A reminder for ILs, 2Ls and S.J.D. candidates interested in applying for a 2013 Chayes International Public Service Fellowship: applications are due on Friday, February 1, 2013. Since there are other steps to follow, and deadlines to meet, here’s a reminder of the complete application timeline:

• Applicants should be in contact with prospective placement organizations now, to discuss the nature of the summer work, present their qualifications, and try to secure an offer of a position. We encourage students to begin seeking a placement as early as possible, and follow up with e-mail and fax correspondence and phone calls when necessary. Although students are not required to have a specific placement secured until March 31, 2013, they should have been in contact with possible placement organizations by the time the Chayes Fellowship Program holds interviews with applicants in February 2013. Information on pre-approved placement organizations, and on requesting approval for new organizations, is available on the Chayes Program web page.
• Applicants should have already applied for HLS Summer Public Interest Funding (a prerequisite to participation in the Chayes Fellowship program).
• January 28 – 31, 2013 – Applicants must contact the Chayes Fellowship Program at (617) 384-5284 or ils@law.harvard.edu to schedule an interview that will occur February 6, 7 or 8, 2012.
• February 1, 2013 – Applications for the Chayes Fellowship are due.
• February 6, 7 and 8, 2013 – Interviews with applicants will be conducted by the Chayes Fellowship Program.
• March 1, 2013 – Notification of Fellowship selections is sent to applicants. Final award of the Fellowship will be contingent upon the student securing an approved placement.
• March 31, 2013 – Deadline for accepted Chayes Fellows to secure approved placement and make firm commitment to program.
• April – May 2013 – Final arrangements are made regarding stipends. During this period students will arrange their own travel and housing for the summer. Mandatory briefing and training sessions will also take place during this period.

For more information on the application process, please see the Chayes Program’s information page on the HLS web site. Questions? Contact International Legal Studies at (617) 384-5284 or ils@law.harvard.edu.

Photo:  Lillian Langford (center), 2012 Chayes Fellow, Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, Kyrgyz Republic.

Dedicated to the memory of Professor Abram Chayes, who taught at Harvard Law School for more than 40 years, these summer Fellowships provide ILs, 2Ls, and S.J.D. candidates with the opportunity to spend eight weeks engaged in international public service within the governments of developing nations and countries making difficult transitions to peace, stability and democracy, as well as the inter-governmental agencies and NGOs that support them.  The Chayes Fellowship is co-administered by International Legal Studies and the Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA).

Chayes Fellows’ projects take a variety of forms, but could focus on the development of legal, political, social and economic institutions, constitutional and legal issues in emerging democracies, or reconstruction of war-torn societies, among many others. 

Before they depart, over the summer, and after they return to Harvard, participants benefit from valuable training, research support, and networking opportunities, and become part of a vibrant, ongoing international community.

Want to learn more?  Join us on Tuesday, January 15 for a Chayes International Public Service Fellowship Reception (5:30 – 7 p.m., Wasserstein Hall, Milstein West B). Meet recent Chayes Fellows and learn more about this unique opportunity for summer work abroad. You can also visit the Chayes Program information page on the HLS web site.

Photo:  Lynnette Miner, 2012 Chayes Fellow, Timap for Justice, Sierra Leone.