Columbia Law School's LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program, which was inaugurated in 2006, reflects Columbia's commitment to the thoughtful multinational development of an ethic of professional responsibility and the belief that participation by the private sector in pro bono service is essential to achieving equal access to justice.
LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows ideally will receive an excellent legal education, combining courses and seminars at the law school with practical work experience at corporate law firms in both private matters and pro bono service. First, the Fellows will be candidates for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree at Columbia Law School. The goal is that, after successful completion of their studies, the Fellows will work at a U.S. law firm or corporate law department, which has an excellent private practice and an exemplary pro bono practice. The Fellow’s assignments at their post-graduate placements will include private matters as well as pro bono work, and the Fellows will be paid commensurate with other foreign associates. (Postgraduate placement cannot be guaranteed.) Upon return to their home countries, the Fellows will assist their firms’ participation in an international network of firms committed to the development of pro bono practice.
The Fellowship Program builds upon Columbia’s traditional excellence in the education of international lawyers for private practice, our award-winning pro bono program for J.D. students, and our relationships with private practice and public interest lawyers in the U.S. and abroad. It also will benefit from Columbia’s close relationship with Public Interest Law Institute (PILI) and the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives at the New York Bar Association. They collaborate with lawyers, bar associations and NGOs in Asia, Europe, Latin America or Russia to support local efforts to promote and institutionalize pro bono legal services.
The Fellowship’s primary purpose is to contribute to the educational and professional development of young private practitioners who are committed to pro bono service. Another goal is to make a meaningful contribution to the growth of pro bono practice in the Fellows’ home law firms and legal communities. We expect the Fellowship to foster pro bono and an international network of pro bono practitioners.
Application Deadlines: A complete The LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program application must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2008. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted. Back to top
2008-2009 Pro Bono Fellows
The three Pro Bono Fellows for the 2008-2009 academic year are:
:: Flávia Martins Azevedo: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
:: Andres Nieto Sanchez de Tagle: Mexico City, Mexico
:: Ali Sami Er: Istanbul, Turkey
For biographies of the 2008-2009 Pro Bono Fellows, click here.
The five Pro Bono Fellows for the 2007-2008 academic year are:
:: Maria del Rocio Gonzalez Alcantara L. ("Rocio"): Mexico City, Mexico :: Hugo Lopez-Coll: Mexico City, Mexico :: Yuliya Guseva: Orenburg, Russia :: Maria Isabel Rodrigues Vargas("Maribel"): Madrid, Spain :: Jessica Villaverde Galvez: Mexico City, Mexico
The five recipients of the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship for the 2006-2007 academic year are: :: Juan Jose Bouchon, Santiago Chile :: Layla Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil :: Pablo Falabella, Buenos Aires, Argentina :: Juliana Pechincha, Sao Paulo, Brazil :: Juliana Ramalho, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Click here for profiles of the 2006-2007 Pro Bono Fellows.
The LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship ideally consists of two parts: candidacy for the LL.M. Degree at Columbia Law School and a fellowship at a U.S. corporate law firm or corporate law department.
THE COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL LL.M. DEGREE PROGRAM
General Guidelines
For general information about Columbia’s LL.M. Program, click here.
You may also obtain information through the Graduate Legal Studies Office:
Office of Graduate Legal Studies Columbia University School of Law 435 West 116th Street, MC 4036 New York, NY 10027-7297 Tel.: (001 -- 212) 854-2655 Fax: (001 -- 212) 854-9742 gls@law.columbia.edu
Information about selection criteria for the LL.M. program and a copy of the LL.M. program application are available here.
Candidates for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree are required to spend one academic year (two terms) of full-time study and research in residence at Columbia Law School, commencing only at the beginning of Columbia’s academic year (in late August-early September). Participants in the LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program must be full-time students and therefore may not work for compensation during their academic year of residence.
