The Georgetown Law Research Fellowship
Georgetown Law is pleased to offer the Law Research Fellowship for emerging scholars who seek to pursue a law teaching career. We are seeking applicants who have demonstrated an aptitude for independent legal research, as demonstrated by their work as students or by their professional activities after law school. There are no subject-matter restrictions on the research or teaching agenda fellows may wish to pursue. We expect that candidates will have widely varied intellectual interests, ranging across the full spectrum of legal scholarship.
Georgetown is not currently accepting applications for the law research fellowship. Please check back for updates regarding the 2013 deadline.
The Fellowship
Research Fellows will be in residence at Georgetown for a two-year period. The fellowship will permit fellows to complete a year of research and writing before they apply to teaching positions. During a fellow's tenure at Georgetown, he or she will be expected to produce at least one major academic piece of scholarship. There is no teaching requirement, although those who choose to may teach one seminar or course of his or her design or pursue co-teaching opportunities with a Georgetown Law Faculty member. Each fellow will work with a primary mentor, and an advisory committee. The mentor will work closely with the fellow in the development of his or her major writing project, as well as his or her teaching at Georgetown. The advisory committee will review the written project, and will keep in close touch on all issues pertaining to the fellow's professional development.
In addition, Georgetown also provides Research Fellows the opportunity to attend scholarly symposia, lectures, and brown bag seminars for Georgetown Law faculty, to audit any courses they wish, and to participate in the many activities of the Georgetown Fellows Collaborative, which are described below.
The Georgetown Fellows Collaborative
The Research Fellowship forms part of Georgetown Fellows' Collaborative, a program designed for the many fellows at Georgetown Law and its various institutes who wish to pursue an academic career. The core of the Georgetown Fellows' Collaborative is the regular Fellows Workshop and the ongoing Fellows Seminar. Members of the Fellows Collaborative are also invited to programs about the teaching market, and work together and with members of the faculty in the application process.
- Fellows Workshop
The Fellows Workshop meets every other week and gives fellows an opportunity to present their works in progress to one another. The goal is to improve the quality of participants' work in a collaborative, supportive, critical and rigorous process of peer-review. The Fellows Workshop is run in the same format as faculty workshops. Presenting fellows are encouraged, though not required, to invite faculty with relevant interests to attend as well.
- Fellows Seminar
Research Fellows are expected to participate in the Fellows Seminar, which is conducted by members of the faculty. The Fellows Seminar provides, in two years, an overview of major ideas in legal thought and scholarship. Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in four seminars, consisting of: (1) Legal Theory and Jurisprudence (2) Law and Social Sciences (3) Law and Humanities, and (4) Contemporary Debates in Legal Scholarship. A different seminar will be offered each semester. Research Fellows are not required to produce any writing for the seminar, but it is expected that they will be motivated to attend and participate in a lively discussion.
Benefits
The Fellowship offers a competitive stipend, eligibility for staff health insurance, and office space. In addition, Fellows who complete a substantial scholarly publication while in residence at the Law Center are eligible for the LL.M. degree with full tuition waiver.
International Applicants
International law graduates with degrees from non-U.S. law schools are welcome to apply to the GLRF program, if they plan to enter the U.S. law teaching market. Non-U.S. citizens who join the program will be given administrative support by Georgetown University to help navigate the visa process (fellows must secure J-1 visas, as they are employees of the university).
Other Georgetown Law programs that welcome international applicants and may best fit their needs include the Visiting Researcher Program and the S.J.D. Degree Program.
Inquiries & Frequently Asked Questions
Administration of the GLRF program, including the application process, is handled by the Office of the Dean of Research and Academic Programs. Please direct all inquiries about the program to glrf@law.georgetown.edu. Before contacting the Office, please check our General Frequently Asked Questions Page and our Applications Frequently Asked Questions Page.
Application
Georgetown is not currently accepting applications for the law research fellowship. Please check back for updates regarding the 2013 deadline.
The application process has both online and posted mail components. Please be sure to complete both components.
Online Component
If you are interested in applying, please email glrf@law.georgetown.edu to obtain a username and password that will allow you to access the application site. A link to the application site will be sent with your username and password.
The site contains an application form and will require you to attach the following additional materials in PDF format:
- Resume/CV
- Research Proposal/Scholarly Agenda (10-15 pages)
- The Research Proposal should be approximately 10-15 pages in length and should describe the project or projects you expect to accomplish as a Fellow. A successful agenda succinctly states the intended thesis or argument you hope to make in each proposed piece of scholarship, and may also suggest possible connections between projects if more than one project is contemplated. The Research Agenda should convey scholarly intent and potential but need not be footnoted, nor are bibliographies expected. Please preface your agenda with an Executive Summary (one page or less) of your primary proposed research project.
- The Research Proposal should be approximately 10-15 pages in length and should describe the project or projects you expect to accomplish as a Fellow. A successful agenda succinctly states the intended thesis or argument you hope to make in each proposed piece of scholarship, and may also suggest possible connections between projects if more than one project is contemplated. The Research Agenda should convey scholarly intent and potential but need not be footnoted, nor are bibliographies expected. Please preface your agenda with an Executive Summary (one page or less) of your primary proposed research project.
- Personal Statement (optional)
- The Personal Statement should be approximately two pages and is your opportunity to describe your background, professional goals, or other personal information you feel is relevant to your candidacy.
- Published Works (if any)
Further instructions for completing the online application are available on the application page that will be emailed to you.
Posted Mail Component
All official transcripts and letters of recommendation MUST be sent by posted mail, directly from the school or recommender. These materials will not be considered if they are received late, meaning they must be postmarked by the application deadline. Specifically the application calls for:
- Two Letters of Recommendation, preferably from law professors, to be sent directly to the Law Center by recommenders on letterhead.
- All Official Transcripts for any degree(s) earned, to be sent directly to the Law Center under seal.
Please direct these materials to:
Associate Dean of Research and Academic Programs
Georgetown University Law Center, Dean's Office
600 New Jersey Ave, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Current GLRF Fellows and Alumni
CURRENT FELLOWS
Neha Jain (2010-2012)
B.A., LL.B. (Hons.), National Law School of India University; BCL (Masters in Law), MPhil in Law, DPhil (Phd) in Law (expected 2010), Oxford University
Allegra McLeod (2010-2012)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University; Ph.D., M.A., Stanford University; J.D. Yale Law School; B.A. Scripps College of the Claremont Consortium
Jennifer E. Sturiale (2010-2012)
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center; B.A. Duke University
Laura Pedraza-Fariña (2011-2013)
J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., Yale University; B.A., Oberlin College
Dov Fox (2011-2013)
J.D., Yale Law School; D.Phil., M.Sc., Oxford University; A.B., Harvard College
ALUMNI include:
Matthew Dimick
Assoc. Professor of Law, University at Buffalo Law School
Logan Sawyer
Asst. Professor of Law, University of Georgia School of Law
Hannah Alejandro
2011-2012 Judicial Clerk, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
Nienke Grossman
Asst. Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
Cyra Choudhury
Asst. Professor of Law, Florida International University School of Law
Gowri Ramachandran
Professor, Southwestern Law School
Alejandro Camacho
Professor, University of California, Irvine Law School
Robin A. Lenhardt
Assoc. Professor, Fordham University Law School
Diane Griffin Holland
Assistant General Counsel, Administrative Law; Office of General Counsel, FCC
Nancy Ota
Professor, Albany Law School
Regina Jefferson
Professor, Catholic University Columbus School of Law
Last updated 10/14/2011
