Georgetown Law Center will be accepting applications for the research fellowship position at GULC for the 2021-2023 cycle.  The application process will open October 1^st, 2020 and the deadline is January 1^st,2021.   All application materials should be sent to west@law.georgetown.edu.

The application for the research fellowship position must include the following materials:

1. Cover letter, indicating that the materials being sent constitute an application for the GULC Research Fellowship, and listing what is included under cover of the letter, and what materials will be coming separately.
2. A Curriculum Vitae.  The CV should be in a standard format and font.  It must include your contact information, prominently placed.  It must include the names of the institutions from which your received your degrees and the years those degrees were received.  It may include rankings if available and honors awarded for your student work.  It must include all employment since receiving your last degree.  You might want to separately list significant teaching experience.  It should next contain a section titled “Scholarship.”  First, list all of your published work (if any).  You may include short thumbnail descriptions of each piece – no more than a sentence per article.  Next, and under a separate heading, you may include a list of works in progress or now under consideration by reviews. Last, again under a separate heading, it may include a list of non-scholarly writing, including writing related to law for newspapers or other media outlets.  Next, list scholarly presentations you have made, if any.   Finally, include a full list of your recommenders, and their contact information.  The bulk of your recommenders should come from the academy, but they need not all.
3. Research Proposal.  The Proposal should state the nature of the research and writing you hope to undertake during the fellowship years.  Ideally, for each article you hope to develop, the proposal should summarize the thesis, the main lines of argument, the method you hope to employ, and the conclusions you predict may follow.  It should give a sense of what leads you to this project, and how it fits into your larger research agenda.  Although not required, you may indicate which members of the law school faculty you think might have an interest in your work.  The proposal should not exceed 2500 words and may be considerably shorter.  Please double space the proposal, and use a traditional 12 font.  Remember that the fellowship is designed to help you bring published law review articles (one or two) to fruition.  The proposal should reflect this goal.  Indicate in the proposal the shape of the final product, and a general timeline for its completion.
4. Publications, if any. Please include available electronic versions of all publications in your application, or links to electronically available publications.
5. A Personal Statement. A personal statement is encouraged in some circumstances but by no means required.  If there is a history behind your decision to enter the legal academy that you think is relevant to your application, by all means let us know.  You may also wish to discuss the way in which you came to the decision to pursue an academic-legal career.  Most people go to law school intending to be lawyers, not law professors.  The fellowships at GULC and elsewhere are designed to assist you in making the transition.  You might want to share your own decision-making process that has brought you to this point.  You may also want to share the autobiographical dimension of your interest in the field of law or in your research proposal you are hoping to study.   Again, to stress, a personal statement is not required.
6. Letters of Recommendation. Please be sure your application will ultimately contain a minimum of two letters of recommendation.  Ask your recommenders to send their Letters of Recommendation directly to west@law.georgetown.edu.
7.   Please have the schools you attended forward electronic copies of official transcripts on your behalf, to west@law.georgetown.edu. The transcript may be photocopied or photographed, but it must be sent electronically.  Official transcripts are preferred, but at least through the duration of the COVID crisis, they are not absolutely required.  Therefore, if the school cannot photo or scan the original and send it to us for any reason,  and if an “unofficial” copy of your transcript is available to you online, simply download and send us that.  For this application year only transcripts – whether official or unofficial — must be in electronic form.  Please be sure that we receive copies of official or unofficial transcripts, and that they are transmitted electronically.

• Applicants should send all materials in one PDF: their cover letter, research proposal, CV and other supporting materials. They should name the PDF last name.first name.application, e.g. smith.susie.application.

Send all application materials to west@law.georgetown.edu.

If there are materials that cannot be sent electronically (either transcripts, because nothing is available online, and there is no one at the originating school who can download and photocopy or photograph the transcript or publications that do not exist in digital form such as books, or letters of recommendation that likewise cannot be sent digitally) please send those materials to:

Robin West
Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue
Washington DC 20001

If any questions, please email Professor Robin West, Director, Research Fellowship and SJD Programs, at west@law.georgetown.edu, or for time-pressed questions call at 410-218-0401.

