Project Criteria
--The project must provide civil legal services to indigent Georgians. "Civil" topics include any non-criminal legal concern, including a focus on specific topics (e.g., family violence, housing, consumer law) or on structural barriers to using the legal system. "Legal services" can include a wide variety of work, including representation in litigation or administrative proceedings, transactional work, legal education and training, community organization, or administrative and/or legislative work.
--Fellowship proposals will be assessed using the following additional criteria: the potential impact of project services; the likelihood of the project's continuation after the Fellowship; the insight and creativity with which the proposal addresses the relevant need; and the quality of preparation of the project proposal.
--The project must serve clients in the state of Georgia but may as appropriate serve the needs of clients in neighboring states.
--Preference will be given to proposals that create significant law practice opportunities for students at the University of Georgia School of Law.
--Preference will be given to projects that add new components to services already provided by the host organization or to projects that significantly enhance existing services provided by the host organization. The Fellowship will not normally fund a general staff attorney position within an existing nonprofit organization or a portion of the salary of a private attorney engaged in a for-profit law practice.
Host Criteria
--Host organizations may be either nonprofit or for-profit organizations. In either case, the host organization must commit to providing support for the Fellow's activities during the service phase of the Fellowship, a minimum of 12 months.
--Applications must include a one page letter from the host organization, stating the host organization's interest in the project proposal, its willingness to work with the applicant in developing the project, its awareness that it will be called upon to provide support during the service phase of the project, and any other resources that it is prepared to commit to the project.
--Fellowship proposals must articulate how the proposed project fits into the organizational priorities or goals of the host organization and must articulate the host organization's commitment to providing legal services to needy citizens.
--Preference will be given to host organizations that commit to additional financial support for the project proposal, including both salary supplementation during the Fellowship and support for the Fellowship project after the end of the Fellowship.
Candidate Criteria
--Candidates must be licensed Georgia attorneys with more than three years of experience in law practice or in relevant professional service.
--Candidates should persuasively describe their commitment and ability to fulfill the two year commitment required by the Fellowship.
--Candidates should articulate how their background and experience will contribute to the success of their project proposal. Candidates should describe any law practice or public service experience that relates to the topic and type of legal service that they propose. Candidates should also describe any relevant teaching or mentoring experience that will contribute to the effective use of law students in their project proposal.
--Candidates may have a pre-existing relationship with the host organization, including service as a long-term and/or full-time employee of the host. Where such a relationship exists, candidates must articulate the plan through which they will end any non-Fellowship-related activities during the period of the Fellowship.
--Preference may be given to candidates who have received prior support by any other postgraduate Fellowship program (e.g., Equal Justice Works, Skadden, Soros, Echoing Green and the like) or who have demonstrated the ability to obtain independent funding for the same or similar project. Candidates who have received such prior support should describe the work that they performed under the earlier grant, the outcome of the prior proposal, and how it relates to their current Fellowship proposal.
Restrictions
--The Fellowship will not provide support for projects to provide representation in the criminal justice system. However, this does not exclude proposals that deal with the civil legal needs of those convicted of a crime.
--The Fellowship will not provide support for projects that do not include opportunities for clinical learning for School of Law students.