In fall 2021, with the support and collaboration of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s extended family of law clerks, Columbia Law School establish the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Academic Fellowship in honor of her profound impact on our nation as a brilliant legal strategist, litigator, teacher/mentor, and jurist. The fellowship is also an expression of the deep pride and gratitude Columbia Law School has for Justice Ginsburg—both as an alumna of the class of 1959 and the Law School’s first female tenured professor.
Fellows commit to spending two years at Columbia Law School pursuing publishable independent research, teaching, engaging in the rich intellectual life of the community, and otherwise preparing for entry into the tenure-track law teaching market.
Justice Ginsburg spent a significant portion of her career as an innovator and practitioner of impact litigation before making the transition to the legal academy. The hands-on experience she brought to her career as a professor of law made her an invaluable teacher and mentor to her students and resource to her colleagues. In today’s highly competitive academic marketplace, we believe that the academy has an obligation to provide interested and qualified practitioners, especially those in public interest law and government service, with the necessary support and opportunities to follow in the footsteps of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and become outstanding teachers and scholars.
The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Academic Fellowship’s scholarship and teaching requirements, resources, and compensation may be found here: Academic Fellows Program.
Please apply using the online Academic Fellowship portal. In your cover letter please indicate that you would like to be considered for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Academic Fellowship. (If you are applying for the Academic Fellows program concurrently, please indicate that as well.)
Please note: due to the commitment period for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Academic Fellowship, this position is not available every year. At present, applications for this position will be available in September 2024 for a July 1, 2025 start date (dates subject to change). If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Academic Fellows Program at [email protected].
Columbia University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications by qualified women and minority candidates for these positions.