LEGAL AID POSTGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROCEDURES

NAME OF ORGANIZATION: Columbia Legal Services

WEBSITE: www.columbialegal.org

OFFICE LOCATIONS: Kennewick, Moses Lake, Olympia, Seattle, Wenatchee, Yakima

CONTACT PERSON: Aurora Martin (aurora.martin@columbialegal.org)

WHEN DOES ORGANIZATION SELECT FELLOWSHIP PROJECT(S): Fellowship projects are identified between January and March.

HOW DOES ORGANIZATION SELECT FELLOWSHIP PROJECT: CLS has a designated "Special Projects Committee" which requests its advocates and advocacy teams to submit developed proposals for fellowships between January and March. Identification of projects or cases for fellowship consideration are usually based on current and emerging advocacy needs, which have been developed by a team and/or in collaboration with other community partners, advocacy task forces or other collaborative legal aid work groups. This internal process requires the advocacy team to submit a proposal which defines the issue(s)/client need; background information on the issue(s)/client need; timeline of work; describes the substantive work of the fellow; community partners; and supervisory structure.

During this process, CLS's Advocacy Coordinator also communicates with the other advocacy coordinators of legal aid programs in Washington, to share ideas and exchange information about the potential fellowship projects each is considering, so as to avoid redundancy and maximize coordination of resources and advocacy focus in the community.

The CLS Special Projects Committee reviews all internal proposals and makes a recommendation for selection to the Director. Once the Director selects the proposals, they are formalized into fellowship postings and disseminated to law schools, inviting applications. CLS tries to have formal postings sent out to schools between April and May.

ARE STUDENT PROPOSALS INVITED: Fellowship proposals must be developed in coordination with a staff attorney or advocacy team within CLS.

HOW DOES ORGANIZATION SELECT FELLOWSHIP CANDIDATE: CLS does an open hire for all fellowship positions, just as it would for regular staff attorney positions. CLS seeks candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to legal aid as a career, and experience working in the Washington legal aid community and familiarity with the issues or client needs presented by the project, and applicable leadership and legal skills for the fellowship project. Applicants are invited to submit resumes, a cover letter, and writing sample, and then invited for an interview by the advocacy team that would likely supervise the fellow. As much as possible, CLS tries to interview candidates between May and early August, and select candidates no later than mid-August. CLS strives to have at least 3 weeks time for completion of the formal fellowship application forms.

WHICH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS DOES THE ORGANIZATION APPLY FOR NATIONALLY AND/OR LOCALLY: Once CLS has selected a fellow, the program and the fellow apply as a team to Equal Justice Works, Skadden, and/or Soros Open Society Institute. The three are all national fellowship programs. Other fellowship opportunities, such as ones through the American Bar Association, law firms, and the newly created Seattle University Post-graduate Fellowship may also be pursued, but it depends on the project and candidate's eligibility. The national deadlines for fellowship applications are between September and October.

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DOES THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDE THE FELLOWSHIP CANDIDATE DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS: CLS tries to provide comprehensive support during the application process by assigning at least one attorney as the supervisor for the application and the prospective fellowship project. Usually, a team of two people work with the candidate. The applications typically require the elements already fleshed out in the internal proposal process described above, in addition to a personal statement, resume, and letters of recommendation on behalf of the student applicant. The CLS attorney(s) will work closely with the student in developing the application drafts usually in an interactive process that includes division of the application sections, proofreading, and critiquing of the overall application. The CLS Controller also reviews the application for budgetary implications and any fiscal information required. All applications are reviewed by a member of the Administrative Team of CLS before submission. CLS will also work with the student in preparing for in-person interviews, including mock interviews and assistance with development of power point presentations when necessary.