Borchard 2021-2022 Fellowships

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The Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging
Invites Applications for the
2021-2022 Borchard Fellowships in Law & Aging
Applications due April 1, 2021

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.

The fellowship is $55,000 and is intended as a full-time position only. During the fellowship period, the Center’s director and former fellows are available to help fellows with the further development of their knowledge, skills, and contacts. Fellows may also receive from the Center financial support to attend appropriate professional education program opportunities. A fellow is expected to provide the Center with monthly activities reports. 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.

A legal services or other non-profit organization involved in law and aging must serve as the fellow’s host agency and 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 is encouraged to provide some pro bono direct legal services to older adults under appropriate supervision. The fellow’s host agency is responsible for providing employee benefits, employer’s FICA payment, administrative support, workspace, computer, telephone, and email access.

The twelve month fellowship period runs typically 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 some 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 older adults;

• Development of educational outreach efforts and legal services for older LGBTQ+ adults;

• 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 1, 2021. 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 1, 2021, and April 1, 2021, at http://www.borchardcla.org/fellowship-program.

For further information, contact Mary Jane Ciccarello, Director, at mjc@borchardcenter.org.