[COLPI-SLClinics] PILI/Justice Initiative Public Interest Law Fellows Program

**Call for Applications**

PILI/Justice Initiative Public Interest Law Fellows Program
Columbia University School of Law
(2003-2005 Session)

Columbia University's Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) and The Open
Society Justice Initiative (formerly the Constitutional and Legal Policy
Institute), are pleased to invite applications for the Public Interest
Law
Fellows Program. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2003.

The program will select five lawyers from Central and Eastern Europe,
Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus ("the region") for two years of
study
and practical work experience. One slot in the program is specifically
designated for women's rights advocates, one slot for disability rights
advocates, and one slot for a Roma rights advocate, with the two
remaining
slots undesignated.

Criteria for selection will include the experience of the applicant, the
applicant's potential to contribute to the development of the human
rights
or public interest law field in the region, and the suitability of the
applicant's proposed role in the nominating non-governmental
organization
(NGO). Applicants must have a minimum of two years relevant work
experience
outside of law school. Preference will be given to applicants under 35
years of age. Minorities, especially Roma, are strongly encouraged to
apply. Selection decisions will be made by May 1, 2003.

The Fellows will reside a total of one year in the US, consisting of one
semester of study at Columbia University and two three-month
internships.
Fellows will return to their home countries after the first year, where
they will spend at least one year working with their nominating NGO on
human rights/public interest advocacy on a non-profit basis in such
areas
as providing legal services, strategic litigation, campaigning for
reform,
and human rights training/education. Upon their selection, Fellows will
be
required to sign an agreement with the Justice Initiative and Columbia
University according to which he/she will commit to two years in the
program; the first year to be spent in the US and the second year in
his/her home country working with the nominating NGO.

The Justice Initiative will cover the cost of a round-trip coach airfare
to
the US and provide each Fellow with a monthly stipend for a period of up
to
12 months, a textbook allowance, and medical insurance for a year while
in
the US. The amount of this stipend is carefully calculated to cover the
expenses of one person in the US for the period of one year. The Justice
Initiative will also pay a local salary during the second year that is
equal to an amount determined to be similar to equivalent work by the
nominating NGO. This amount will be provided to the nominating NGOs in
the
form of a grant.

Please note, the Justice Initiative and PILI cannot provide any
financial
or logistical assistance for accompanying family members, including
securing suitable family housing. Moreover, Columbia University requires
evidence of financial support for accompanying family members. In the
2002/2003 academic year, this amount was equal to $700 a month for an
accompanying spouse and $350 a month for each dependent child. Providing
proof of the requisite financial support for accompanying family members
will be the responsibility of the applicant.

Program Description

The goal of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) is to advance
human
rights principles through assisting the development of a public interest
law infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia
and
the Caucasus. PILI is supported by the Ford Foundation, the Mott
Foundation, the UK Department for International Development, the
European
Community, and the Soros network of foundations. The Public Interest Law
Fellows Program is one of PILI's core activities.
Fellows will be expected to arrive in early August in order to
participate
in "US Legal Methods and Problems," an intensive course that starts
prior
to other classes and provides an academic orientation for lawyers from
civil law countries. In the first semester of the program, Public
Interest
Law Fellows participate in a non-degree program in which they audit 3 to
5
courses at Columbia Law School. As auditors, Fellows do not participate
in
exams and do not receive grades or credit from the law school for
completing a course. All Fellows are required to participate in a
seminar
taught by Edwin Rekosh, Executive Director of the Public Interest Law
Initiative. This seminar ? which pairs Fellows with a select group of
full-time Columbia students ? provides a practical-oriented overview of
law
reform issues confronting the legal systems of Central and Eastern
Europe,
Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus from an interdisciplinary
perspective, with an emphasis on democracy-building, civil society, and
enhancing the promotion and protection of human rights. Each Fellow will
be
expected to propose a project relating to human rights or other public
interest law issues, which will be the subject of research and
collaboration by teams formed with other students in the seminar. The
project should be related to the needs and priorities of the applicant's
nominating NGO, but may change over the course of the semester based on
the
input of other students in the seminar. Ideally, the result of the
seminar
will be a project plan that can be further modified during the remainder
of
the year to fit the particular needs of the NGO.

In the spring and early summer, Fellows participate in two three-month
internships at human rights, legal services, or other public interest
law
organizations in the New York area. To the extent possible, internships
will be selected according to Fellows' particular interests in the area
of
human rights and public interest law.

More information about the Public Interest Law Initiative can be found
on
the Internet at: www.pili.org. More information about Columbia Law
School
can be found at www.law.columbia.edu.

Application Procedure

Applicants must submit the following:

- A completed program application form
- A nominating letter from an indigenous NGO in the region describing
the
need for having a lawyer working in the organization and contractually
committing to the Justice Initiative to hire the applicant for at least
one
year after he/she returns from the US. The nomination letter should also
indicate a monthly salary rate, inclusive of all income taxes, social
security and other wage-related payments payable by the individual or
organization, that will be offered to the applicant by the NGO in the
event
that he or she is selected for the program (the salary amount is
provided
to the NGO by the Justice Initiative in the form of a grant).
- At least one recommendation from an individual outside the nominating
organization
- A project proposal that he or she would like to work on during the
first
semester of the program, ideally with practical significance to the
nominating NGO. (Some past examples include: developing a strategic
litigation strategy to address discrimination against women in the
workplace; drafting a model mental health care law with a detailed
implementation strategy; establishing a legal aid program, and promoting
freedom of expression and religion through litigation and public
education.)
- Information on the nominating NGO and additional recommendations are
also
encouraged, although not required.

The electronic submission, via e-mail, of application materials is
strongly
encouraged although materials may also be submitted via facsimile or
through regular mail. 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 he/she cannot obtain
the
needed information.

The DEADLINE for receiving applications at PILI is March 15, 2003.
Application forms can be downloaded from PILI's website at www.pili.org.
For more information or to receive an application form via email, please
contact Julie Heaner Plavsic, Fellowship Program Manager, 435 W. 116th
St,
Mailcode 3525, New York, New York; tel: 1-212-851-1060; fax:
1-212-851-1064; e-mail: jplavs@law.columbia.edu.

__________________
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send any responses to "piln@columbia.edu".



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