FAQs – General

If you have a question that is not answered below, please email additional questions to west@law.georgetown.edu.

Can I submit more than two letters of recommendation?

You may, but this is not encouraged. The Selection Committee is best served by letters from people who know your work and interests very well, and who can speak with some expertise about your potential as an academic. Additional letters that do not meet that description are of little or no advantage to the candidate. Please submit more than two letters only if the additional letter will tell the committee something unique about your candidacy.

Does my published work or writing sample need to be academic? May I use materials developed for legal practice?

Because the Selection Committee is looking for scholarly potential, the best writing sample is academic writing (original and single-authored). Materials from legal practice, such as briefs and memoranda, are often heavily edited and do not have the style, voice, or goals of academic writing. If it is necessary to submit a non-academic writing sample, please indicate why on your application and specify whether the work as been edited by someone other than yourself.

Should my application indicate a Georgetown faculty member who could act as a mentor to my work?

It is not necessary to identify a specific faculty mentor for your proposed fellowship project. In explaining your interest in the Law Research program, you may want to mention why Georgetown is suited to your needs – and this might include the presence of certain faculty members, or an area of faculty expertise relevant to your work. But you are not expected to propose a particular mentor in your application.

How many candidates typically apply? How many are chosen each year?

We generally receive between forty and sixty application, and there are one to two fellowship positions available each year.

Who is on the Selection Committee?

The committee members change from year to year. The program is administered by Prof. Robin West, Chair of the Fellows and Teaching Careers Committee, who is the only permanent member of the committee.

How are applicants notified of the Selection Committee decision?

Applicants who are offered the fellowship will be contacted by phone and e-mail. Applicants who are not offered the decision will receive a letter by email or U.S. mail.

How does my experience in legal practice affect my application?

Past fellows have included both practitioners (anywhere from 1 to 6 years; at firms, non-profits, and other organizations) and non-practitioners. Because legal academia focuses on the skills of academic research and publishing, as well as teaching, academic ability, law school hiring committees often give a candidate’s academic work as much or more weight than practice experience. The balance is similar in choosing research fellows. You are encouraged to explain how your practice experience, if you have it, figures into your academic interests and teaching goals.

Can my application be expedited if I receive an offer from another institution?

This will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but the general policy is not to expedite review of applications.

If I am accepted to the Law Research Fellowship Program, can I defer my acceptance for a year?

This too will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but the general policy is not to grant deferrals.

FAQs – International Applicants

Do I need to submit TOEFL scores? What if I have studied/researched/published in English?

TOEFL scores are required for all applicants from non-English speaking countries. In rare cases the TOEFL requirement may be waived. If you would like a waiver, please contact the application manager, at west@law.georgetown.edu, with your detailed reasons.

Law Research Fellows from outside the U.S. are eligible for J-1 visas. (For general information regarding this status, visit http://j1visa.state.gov/basics/.) The Law Center provides administrative support in securing the visa and managing any immigration issues that may arise during your stay.

Is it realistic for an applicant educated outside the U.S. to be selected for the Law Research Fellowship Program?

Yes. There has been a recent increase in applicants educated outside the U.S. and the first Fellow without any prior U.S. degrees joined the program in 2010. That said, the Research Fellowship is designed to prepare candidates for the U.S. teaching market. Applicants should therefore have a clear and committed interest in teaching in a U.S. law school, and should be able to explain how their research interests will fit into U.S. legal scholarship.

My non-U.S. law degree is from an undergraduate institution – do I need a graduate level degree in law to apply?

A graduate level law degree is not required, but the strongest candidates will often have one because of the opportunities for independent research and writing that they provide.

What other opportunities are there at Georgetown for non-U.S. scholars?

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.

Show should I submit my application?

Applicants should send all materials in one PDF: their cover letter, research proposal, CV and other supporting materials. They should name the PdF last name.first name.application, e.g. smith.susie.application.