Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Diversity Fellowship

The New York Bar Foundation is pleased to offer the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Diversity Fellowship each spring which has been established by The Foundation through a gift from the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. The Fellowship will be awarded to a current first year (1L) diversity law student who is enrolled in a law school in the State of New York to work in a litigation position in the public sector in the State of New York during the summer.

Diversity Fellowship Program Goals

To increase the representation of lawyers and students from a diverse range of backgrounds in commercial litigation, and to provide students from a diverse range of backgrounds with an opportunity to experience litigation practice. The ultimate goal of the Fellowship is to create a network and forge relationships which will foster greater diversity among commercial and federal litigators throughout the State of New York. Through the Fellowship, a student will be provided a meaningful and appropriately supervised work experience in the Chambers of Justice (TBD), of the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of New York, New York County, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY

The Fellowship

The Fellowship, valued at $6,000, will be awarded to one (1) student to spend the summer of 2016 (10 weeks) working on Commercial Division matters in the Chambers of Justice (TBD), of the of the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of New York, New York County, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY.

  1. The Fellow will be a guest member of the NYSBA Commercial and Federal Litigation Section for one year starting with the award of the Fellowship.
  2. The Fellowship will be awarded during the month of March  and the official presentation will occur in April at the Section's Annual Smooth Moves Event.  

Eligibility

The Fellowship is open to all first-year (1L) diversity students that are enrolled in a law school in the State of New York and who are capable of fulfilling the requested work hours and responsibilities. The student must be a member of one of the following racial/ethnic groups: Black/African American; Latino/a; Native American or Alaskan Native; Asian or Pacific Islander.

Fellowship Length

The Fellowship will take place during the summer for a period of ten weeks from June to August. The work requirement per week is 35 hours at the minimum but should not exceed 40 hours.

Location of Fellowship

The Fellowship will take place in the Commercial Division, in the Chambers of the of Justice (TBD). Fellowship finalists will be interviewed in New York City.

Payment of Fellowship

The student will receive $3,000 at the start of the Fellowship with the remaining $3,000 paid to the student at the end of the Fellowship (no federal or state income taxes will be withheld and a 1099 will be issued to the student by January 31 of the following year).

Housing and Other Expense

Housing, transportation and all other expenses to participate in the Fellowship will be provided by the student.

Fellowship Application Requirements

The applicant must submit the following:

  1. A completed application (application form below)
  2. Cover letter of interest
  3. Unofficial undergraduate school transcript
  4. Resume
  5. Two letters of recommendation
  6. One writing sample on any topic related to the law. The writing sample must be at least five pages but shall not exceed 10 typed pages double spaced.

Fellowship Requirement

At the conclusion of the Fellowship, the recipient will be required to produce a summary evaluation report that may be produced as an article in the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Newsletter and/or the Foundation’s Newsletter.

Format

If submitting application materials by e-mail, the attachment file will be accepted in Microsoft Word and/or PDF format.

Judging

Criteria for judging applications will be:

  1. Content and quality of application materials
  2. Demonstrated interest in litigation
  3. Work experience
  4. Academic record
  5. Leadership experience
  6. Extracurricular activities and community service
  7. Quality of written expression
  8. Maturity, integrity and professionalism
  9. Any other relevant factors 

For more information and where to apply For questions please contact Deborah Auspelmyer