The University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law is pleased to announce that it will be offering fellowships in the field of social justice for the summer of 2007. The purpose of the Windsor Law Alumni Summer Social Justice Fellowship Program is to support students in obtaining invaluable exposure to social justice advocacy in both a domestic and international context and to enhance the capacity of future social justice lawyers to work towards the protection of human rights and to pursue social justice goals. The Program is designed to enable the Fellows to experience enriching professional and intellectual opportunities. Successful candidates will be designated as “Windsor Law Alumni Social Justice Fellows”.

Eligibility

All Windsor Law students who are currently in their first or second year of study in either the LL.B. or J.D./LL.B. Programs are eligible to apply. Up to five fellowships, each in the amount of $5,000 CDN, will be awarded for international or domestic placements. One of the Fellowships will be reserved for a placement in criminal law (or a field related to criminal law) and will be designated as the Justice Saul Nosanchuk Fellowship.

Securing Host Organizations

After being selected as Windsor Law Alumni Social Justice Fellows, the successful candidates will be responsible for securing internships with host organizations. The student’s own initiative plays a key role in obtaining a placement. We encourage students to develop innovative internships in which you will learn about social justice work first-hand and through which the organization will benefit from your contributions. In seeking a placement, Fellows should consider how their summer experience will fit within their academic work at Windsor Law and their future career aspirations.

Requirements

1) It is expected that placements will last for no less that ten weeks between May 1^st and August 31^st of 2007.

2) Fellows will be required to submit a written report upon the completion of their placement. In general, the report will be a reflection on the summer experience, including the Fellow’s evaluation of the host organization, a description of the work completed, any problems encountered, and suggestions for improving the experience in future. These reports will be made available as a resource to future Social Justice Fellows.

3) Fellows will be required to write a well-researched, focused paper (20 – 25 pages) on a topic of interest to them and relevant to their placement. Upon returning to Windsor Law after their placements, Fellows are encouraged to further develop their papers as directed research projects. Thus, there is a possibility of receiving academic credit.

4) Fellows may be required to write letters to Windsor Law alumni, whose gifts to the Law School helped to make the Windsor Law Alumni Summer Social Justice Fellowship Program possible, and to participate in an information session for future Social Justice Fellows during the following academic year.

Deadline

Written Fellowship applications must be submitted to Anne Dawson, in the Dean’s Office, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 3, 2006. Applications shall consist of the following:

1) Cover page listing the following information in the following order:
• Name;
• Year of study and program at Windsor Law;
• Email Address;
• Mailing Address; and
• Telephone number.

2) Letter of application (2 pages maximum) describing the following:

• The candidate’s interest in the Fellowship Program and reasons for applying;
• How the program relates to the candidate’s future career goals;
• The candidate’s relevant experience and academic course work;
• At least two potential placements that the candidate would be interested in pursuing and the nature of the work that the candidate might do for the host organization.

3) Résumé (2 pages maximum).
4) Academic transcripts.
5) The names and contact information of three references.

Information Meeting

A meeting to provide information about the application and selection process is scheduled for Wednesday, October 11, 2006 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. in the Moot Court. All interested students are welcome to attend.

For further information, please contact:

Professor David Tanovich, tanovich@uwindsor.ca
Professor Aaron Dhir, adhir@uwindsor.ca
Assistant Dean (Student Services) Francine Herlehy, herlehy@uwindsor.ca

If you have any questions, please contact the 2006 Social Justice Fellows:

Zahra Binbrek, African Canadian Legal Clinic, binbrek@uwindsor.ca
Eileen Blackmoore, Environmental Law Centre, eileen_blackmore@hotmail.com
Sarah Clarke, International Bureau for Children’s Rights, clarkesmr@yahoo.ca
Fatema Dada, India Center for Human Rights and the Law, Fatemad@gmail.com
Jillian Rogin, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, jillrogin@hotmail.com