News and Announcements
Summer Fellowship Funding and the Pro Bono Requirement
You are probably aware -- at least generally -- of Berkeley Law's Summer Fellowship Program, which supports students who do public interest or government work during the summer.
While the actual application deadline is a long way off, you do need to begin figuring out how you will satisfy the 25-hour pro bono requirement for receiving funding through the Program. Students often elect to complete pro bono hours through student-run projects (e.g. Community Legal Outreach; Workers' Rights Clinic; CARC; Juvenile Hall Outreach) and many of these projects get underway very early in the semester. So, now is a good time to look into them. You should check the Berkeley Law Events Calendar for kick-off meetings and information sessions this week and next.
The Berkeley Law Summer Fellowship Program provides $4000 to JD students who are completing a first summer of qualifying public interest or public sector (government) summer work. The Program also provides additional funding to 2L students who are completing a second summer of eligible work. Note: Unfortunately, judicial externships are not eligible for Berkeley Law Fellowship funding.
You can find all of the eligibility requirements for the 2008-09 Program via the CDO's general Summer Fellowships webpage. In particular, you should familiarize yourself with the Guidelines from last year (which are not expected to cahnge much if at all this year) on the Berkeley Law Summer Fellowship Program webpage. (The 2010 Guidelines and Application Form will be available in early March 2010.)
The principal requirement for receiving funding is the completion of 25 hours of pro bono work (prior to the April 1, 2010 application deadline). Please plan in advance to complete these hours because it can be very difficult to identify sufficient pro bono opportunities if you wait until the deadline nears. Generally speaking, to count toward the pro bono requirement, work must be: (1) law-related; (2) supervised by an attorney; (3) in the public interest; and (4) uncompensated (by either financial remuneration or academic credit). Students often complete their hours by:
participating in student-run projects (e.g. Community Legal Outreach; Workers' Rights Clinic; CARC; Juvenile Hall Outreach; etc.);
performing pre-approved work at non-profit organizations; and/or
directly assisting the public interest fellowship fund-raising efforts of any Berkeley Law student organization.
Please click here for a detailed description of how the pro bono requirement may be satisfied; take the time to read the rules carefully and contact us if you are in need of clarification. These requirements have become more detailed (in an effort to make them more fair), so you should not rely simply on what others tell you about them.
We will have a chance to discuss the Summer Fellowship Program and other summer funding options in greater detail later in the semester.
1Ls: Rest assured, other than considering the pro bono requirement, there is no need to begin thinking about your summer job search before the 1L Career Orientation in late October. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Maranzana, Associate Director of Public Interest/Public Sector Programs in the CDO, at lmaranzana@law.berkeley.edu or (510) 643-2675.
10/21/2009
