ELIGIBILITY:

You must be a women’s human rights lawyer from Africa in order to be considered. You must hold an LL.B. or other law degree. A preference is given to candidates who: are currently living and working in Africa, and do not already have a Masters’ Degree.

The strongest applicants tend to be about five to ten years out of law school, but those with less or more experience will be considered.  Candidates with no work experience who are applying directly from an LL.B. degree or other law school will not be considered.

All people who are committed to women’s rights are strongly encouraged to apply, regardless of gender identity.

As a requirement of participation in the LAWA Program, all applicants must commit to return home to their own countries upon completion of the Fellowship, and to use their best professional efforts to advance women’s human rights throughout their careers.  

You must have strong English language skills, both written and oral. Language problems have been the primary barrier to success for LAWA Fellows.

The LAWA Program requires candidates to become proficient in using computers for drafting papers and conducting research. Candidates are strongly encouraged to learn basic computer skills before arrival in order to make this transition easier. At the very minimum, candidates should work to improve their typing speed.

Candidates must be prepared to enter a very demanding course of study. LAWA Fellows take one required course and several more elective courses over the course of the two academic semesters. Each class requires advance preparation of reading hundreds of pages. Fellows are required to produce a Masters’ Thesis totaling no fewer than 40 pages, including several drafts with intense research, writing and editing. Successful completion of the program requires exceptional focus, and very hard work. Please do not apply if you are not prepared to make this serious academic commitment.

BENEFIT:

The LAWA Program helps defray the costs for candidates who would not otherwise be able to afford an LL.M. degree and additional professional development training. The LAWA Fellowship provides the tuition for the mandatory Foundations of American Law and Legal Education course held from mid-July to mid-August (a U.S. $5,000 benefit) and for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the Georgetown University Law Center (a U.S. $78,422 benefit). On-campus housing is provided for the first three weeks of the summer program (a U.S. $1,400 benefit).  Students are also provided $2,000 towards the cost of health insurance and will be reimbursed up to $300 for required textbooks for each of the two semesters.