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Public Interest and Human Rights Programs
LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program
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. Dean for Social Justice Initiatives, Ellen P. Chapnick, who is responsible for the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program, states "we are proud to make a meaningful contribution to the development of pro bono service in other countries." 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 benefits from Columbia's close relationship with the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives at the New York Bar Association and to the Public Interest Law Institute (PILI). For several years, the Vance Center and PILI have been collaborating with lawyers, bar associations and NGOs to support local efforts to promote and institutionalize pro bono legal services, respectively in Latin America and Europe.
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 the regional network of pro bono practitioners that has begun through conferences presented by the Vance Center and PILI. At this time, priority is given to lawyers who practice in Argentina, Brazil, England, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Poland and Russia.
LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows receive an excellent legal education, combining courses and seminars at the Law School with practical work experience in both private matters and pro bono service. The Fellows are candidates for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree at Columbia Law School and therefore must be granted admission to the LL.M. Program before being admitted to this Program. The goal is that the Fellows will work at a U.S. law firm or corporate law department that has an excellent private practice and an exemplary pro bono practice after successful completion of their studies. The Fellows' 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. Upon returning 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.
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LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Components
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.
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 academic points of credit.
Externship on Pro Bono Practice and Design
The externship combines a substantive seminar on pro bono practice in private law firms and corporate law departments wiht a practice component in which students volunteer at not-for-profit organizations and reflect upon and discuss their experiences. The majority of the grade for the externship will be based upon a concept paper for a pro bono project 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. The externship is offered to other Columbia J.D. and LL.M. students as well as to the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows.
Fellowship at a 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 or corporate law departments. Best efforts will be made by the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program to assist the Fellows to obtain a post-graduate position with corporate law firms that agree to participate in the pilot project. (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 at the law firms. The length of the post-graduate placement usually is nine to twelve months but may be adjusted to satisfy the needs of teh 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 other foreign associates with similar experience and qualifications.
Financial Aid
Pro Bono Fellows will not receive financial assistance for their participation in the Pro Bono Fellows Program, but will be considered for all financial aid that is available to candidates for the LL.M. degree at Columbia Law School.
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LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship 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 and 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. Only students admitted to Columbia's LL.M. program will be considered for the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship.
*The definition of pro bono for the purposes of this Fellowship Program is the performance of uncompensated, law-related, public interest service. Public interest service is both broad and non-ideological. It includes, among others, service to the indigent, efforts to protect important rights and liberties, and projects to improve the legal profession or the public's understanding of the law.
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:
1. A short essay (one to two pages, single spaced) by the applicant describing his or her current and previous pro bono work and goals for pro bono service for the next five years, including a statement of commitment 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 bono service upon returning home after completion of the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship.
The application for the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program should be sent to:
Ellen P. Chapnick
Dean for Social Justice Initiatives
Columbia Law School
435 W. 116th Street, Box B-26
New York, New York 10027
U.S.A.
For more information about the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program, contact Dean Chapnick at chapnick@law.columbia.edu or +1 212-854-8484.
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Human Rights LL.M. Fellowship
Columbia Law School's Human Rights LL.M. Fellowship supports students in its Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree program who show exceptional commitment and potential to use their education to become innovators and leaders in human rights practice or academia. LL.M. Human Rights Fellows are expected to devote a significant part of their studies to human rights. Only students admitted to Columbia's LL.M. program will be considered for the Fellowship. Applicants are expected to have at least two years of experience in human rights advocacy and/or teaching and a proven intention to do such work following completion of the program. Students are strongly encouraged to apply if they are from Africa, Asia and Latin America or their gender or sexual orientation creates impediments to education and leadership in their countries.
Full fellowships provide a full tuition waiver and a stipend to help defray living costs for the academic year. Partial fellowshops are awarded when the recipient has outside funding (such as Fulbright) or under other special circumstances. At least three fellowships will be awarded annually.
The application consists of a separate, short essay (1-2 pages) describing the applicant's current and previous human rights work and goals for activity in this area for the next five years; a resume or CV; and two letters of recommendation from professors or human rights practitioners, who can comment knowledgeably about the applicant's human rights commitment, experience and plans. (Letters of recommendation submitted for the LL.M. application should be used only if they comment on human rights work and commitment.) Submit this material to the Office of Graduate Legal Studies at Columbia Law School with the LL.M. application. Please be sure that the Human Rights Fellowship materials are clearly marked as such and that the essay clearly shows your name. The application must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2008.
For more information about the Human Rights Institute or the Human Rights Fellowship Program, contact the Human Rights Institute via e-mail or phone at:
Human Rights Institute
Columbia Law School
435 W. 116th Street, Box B-28
New York, New York 10027
Tel.: (212)854-2493
hri@law.columbia.edu
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