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Fellowships

George N. Lindsay Civil Rights Legal Fellowship
Congratulations to Abby Shafroth, who has been selected as the George N. Lindsay Fellow for the 2009-2010 term.

To apply for the Lindsay Fellowship or to be sponsored by the Lawyers' Committee for the 2010-2012 Skadden and/or Equal Justice Works Fellowships, you must submit an initial application by August 3, 2009. Applicants for the two-year Skadden Fellowship (click here for more information) and EJW Fellowship (click here for more information) should consult those programs for more details about selection process and requirements.

Click here to download the application.

Completed applications should be sent to the Fellowship Department, fellowship@lawyerscommittee.org.

For questions about the application process or about other Fellowship opportunities, contact Sarah Crawford at 202-662-8350.

Fellowship Background

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one the nation's foremost civil right legal organizations, sponsors annually a one-year fellowship under the George N. Lindsay Civil Rights Fellowship Program. Mr. Lindsay, a longtime partner in the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, and its Presiding Partner from 1980-1987, exemplified the private bars commitment to equal justice. Mr. Lindsay devoted much of his career to public service by promoting civil rights law enforcement in the United States and respect for human rights throughout the world. The Lindsay Fellowship provides an opportunity for recent law school graduates to become familiar with civil rights practice by working with many of the nation's leading civil rights experts at the national office of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C.

The one year Fellowship pays a stipend of $42,000, supplemented by a loan forgiveness payment of $2,000. The yearly stipend is also supplemented by payment of bar review and fees. Fellows have opportunity to gain legal experience in one or more of the following areas: voting rights, fair housing, employment discrimination, community and economic development, environmental justice, and minority business. The majority of all legal activities at the Lawyers' Committee involve co-counseled litigation with prominent law firms, including client contact, case investigation, discovery, negotiations, amicus briefs, appeals, and trial practice. Non-litigation activities include transactional legal services to community development groups, legislative and public policy advocacy, and public education on important civil rights matters.

Qualifications

Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to equal justice and equal opportunity for all. Applicants should be dedicated to the deployment of innovative strategies (including non-litigation strategies) in addressing entrenched or cutting edge racial, national origin and gender discrimination matters. Applicants for the 2009-2010 Fellowship must graduate from law school by June 2009. Preference will be given to those who have been admitted to the bar or are scheduled to take a bar examination by the summer of 2009. Attorneys who work in law firms are encouraged to apply for the fellowship, including pursuant to a leave of absence or sabbatical program.

Applicants must not have been engaged in the active practice of law for more than two years. Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate involvement in scholarship, activities or employment which promote racial, national origin, gender, or economic justice for the most excluded people in our society.

About George N. Lindsay
George N. Lindsay, a longtime partner in the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, served the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law with dedication and eloquence for more than a quarter century. As Co-Chair from 1969-1971, he helped to establish an office of the Committee in Cairo, Illinois in response to racial violence by white supremacists. As a Chair of the Committee's Southern Africa Project AdvisoryCommittee, he worked tirelessly to see the end of apartheid in that troubled region.

Throughout his esteemed legal career, Mr. Lindsay fought against blatant and subtle forms of racial discrimination. He perceived the inextricable link between apartheid in South Africa and Namibia, and protracted racial discrimination in the United States. He spoke fervently in support of the Committee's voting rights work, and encouraged the Committee to take a more active role in public policy advocacy -- particularly on behalf of people living in poverty. In these efforts, he not only worked energetically himself, but used his enormous intellect, enthusiasm, and decency to inspire many others to join this important work.