I WILL NOT HAVE A COPY OF MY OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT BY THE DUE DATE – CAN I STILL APPLY?

Yes. Please mark on the application form the date on which your official transcript was requested. Your application will be processed, but cannot be considered for candidacy until we have received the official transcript.

For the DV Clinic Fellowship, your candidacy will not be delayed, but your official transcript must be provided before an offer can be made.

WHAT ABOUT REFERENCES? THEY ARE DELAYED TOO (@#!$ PROFESSORS…) – CAN I STILL APPLY?

Yep! Relax. As long as they are received by December 1st you are fine.

For the DV Clinic Fellowship, references must be submitted by the application due date of Friday, November 10th.

WHAT IS MEANT BY AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT? CAN I SEND A PHOTOCOPY?

The transcript must be in a sealed enveloped and stamped by your law school’s Registrar. Photocopies are not official and are not accepted. Most schools respond promptly to transcript requests and will send them directly to the Fellowship Program.

SHOULD I INCLUDE A WRITING SAMPLE?

Writing samples are not required and additional written materials will not be considered as part of the application.

WHAT ARE THE BEST REFERENCES?

Anyone who can speak in depth to the quality of your work and commitment to gender justice will make a great reference. This might be an internship supervisor or a professor. Either is fine!

DO I HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF A BAR TO APPLY?

Applicants for the Domestic Violence Clinic Teaching Fellowship (“DV Fellowship”) and International Women’s Human Rights Clinic Teaching Fellowship at Georgetown Law must receive sufficient bar results by December of the year prior to the start of the fellowship (in order to permit waiver into the DC Bar before the fellowship begins). While the other placements do not require Bar membership, it generally is a good idea to get it out of the way if possible.

DO I HAVE TO IDENTIFY MY OWN PLACEMENT ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOP MY OWN PROJECT?

No. Our placement organizations are set, and they will identify the scope of your work. Because you will not be starting for almost a year, your exact work will not be defined by the time of the interview.

DO I HAVE TO BE IN WASHINGTON, DC?

Yes! We take the Fellowship thing seriously. You will meet with the Fellow group, including the LAWA Fellows (See the LAWA tab above) at least twice a month. There are also lots of other activities, so even if your placement is remote, you must be in the DC area for these events.

I HAVE BEEN OUT OF LAW SCHOOL FOR (x) YEARS – AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

The Fellowship program sets no cap on the amount of time an applicant has been out of school before they may apply.

I AM JUST GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL THIS YEAR – SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL I HAVE BEEN OUT OF SCHOOL FOR A WHILE (OR HAVE HAD A CLERKSHIP) TO APPLY?

There is no need to wait to apply. Many candidates have received WLPPFP Fellowships right out of law school. Commitment to women’s rights issues can be demonstrated through undergraduate studies, volunteer work, law school courses and research as well as other extracurricular or paid activities and work. This Fellowship is a great way to start your legal career.

HOW MANY APPLICATIONS DO YOU USUALLY RECEIVE? HOW MANY FELLOWS WILL THERE BE NEXT YEAR?

We typically receive 50 to 75 applications for about four non-clinical Fellowships. Please refer to the application for a listing of the Fellowships. Yes, it is competitive, but there are very few applicants that don’t receive serious consideration. If you’ve made it this far in the FAQs, you are likely well qualified.

I DIDN’T GO TO A TOP 10 SCHOOL/DO MAIN JOURNAL/ORDER OF THE COIF/OTHER “PRESTIGIOUS” STUFF…DO I STAND A CHANCE?

Yep.  We are not sweating the C you got in property your 1L year either. We want people who want to do this work forever.  Traditional markers of law school success tell us very little about your ability to be a long-term, fierce advocate for women’s rights and gender justice.  For real…just apply already!

I APPLIED IN THE PAST BUT DID NOT RECEIVE A FELLOWSHIP. I AM STILL INTERESTED IN BEING A WLPPF – SHOULD I APPLY AGAIN?

Definitely! Many candidates who ultimately became Fellows were not offered a Fellowship the first time they applied. We consider repeat applications a demonstration of ongoing commitment to women’s rights work.

WHAT’S THE SELECTION PROCESS?

The Director of WLPPFP reviews the applicants, and forwards 15 to 20 applications to each placement organization. The placement organizations decide who to interview sometime in December; typically 4-8 candidates. The Director and the placement organization representatives conduct the interviews together, by videoconference, in mid-January.  Final selections are made by mid-February.

For the DV Clinic Fellowship, the Clinic Directors will conduct interviews in December, by Zoom, with final selections made by mid-January.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLINIC FELLOWSHIP?

Please submit the WLPPFP Application form and all supplemental information to apply for the Domestic Violence Clinic Fellowship. Indicate your interest in the Domestic Violence Clinic Fellowship within your application materials.

CAN MEN/NON-BINARY FOLKS APPLY?

Of course. We don’t discriminate! We encourage all qualified applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to women’s rights to apply.

WHAT ABOUT PAY AND BENEFITS?

The non-clinical Fellows are paid a minimum of $60,000 and receive the benefits package (health insurance, sick leave and vacation time) of their placement organizations.

For the DV Clinic Fellowship, first-year fellows are paid $70,000 and second-year fellows are paid $75,000.

WILL I BE HIRED BY MY PLACEMENT ORGANIZATION AFTER MY FELLOWSHIP?

These are one year fellowships, but depending on the organization’s needs and funding, sometimes Fellows are hired on permanently.

The DV Clinical Fellowship is a two-year fellowship program; we provide extensive resources to help fellows find a permanent law teaching position at a U.S. law school.

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Thank you for your interest in the Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program. If you cannot find the answers to your questions on our website, please email us at morrisjc@georgetown.edu. 

Questions specifically about the Domestic Violence Clinical Fellowships may be directed to the Domestic Violence Clinic at  dvclinic@law.georgetown.edu. 

Questions specifically about the International Women’s Human Rights Clinical (IWHRC) Fellowship may be directed to the IWHRC Clinic at IWHRC@law.georgetown.edu.