,Weatherhead Center, David Rockefeller, South Asia Initiative, among others.
Clerkships, Research,Writing Certain fellowships support international clerkships or offer graduates time to research, write, and publish. Fellowships and grants support creative arts and documentary films for purposes of advocacy.
Different Types of Fellowships, cont. Federal Honors Programs Federal honors programs hire new graduates to work in agencies such as the DOJ and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Heyman Program supports HLS students and recent graduates employed by federal agencies. The Presidential Management Fellowship is a way to work for a federal government agency:extended to grads White House Fellowships support graduates with experience who seek placement with a Cabinet member or top agency such as the National Security Council or National Economic Council.
The Benefits of Fellowships Opportunity Fellowships enable recent law school graduates to work with public interest organizations that usually do not hire attorneys right out of law school or clerkships. Occasionally, fellowships lead to permanent employment within an organization. Fellowships provide great opportunities for gaining experience and networking.
Benefits of Fellowships, Clinical training & Teaching Supervision and Training Fellows work with experienced attorneys who can offer constructive criticism and mentoring. Fellows gain valuable skills. Academic opportunities and clinical experience: Research and publishing, Administrative and Public Law Fellowships, Berger History of Law, Petrie Flom, Olin, Radcliffe, Hauser, Ethics in the Professions, Lewis, Sachs,Climenko Fellows, Robert Cover, Bigelow, and Society of Fellows. Georgetown Teaching and Practice. Crowley Teaching and International Law. Scholarships(Soros,DeloresZohrabLibermann)
The Benefits of Fellowships, cont. Responsibility and Flexibility Fellows are entrusted with unusually high levels of responsibility, such as litigating cases (i.e. the Prettyman at PDS/Georgetown). Many fellowships encourage recipients to design projects tailored to the Fellow s interests.
Finding the Perfect Fellowship for You Things to think about What sorts of projects are you enthusiastic about? In what areas do you have firsthand experience? What areas would you like to explore?
Immigration Work Immigration Justice Corps Fellowship in NY Greenberg Fellowship @ Cardozo Sachs Fellowship @ HLS
Tips for the Application Process Watch deadlines Confirm all deadlines at the beginning of the application process. Stay informed about university or other internal deadlines for nomination that select candidates before general fellowship deadlines. Certain fellowships prefer that first year law students receive endorsement from their undergraduate institutions, such as the Marshall, but HLS assists students to win these fellowships. (Remember that Rhodes is not exclusively for U.S. citizens). Consult PS Law Net, PSJD and OPIA s Insider s Guide for HLS Students on-line; check updated websites for external and internal deadlines.
Calendar
Timeline: Be Active! Hurry up and wait!
Tips for the Application Process, cont. Know your audience and tailor your proposal accordingly. Don t be generic! Identify your greatest strengths and weaknesses. Be proactive. Be specific. Differentiate your project from past efforts to address a problem. Show (rather than tell) your commitment and motivation. Compete on your own turf. What makes you and your application distinct?
Tips for the Application Process, cont. Logistics Grades: Fellowships vary in the importance they place on grades. Transcripts: Remember that it takes the Registrar a time to complete your order. Plan ahead. Order of Materials: Some fellowships are very particular about the order in which application materials are sent. PDFs v.docs.requirements: Writing samples & Rec. Ltrs. Certain international fellowships, such as the Fulbright require language certification, and affiliation letter, from language instructors at FAS & Org. Fulbright and Harvard Traveling Fellowships require a special nomination process through your Fellowship Director.
Tips for the Application Process, cont. The Writing Sample Submit writing samples appropriate to the fellowship, when at all possible. Redact confidential data. Do not exceed the page limit for online applications. Do not submit extra writing samples. Certain fellowships welcome a longer, more explicated CV rather than a one page résumé. Variance in cover letters.
Tips for the Application Process, cont. Recommendations Your recommenders should be people who know you well and can write about your accomplishments and abilities. If possible, recommenders should be able to address your commitment to the fellowship s area of specialization. Bring all criteria,descriptions and application materials to the recommender when you meet to ask for a letter. If you are applying for multiple fellowships, give the recommender the materials for all the fellowships at the first meeting, when at all possible. Create a spreadsheet with deadlines.
Tips for the Application Process, cont. Interviews Interviews are critical to the fellowship application. Preparation is key. HLS will share information from fellowship winners and the Fellowships Director will offer mock interviews. Bring copies of all application materials to the interview. Always be prepared with questions for the selection committee. A few days after the interview, send a thankyou note tailored to the experience.
Tips for the Application Process, cont. After You have Applied Fellowships are extremely competitive. Have a back-up plan! Continue to let the selection committee know new and relevant information (for example, joining a program related to the fellowship, new clinical experiences, special language training or publishing a related article). Some Fellowships will only take updates from outside sources.
Windows of Opportunity Clerkships vs. Fellowships Windows of Opportunity: Harvard only fellowships vs. national fellowships (Rotary, PMF, Fulbright, White House,etc.); Entrepreneurship and Second Wave fellowships(gibbons, Oak, Soros,Skoll)
Other Resources Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) WCC Hall 4039 (room 4045), (617) 495-3108, pia@law.harvard.edu Insider s Guide to Fellowships & old Job Search Guide w/ data base (online) PSLawNet, PSJD Worldwide data base Foundation Center and Associated Grantmaker Library (www.fdncenter,org). Handbook of Public Service Resources for HLS. Specialty guides: Insider Guides (online); UK institutional guide and websites; sample applications and Alumni/ae emails. Judith Murciano, Director of Fellowships, available for individual counseling and informational meetings. pia@law.harvard.edu