Chayes Fellowship Information Sheet for Placement Organizations 2007-2008

Fellowship Program Description

The Chayes Fellowship Program provides Harvard Law School students with the opportunity to spend 10 weeks in the summer engaged in international public service within governments of developing nations and those making difficult transitions to peace, stability and democracy, as well as the inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations that support them. The program not only allows a cadre of Harvard Law School students to offer their skills to governments and organizations undertaking critical work, but also provides students with practical, first-hand experience with the complex issues faced by societies in development or transition. Since Chayes Fellowships are international in nature, it is expected that most placements will be with organizations based outside of the United States. However, in some cases it will be acceptable for a Fellow to work in the U.S. if the placement is with an organization that has an international scope, such as the United Nations or the World Bank.

The exact nature of the Chayes Fellows’ projects may vary, but could include work in the areas of constitutional and legal issues in emerging democracies, reconstruction of war-torn societies, or development of political, social and economic institutions, among others. Past placements have included such organizations as: the Socio-Environmental Institute Law Program in Brazil, the International Rescue Committee in Sudan, and the Council of Europe. Chayes Fellows have also been involved in such work as the development of commercial law in Tajikistan, assisting with refugee relief projects in Pakistan, drafting a digest of the activities of the Bosnian Human Rights Chamber, and working on an assessment project related to United Nations peacekeeping missions. Specific projects for recent Chayes Fellows have included:

analyzing the constitutionality of a recent law passed in Russia amending the rights of NGOs
developing a set of indicators to test government compliance with public access to information in South Africa
writing a memo as part of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal on the legality of prolonged pre-trial detention for two alleged Khmer Rouge leaders
crafting a substantial study on User Created Content as part of a technology initiative for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
drafting the terms of reference for a “National Human Rights Plan of Action” for Liberia
reviewing and developing documents related to a project finance loan for a dam in Uganda
formulating a coherent national strategy and implementation mechanism for marketing handloom and handicraft products in post-tsunami Sri Lanka
evaluating compliance with provisional measures protecting petitioners from irreparable harm, and developed a burden-shifting rule for cases involving the use of extreme force at the Inter-American Court
drafting a policy proposal on human rights treaty body reform for the Office of the Legal Advisor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations as an alternate version to the UNHCR proposal
drafting a shareholder’s agreement to govern the African Development Bank’s equity participation in the capital of a major African regional bank
interviewing refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya to determine whether they met the relevant criteria for resettlement

This Fellowship is also designed to serve as a bridge between theory and practice and to increase the Fellows’ understanding of the wide spectrum of work that can benefit from the participation of individuals with legal training. The Chayes Fellows, who will have completed at least one year at Harvard Law School before their summer placement begins, become part of a global network of academics and practitioners who are developing and implementing mechanisms to effect positive change in a variety of ways.

The Chayes Fellowship program is co-administered by Harvard Law School’s International Legal Studies and the Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA).

Placement Parameters

Beginning in Fall 2007, students who are interested in the Chayes Fellowship program may explore a number of options in order to secure an approved placement.

The Chayes Fellowship Program will provide a regularly updated list of pre-approved placement organizations that are interested in hosting a Chayes Fellow for the summer whose interests and skills match the needs of the organization. These authorized placement organizations, which will be listed on the Program’s website and in a binder in the OPIA office, will be screened to ensure that the proposed placement meets the Chayes Program’s requirements.
Harvard Law School students who are interested in working with organizations that are not on the roster of authorized placements are encouraged to inquire with OPIA or the Chayes Fellowship Program about registering organizations as Chayes Fellowship placement sites. Potential placement organizations are asked to complete and submit a placement form to the Chayes Fellowship Program (available in the OPIA office and on the International Legal Studies website) for final approval of the placement.

Organizations interested in publicizing their willingness to host a Chayes Fellow should submit placement forms to the Chayes Program starting in November 2007, but no later than February 1, 2008. Between November 2007 and March 2008, students should be in contact with prospective placement organizations to discuss the nature of the summer work, present their qualifications, and try to secure a firm offer of a position.

Chayes Fellows receive a stipend from Harvard Law School designed to cover travel and living expenses for the summer. Fellows are provided at no cost to the placement organizations, but the Chayes Fellows program can not cover any expenses incurred by placement organizations.

While the placement organizations have no financial obligations, they are required to ensure that the Fellows will be well utilized and given opportunities both to learn about and to contribute substantively to the work of the organization. Specifically, placement organizations should agree to do the following:

communicate with Harvard law students applying for a placement and select the student(s) most suitable for placement in their organization by March 30, 2007
ensure that the duration of the summer Fellowship is at least 10 weeks (full-time)
determine the Fellow’s particular responsibilities and project(s) in advance of the beginning of the summer
send a letter to the accepted student and Harvard Law School confirming the placement
provide direction, supervision and feedback to the Fellow during the course of the summer (a few weeks after the placement begins someone from the Chayes program will call the Fellow’s supervisor to answer questions and address any concerns on the part of the placement organization)
incorporate the summer Fellow into the environment and activities of the placement organization

While it is understood that many organizations are understaffed and that even the most engaging and critical work often has an administrative component, it is expected that Chayes Fellows will participate in substantive law-related projects rather than simply tasks of a clerical nature. As well, it is hoped that Chayes Fellows will have an opportunity to work on a project that will result in some sort of written product.

Some Fellowships may include projects and/or research that the Fellow will conduct in the semester preceding or following the summer placement. These additional projects, which will have a small stipend, will be coordinated with the Chayes Program or individual Harvard Law School faculty members.

Procedure and Timeline

The Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising will publicize the availability of the Fellowship and cultivate interest. The Chayes Fellowship Program will identify placement organizations on an ongoing basis and manage the application process. Applicants will be chosen by a Fellowship Selection Committee which includes Harvard Law School faculty members and staff of OPIA and the Chayes Program. The Selection Committee will review the applications in order to choose the most qualified candidates, who will then be offered Fellowships contingent upon securing an approved placement. The timeline for the summer 2008 Fellowships is as follows:

November 15, 2007 – Preliminary list of approved placement organizations is made available to Harvard Law School students. Students may begin to make contact with these and other potential placement organizations in order to explore whether there is a fit between the student’s interests and skills and the organization’s needs.

February 4, 2008 – Applications for the Chayes Fellowship are due to the Chayes Fellowship Program.

March 1, 2008 – Notification of Fellowship selections is sent to applicants. Final award of the Fellowship will be contingent upon the student securing an approved placement.

March 31, 2008 – Deadline for accepted Chayes Fellows to secure approved placement and make firm commitment to program.

April – May, 2008 - Final arrangements are made regarding stipends. During this period students will arrange their own travel and housing for the summer. Mandatory briefing and training sessions will also take place during this period.

Contact Information

For further information, potential placement organizations may contact:

Sara Zucker
Director, International Legal Studies
Lewis International Law Center, Room 203
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA 02138
+1 (617) 495-9030 (tel)
+1 (617) 496-9179 (fax)
szucker@law.harvard.edu (e-mail)

Ben Cook
Program Officer, International Legal Studies
Lewis International Law Center, Room 203
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA 02138
+1 (617) 496-0899 (tel)
+1 (617) 496-9179 (fax)
bcook@law.harvard.edu (e-mail)

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