Student Empirical Research Fellowship (SERF)

PLP has created a Student Empirical Research Fellowship (SERF) program designed to enhance and contribute to practice-related student research at Harvard Law School. The fellowships include access to the PLP’s research resources, the opportunity to meet and discuss program-related research with faculty and peers, and financial support to enable upper-class students to conduct empirical research and writing projects that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive.

SERF funding typically ranges from $1,500 to 2,500 and can be used to cover the costs associated with conducting empirical research, including survey design and administration, travel costs for site visits, interviews, other field research and related out-of-pocket expenses. The research project must be empirical in nature and must study the legal profession itself or a related aspect of the delivery of professional services. PLP Student Empirical Research Fellowships can be aggregated with other funding, such as winter term research grants.

Fellowships are offered throughout the 2009-10 academic year, and applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The deadlines are:

Deadlines:
November 30, 2009 (for Winter/Spring 2010)
March 1, 2010 (for Summer 2010)
May 10, 2010 (for Fall 2010)

Harman Public Interest Research Grants

PLP has created these Harman Family Foundation-sponsored research grants to encourage and help fund Harvard Law School student research projects focusing on the professional structures and norms, practice dynamics, and career challenges of public interest legal practitioners and other aspects of public sector legal service delivery. Research grants are accompanied by access to PLP’s research resources and the opportunity to meet and discuss Program-related research with faculty and peers. The awards help to defray a range of costs, including travel and interview expenses and the creation, distribution, administration and analysis of survey instruments. All HLS students may apply and approved applicants may be granted up to $2,500 in funding, which may be aggregated with other funding, such as winter term research grants.

Deadline: December 7, 2009
Eligibility: Open to all HLS students for work completed in the current academic year.
Subject: Public interest legal practice or delivery of public sector legal services

To Apply for Funding

For more information, and to apply for reserch funding at the Program on the Legal Profession, please contact Kimberly Lyle.