Invitation to Apply For

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL’S LL.M. PRO BONO FELLOWSHIP 2008-2009 PILOT PROGRAM

Columbia Law School is pleased to announce the continuation of its LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship as a pilot program for the academic year 2008-2009. The Fellowship, 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.

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows ideally will receive an excellent legal education, combining courses and seminars at the law school with practical work experience at corporate law firms in both private matters and pro bono service. First, the Fellows will be candidates for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree at Columbia Law School. It is expected that, after successful completion of their studies, the Fellows will work at a U.S. law firm or corporate law department, which has an excellent private practice and an exemplary pro bono practice. The Fellow’s 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 return 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.

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 will benefit from Columbia’s close relationship with Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) and the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives at the New York Bar Association. They collaborate with lawyers, bar associations and NGOs in Asia, Europe, Latin America or Russia to support local efforts to promote and institutionalize pro bono legal services.

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 pro bono and an international network of pro bono practitioners in the region.

Application Deadlines: A complete The LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program application must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2007. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

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. THE COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL LL.M. DEGREE PROGRAM General Guidelines The program of graduate studies at Columbia is designed for students who, having earned a basic law degree (the U.S. Juris Doctor [J.D.] degree or its foreign equivalent), wish to pursue a further course of full-time study in preparation for teaching, public service, or the international practice of law.

Candidates for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree are required to spend one academic year (two terms) of full-time study and research in residence at Columbia Law School, commencing only at the beginning of Columbia’s academic year (in late August-early September). Participants in the LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program must be full-time students and therefore may not work for compensation during their academic year of residence.

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. LL.M. candidates are required to earn twenty-four (24) points of academic credit and two LL.M. Writing Credits for the LL.M. degree. Of the candidate’s points of academic credit, no more than eight points can be earned through supervised research and no more than six points can be earned in courses outside the Law School. Many students take 28 points, and students may take more with approval. The only unique academic requirement for Pro Bono Fellows is mandatory enrollment in the Externship on Pro Bono Practice and Design for four credits.

All LL.M. candidates (except those holding a J.D. from a U.S. law school) are required to take an introductory course on the common law and the American legal system offered uniquely for them. LL.M. students select most of their remaining classes from among the courses and seminars in the regular curriculum offered by the Law Faculty, except for some clinical offerings. Although there are no joint degrees in conjunction with the LL.M. degree, LL.M. candidates may take up to six points in another school or division of Columbia University toward their LL.M. degree, provided the course work pertains to their program of study. The Dean of Graduate Legal Studies must approve the academic programs of all admitted candidates for the LL.M. degree.

The Externship on Pro Bono will be offered to Columbia J.D. and other LL.M. students as well as the Pro Bono Fellows. It consists of (1) a seminar on the history, ethics, guidelines, practicalities and critiques of pro bono practice in private law firms and corporate law departments and (2) a practice field component in which students volunteer at not-for-profit organizations and reflect upon and discuss their experiences. The majority of the grade for the seminar will be based upon each student’s concept paper for a pro bono project to be implemented by each student 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.

Tuition and Financial Aid For 2007-08, tuition each term (for a program of 10 to 19 points) was $21,012 (each additional point of credit was $2,101) - $42,024 for a full year.

2 LL.M. Pro Bono Fellows are eligible for all financial aid that is available to candidates for the LL.M. degree at Columbia Law School. Columbia has limited funds for financial assistance for graduate legal studies. Financial assistance is given in the form of full or partial waivers of tuition on the basis of financial need and academic excellence. These awards generally cover only a portion of the total amount required for tuition and living expenses. Additional information about financial aid is available at http://www.law.columbia.edu/llm_jsd/tuition_fees/fin_aid.

Because of the limited funding available for assistance and the high cost of attending law school in the United States, applicants are encouraged to begin seeking other sources of funds early in the application process.

More Information about Columbia’s LL.M. program and a copy of the application are available at www.law.columbia.edu/llm_jsd/llm/standards or through the Graduate Legal Studies Office:

Office of Graduate Legal Studies Columbia University School of Law 435 West 116th Street, MC 4036 New York, NY 10027-7297 Tel.: (001 -- 212) 854-2655 Fax: (001 -- 212) 854-9742 [email protected]

Position at 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 and corporate law departments. Best efforts will be made by the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship program to assist each Fellow to obtain a post-graduate position with a corporate law firm or corporate law department that agrees 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. The length of the post-graduate placement usually is 9 to 12 months but may be adjusted to satisfy the needs of the 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 to other foreign associates with similar experience and qualifications.

QUALIFICATIONS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE The ideal applicant will be committed to pro bono service1, have at least three years of post- graduate experience in the practice of law, demonstrate leadership ability, 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 and come from a city or country that has some tradition of pro bono practice. Only students admitted to Columbia's LL.M. program will be considered for the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship.

1 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.

3 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, 2007. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

Information about selection criteria for the LL.M. program and a copy of the LL.M. program application are available at http://www.law.columbia.edu/llm_jsd/app_instr.

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, 2007. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

The Pro Bono Pilot Program Application consists of:  A short (1-2 pages, single spaced) essay by the applicant describing the current and previous pro bono work done and goals for pro bono service for the next five years, including a statement of commitment by the applicant 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.  A brief (1-2 paragraphs) description of the nature of pro bono in the applicant’s home city or country.  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.  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 service upon return home after completion of the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship. Persons who work at the applicants’ law firm cannot write this letter.

The application for the LL.M. Pro Bono Pilot Program should be sent to:

Ellen P. Chapnick Dean for Social Justice Initiatives Columbia Law School Box B-26 435 W. 116th Street New York, New York 10027 U.S.A.

Faxed and emailed applications will not be accepted.

For more information about the LL.M. Pro Bono Fellowship Program, contact Dean Chapnick at [email protected] or 212-851-1929.