UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship 2019/2020 for African Legal Professionals & Law Graduates

Application Deadline: February 1st 2019

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) and Sonke Gender Justice Network (Sonke) announce the launch of the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship. Commencing in August 2019, the programme will provide specialised training to top graduates from South African law schools for careers as impact-oriented public interest lawyers in the areas of health, human rights, HIV prevention, and gender equality.

The Fellowship offers a full-tuition grant to enrol in UCLA Law’s Master of Law Program (LL.M.) and assists Fellows in securing living and travel expenses for their studies. It also offers the opportunity to apply for a one-year Fellowship placement with Sonke’s Policy Development and Advocacy unit.

Fellows will enrol in UCLA Law’s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy (PILP). Through its various workshops and seminars, Fellows will meet PILP students and faculty, and grapple with current challenges faced in public interest legal practice. Students will enrol in the course Human Rights and Sexual Politics, which address a range of issues such as sexual and reproductive health rights, sex work, LGBTIQ+ and access to health care.

Each UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellow will also elect other related courses and author a substantial writing assignment on a health, human rights, and/or gender equality-related legal issue facing South Africa. To prepare for American legal studies, Fellows will start off their curriculum by enrolling in a Summer introductory course, American Law in a Global Context.

Eligibility Requirements:

The UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship is open to legal professionals and law graduates holding LL.B. degrees classified second class (division one) or higher from South African law school programmes.

Competitive applicants will also have a demonstrated commitment to health, human rights, or gender equality, and work or volunteer experience in this area. Note that non-South African applicants must have a valid work permit.

As a condition of the award, Fellows will be asked to certify that they will return to Africa upon completion of their LL.M. degree, and commit to a public interest career that promotes health, human rights, and gender equality in the African region for at least one year.

Application Procedure:

Applicants must complete the online application for UCLA Law’s LL.M. programme and the supplemental application for the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship.

UCLA Law’s LL.M. online application is at www.law.ucla.edu/llm.

Please download the fellowship application form here.

Applicants are currently open and the due date for the online application for UCLA Law’s LL.M. programme and the Fellowship application form is February 1, 2019.

Please direct questions about the fellowship to [email protected], and questions about UCLA Law’s online LL.M. application procedure to [email protected].

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship 2019