Applications due April 15, 2019
Fellowship Information
The Borchard Fellowship in Law & Aging offers the opportunity to carry out a substantial project related to law and aging in partnership with a host agency. Up to three fellowships are available to law school graduates interested in, and perhaps already in the early stages of pursuing, an academic and/or professional career in law and aging.
During the fellowship period, the Center’s director and former fellows stand ready to assist each fellow with the further development of his/her knowledge, skills, and contacts. A legal services or other non-profit organization involved in law and aging must supervise a fellow’s activities and projects. In addition to the fellow's planned activities and project (unless the fellow's project includes the provision of legal services), the fellow must also provide some pro bono direct legal services to older persons under appropriate supervision. A fellow is expected to provide the Center with monthly activities reports.
The fellowship is $50,000 and is intended as a full-time position only. The fellow’s sponsoring agency is responsible for providing employee benefits, employer’s FICA payment, administrative support, workspace, computer, telephone, and email access, and appropriate professional education program opportunities. Fellows may live and work where they choose in the United States. Fellows must be either U.S. citizens or legally resident in the U.S.
The twelve month fellowship period runs from July 1 to June 30 for those already admitted to the Bar and from not later than September 1 to August 31 for those who must sit for the Bar exam after law school graduation.
Fellows participate in conference calls and other planned activities with other current and former fellows to encourage networking. Former fellows who successfully complete the fellowship period may also participate in the Center’s Former Fellows Grant Program.
Examples of activities and projects by Borchard Fellows:
* Working with an established legal services program to enable vulnerable, isolated, low-income seniors to age-in-place by addressing their unmet legal needs;
* Providing holistic services to older clients facing consumer debt and foreclosure-related concerns;
* Implementation of a courthouse project to help elderly pro se tenants achieve long-term housing stabilization through the interdisciplinary use of legal representation and social services, allowing more elderly tenants to “age in place” at home;
* Development of mobile clinics to help Chinese-speaking elders improve their access to public benefits and health care;
* Development of a medical-legal partnership for low-income seniors;
* Development of legal services and informational materials to caregivers working on behalf of beneficiaries with cognitive impairment;
* Development of a non-profit senior law resource center providing direct legal services and public education;
* Development of an interdisciplinary elder law clinical program at a major public university law school;
* Development of a mediation component for a legal services program elder law hotline;
* Development of an interdisciplinary project for graduate students in law, medicine, and health advocacy to foster understanding and collaboration between professions;
* Development of training materials and statewide trainings for
lawyers, judges and other court personnel, and social service providers on new comprehensive state guardianship laws;
* Development of legal services programs for older clients in consumer law and small claims matters, end-of-life matters, and in protection from financial and elder abuse for older clients whose first language is other than English;
* Development of free legal clinics for older clients in suburban areas;
* Development, administration, and interpretation of statewide senior legal hotline outcomes study;
* Organizing and/or attending national conferences on law and aging issues;
* Writing and publication of law review articles on law and aging issues;
* Writing and publication of state specific, consumer oriented handbooks on legal issues affecting older persons;
* Analysis of Medicare policies;
* Analysis of SSI non-disability appeals; and
* Teaching elder law and related courses at law schools where fellows reside.
Application Process
Applications are due on April 15, 2019. Applicants must submit a completed online application including an information form, an explanation of the applicant’s planned activities and projects, a current curriculum vitae, a law school transcript, a letter of support from the proposed supervisor, and two other letters of support. All fellowship application information and the required online application are available between March 15, 2019, and April 15, 2019, at: https://www.borchardcla.org/fellowships/application-process.