The DEADLINE for receiving applications at PILnet is Monday, 25 March 2013.
PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law is pleased to invite applications for the PILnet Fellowship for 2013-2014. PILnet will select lawyers from Brazil, China, the Middle East and North Africa region (especially Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia), Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, and Southeast Asia (especially Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam) for eight months of study and practical experience in New York City. The program, now in its sixteenth year, targets future leaders in various fields of public interest advocacy.
During their eight months in the U.S. PILnet Fellows will develop a project designed to further the rule of law in their home countries. The Fellowship begins with a semester of study at Columbia University School of Law and a series of professional development trainings. In the spring, the PILnet Fellows will participate in study visits to various cities in the US and Europe, as well as two-month internships at New York-based public interest law organizations. At the end of the program, the Fellows will return to their home countries ready to implement the rule of law projects they developed during their Fellowships. PILnet will cover the cost of a round-trip coach airfare to the U.S., housing in New York City, a monthly stipend, and emergency medical insurance. Selected candidates for the Fellowship are required to sign an agreement to the terms of the program, stating that they will complete it in full.
Application Instructions
Applicants MUST submit the following documents (all non-English materials must be accompanied by an English translation):
1. A completed program application form (application forms can be downloaded from the PILnet website)
2. A curriculum vitae or resume
3. A nominating letter from the organization where the applicant is employed, supporting the candidate’s application to the program and indicating how the applicant’s participation in the PILnet Fellowship would benefit the organization/institution
4. Two recommendation letters from individuals familiar with the candidate’s professional abilities. At least one recommendation letter must come from an individual outside of the nominating organization
5. A description of a rule of law project that the applicant would like to work on during the program, with practical significance to his/her work upon returning home*
6. A statement of purpose describing the candidate’s motivation for applying to the PILnet Fellowship and how prior professional and academic experiences have prepared him/her to succeed as a PILnet Fellow (1000 words maximum)
7. A copy of the applicant’s law school transcript
8. A copy of the applicant’s bar membership if available and
9. Information on the nominating organization/institution.
*The rule of law project description should be a two- to three-page outline of a project that the candidate would like to develop during the PILnet Fellowship period. This should include:
• A preliminary description of the rule of law project,
• Why it is important that this project be executed,
• How and why the project can succeed, and
• Who will be engaged in the home country, the U.S., and Europe, in order to improve the quality of the project.
Examples of public interest advocacy projects might include but are certainly not limited to:
• Promoting legal reform to reduce racial discrimination,
• Improving implementation and enforcement of children’s rights law, and
• Establishing legal education clinics in universities.
Selection Criteria
Evaluation of Candidate:
• Public interest leadership potential in his or her country
• The nature of the candidate’s relationship with the nominating organization (minimum of two years working experience with the organization is required) and
• The candidate’s ability to effectively communicate in English.
Evaluation of Rule of Law Project:
• The quality of the proposed rule of law project and its potential for promoting public interest law and human rights in the candidate’s home country and
• The track record of the nominating organization in promoting public interest advocacy.
Submission of application materials via e-mail is strongly encouraged, though printed materials may also be submitted via regular mail to the address on the application. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. If an application is submitted without one of the required components, it will be disqualified unless the applicant can justify why s/he cannot obtain the required information.
The DEADLINE for receiving applications at PILnet is Monday, 25 March 2013.
Please submit your questions and applications to Erin Carll, Program Coordinator, at pilnetfellowship@pilnet.org .
Please note that PILnet cannot provide any financial or logistical assistance for accompanying family members, including in securing suitable family housing. Moreover, Columbia University requires evidence of financial support for accompanying family members before it can issue official invitations required for visa applications. Providing proof of the requisite financial support for accompanying family members will be the responsibility of the applicant.