The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources is pleased to announce the sponsorship of Fellowships for eligible law students during the summer of 2008. The ABA Fellowship in Environmental Law, formerly the Minority Fellowship in Environmental Law, is designed to encourage disadvantaged or traditionally underrepresented law students to study and pursue careers in environmental law.

The Section’s work on environmental justice is coordinated with not-for-profit organizations representing traditionally underserved groups, other not-for-profit environmental organizations, and local, state and federal governmental organizations which provide placements for our summer Fellowship recipients.

Guidelines: Selected Fellowship recipients will have an 8-10 week internship commitment and will work on legal matters for a government agency or public interest organization in the fields of environmental, energy or resources law. Please note that recipients will choose the state they wish to intern in, but will not be able to select where or in which organization they will be placed.

Stipend: Each successful recipient will receive a $5,000 ($6,000 for New York Fellows) stipend in exchange for participation in the Fellowship program. The stipend does not cover travel expenses or include a housing allowance; these expenses are paid by the Fellowship recipient.

Qualifications: The Fellowship program is available to first and second year law students or third year night students from underrepresented or underserved groups, including for example, minority or low-income populations. It is generally preferred that you select the state where you are attending law school or have permanent residency status. Exceptions can be made, but preference will generally be given to those attending school, those who have permanent residency, or those who have a strong interest in the state that they are applying to. Students must complete and submit a Fellowship application in order to be considered.

Participating States: These are the states that have confirmed their participation in our summer 2008 program:

• California (Deadline: April 11, 2008)
• California – CRLA (Deadline: March 14, 2008)
• District of Columbia – ELI (Deadline: January 31, 2008)
• Florida (Deadline: March 5, 2008)
• Hawaii (Deadline: April 25, 2008)
• New Mexico (Deadline: February 15, 2008)
• New York (Deadline: November 16, 2007)
• North Carolina (Deadline: February 15, 2008)
• Oregon (Deadline: February 1, 2008)

General Information: Please note that applications, deadlines and materials required for applying vary by state. Please check individual state web pages for exact application requirements. For general information on the Fellowship program, please click on FAQ’s.

If you have questions about our Fellowship in Environmental Law please do not hesitate to contact:

Dana I. Jonusaitis
Section of Environment, Energy and Resources
321 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60610
jonusaid@staff.abanet.org

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If you are a representative of a not-for-profit organization representing traditionally underserved groups, other not-for-profit environmental organizations, or a local, state or federal government organization and are interested in providing placements for minority law students during the summer of 2008, please contact Dana Jonusaitis at (312) 988-5602 or jonusaid@staff.abanet.org.

Past employers include: Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, South Coast Air Quality Management District, MD Dept of Environment, Environmental Law Institute (ELI), Earthjustice Hawaii, NY State Attorney General's Office, Environmental Protection Agency, State of North Carolina, Department of Justice, Environmental Division, Southern Environmental Law Center, Rhode Island Legal Services.

The Section's Fellowships in Environmental Law is coordinated with not-for-profit organizations and local or state bar associations. Fellowship partners assist with financial stipend support, recruitment of students, application evaluation, placements, and mentoring. If your organization would like to participate in the Fellowship program, please contact Dana Jonusaitis at (312) 988-5602 or jonusaid@staff.abanet.org.

Past partners include: Environmental Law Institute, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, Hawaii State Bar, New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, The New York Community Trust, New York State Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association, Rhode Island State Bar, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

We encourage our Section members to consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Section through the ABA Fund for Justice and Education (FJE) and earmarking your donation to our Support Fund managed by the FJE.

The Section has established a funds within the ABA's FJE through which Section supporters can make tax-deductible contributions to our work. Contributions to the “Diversity Fellowships in Environmental Law" help fund the fellowship stipends.

If you are interested in contributing to either of the Section's funds please download a Fellowship Pledge Form and return the completed form to:

Fund for Justice and Education
Attn: Fellowships in Environmental Law
American Bar Association
321 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60610