Course of Study at Columbia Law School Like all other LL.M. students, the Pro Bono Fellows will create their own program of study to meet their educational needs, in consultation with their academic advisors. The only unique academic requirement for Pro Bono Fellows is mandatory enrollment in the Externship on Pro Bono Practice and Design for four credits. The Externship on Pro Bono will be offered to Columbia J.D. and other LL.M. students as well as the Pro Bono Fellows. It consists of (1) a seminar on the history, ethics, guidelines, practicalities and critiques of pro bono practice in private law firms and corporate law departments and (2) a practical field component in which students volunteer at not-for-profit organizations and reflect upon and discuss their experiences. The majority of the grade for the seminar will be based upon each student’s concept paper for a pro bono project to be implemented by each student for implementation after graduation. Discussion of the Fellows’ evolving project designs with their professor, classmates and expert consultants from law firms, corporate law departments and NGOs will be a major focus of the seminar.
LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows are eligible for all financial aid that is available to candidates for the LL.M. degree at Columbia Law School.
Because of the limited funding available for assistance and the high cost of attending law school in the United States, applicants are encouraged to begin seeking other sources of funds early in the application process.
Position at Corporate Law Firm or Corporate Law Department The goal is that after successful completion of the LL.M. program, LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows will continue to learn about pro bono practice in the United States, by working as foreign associates at U.S. law firms and corporate law departments. Best efforts will be made by the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship program to assist each Fellow to obtain a post-graduate position with a corporate law firm or corporate law department that agrees to participate in the pilot project. However, postgraduate placement cannot be guaranteed. (Fellows who obtain a position will not be permitted to interview at Columbia’s LL.M. job fair.) The Fellows will do both corporate and pro bono work. The length of the post-graduate placement usually is 9 to 12 months but may be adjusted to satisfy the needs of the host organization and the Fellow, taking into account the Fellow’s obligations to the home law firm. The host organizations will pay the Fellows a salary commensurate with those they pay to other foreign associates with similar experience and qualifications.
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Qualifications and Application Procedure
The ideal applicant will be committed to pro bono service , have at least three years of post-graduate experience in the practice of law, demonstrate leadership ability, be employed at a law firm or corporate law department with a reputation in its community for excellent private practice and a commitment to pro bono service and come from a city or country that has some tradition of pro bono practice. Only students admitted to Columbia's LL.M. program will be considered for the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship.
A complete application consists of: 1) An application to the LL.M. program at Columbia Law School. The LL.M. application must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2008. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.
2) An application to the LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program. The application for the Pilot Program must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2008. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.
The Pro Bono Pilot Program Application consists of: • A short (1-2 pages, single spaced) essay by the applicant describing the current and previous pro bono work done and goals for pro bono service for the next five years, including a statement of commitment by the applicant to return to his or her home country and to perform a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service annually after completion of the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship. • A brief (1-2 paragraphs) description of the nature of pro bono in the applicant’s home city or country. • A letter of nomination by a person at the applicant’s law firm, who can comment knowledgeably about the applicant's leadership abilities, pro bono commitment and plans; and who is authorized to include the required statement committing the firm to allowing the applicant to perform a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service annually upon return to the firm after completion of the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship. • A letter of nomination by a person who works at a not-for-profit organization or a law school public interest clinical education program, who can comment knowledgeably about the applicant's leadership abilities, pro bono commitment and plans. Ideally, this letter would be written by a person at an organization with which the applicant may perform pro service upon return home after completion of the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship. Persons who work at the applicants’ law firm cannot write this letter.
The application for the LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program should be sent to:
Ellen P. Chapnick Dean for Social Justice Initiatives Columbia Law School Box B-26 435 W. 116th Street New York, New York 10027 U.S.A.
Faxed and emailed applications will not be accepted.
For more information about the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program, contact Dean Chapnick at chapnick@law.columbia.edu or 212-851-1929.
See the attached invitation to apply for 2009-2010 for details.
