Columbia Law School Announces Greater China Public Interest Fellowship
Columbia Law School Announces Greater China Public Interest Fellowship
Media Contact: Public Affairs, 212-854-2650 or [email protected]
New York, Oct. 25, 2011—Columbia Law School has created the Greater China Public Interest Fellowship to help graduates gain practical experience working with a not-for-profit organization in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan. This one-year fellowship includes a stipend of $60,000 and is a pioneer in its field.
“The field of public interest law has developed significantly in China over the past decade, but it’s still very small, and public interest jobs are difficult to find,” says Benjamin Liebman, the Robert L. Lieff Professor of Law and director of the Center for Chinese Legal Studies. “This fellowship allows a graduate to develop the necessary skills for a career in public interest law in greater China—whether in academic life, in nongovernmental organizations, or as a legal practitioner.”
The fellowship also will support the organization of workshops for public interest lawyers, both in China and at Columbia Law School, offering an ongoing forum to share expertise and contacts with public interest practitioners working in China.
Applicants are required to develop a proposal with a host organization. A likely host might be an international NGO working to promote public interest law in greater China or a domestic Chinese public interest organization, says Liebman.
The Greater China Public Interest Fellowship is available to Columbia Law School students who expect to receive a J.D. or LL.M. degree in 2012. Consideration will also be given to J.D. and LL.M. graduates of the Classes of 2011 and 2010. Applicants must have strong Chinese language skills and be ready to begin work in the fall of 2012.
This fellowship is administered by the Law School’s Social Justice Initiatives program. More information will be provided at an information session on Nov. 16th at 12:10 p.m. Applications are due by January 31, 2012.
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