FBF Summer Fellows Student Application 2020

Law Student Application

*This application will only save your information upon submittal, so it is recommended that you review the questions before beginning. If you exit the application before submitting it, then you will lose all entered information and have to restart the application.

Fellowship Overview

An essential component of The Florida Bar Foundation’s mission is to “promote service to the public by members of the legal profession by making public service an integral component of the law school experience.” In furtherance of this, the Foundation created the Civil Legal Services Summer Fellowship Grant Program. This program offers 12 Florida law students the opportunity to gain valuable legal service experience at a Florida non-profit legal service organization for an 11-week full-time paid summer fellowship. The fellowship stipend will be paid to the host organization, to be distributed to the fellow according to the regular employment practices of the organization. The organization and the summer fellow will be matched using the preferences outlined by each in their application.

Fellowship Purposes

To involve fellowship recipients in the provision of high-quality, significant civil legal assistance to low-income Floridians, the indigent, and the working poor in critical areas of need.
To provide an in-depth educational experience in representing low-income Floridians and working with individual clients and client groups in civil matters.
To increase law student interest in and awareness of the legal problems of low-income Floridians, and the challenges and satisfaction of representing those who need it most.
To promote commitment to pro bono representation of low-income Floridians.

Fellowship Details

The Florida Bar Foundation Civil Legal Services Summer Fellowship Program is seeking 12 rising second- and third-year law students from Florida law schools for placement at non-profit legal service programs throughout Florida during the 2020 summer semester. This Fellowship runs for a period of 11 weeks and is a full-time position for the summer. The monetary stipend for rising 2L's will be $6,500, and $8,250 for rising 3L's. This fellowship offers students a unique opportunity to gain meaningful legal experience while also helping those in the community who need it most. Here is the full project description.

The application process will close on February 19, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Students will be informed of application decisions in late March.

**The list of legal service organizations and their respective projects is located in two places within this application. The first place is the link below.

List of Legal Service Organizations

The second location is Section D, right before you input your placement preferences. Please review this document prior to answering questions 20-25.

Fellowship Term

The Fellowship commences with a mandatory two-day orientation for students from May 18 to 19th in Orlando. Students will begin work at the legal service organization the following Monday, May 25, 2020. The Fellowship will end on August 7, 2020.

Student Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Rising second-year and third-year law students (completed at least two semesters of law school) attending accredited Florida law schools are eligible to apply as long as they are in good standing with their law school. Students from diverse backgrounds and cultures are specifically encouraged to apply. Among the factors to be considered in selections are experience working with the low-income community, academic achievement, writing skills, and previous contact with and long-term commitment/interest in public service/pro bono work.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Grants Program Director Kate York at kyork@thefloridabarfoundation.org or Grants Administrator Andrea Horne at ahorne@flabarfndn.org.

A. General Application Information

1. Name*

First NameLast Name

2. Email*

example@example.com

Please Note: All communications from The Florida Bar Foundation will be via email. You must provide a current email address in order to receive updates and information from The Florida Bar Foundation about your application submission. If your email address or other contact information changes, you must contact us immediately with the updated information.

3. Phone Number*

Area CodePhone Number

4. Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

5. Ethnicity (you may select more than one option)

This question is optional and used to track diversity among applicants.

6. Gender

This question is optional and used to track diversity among applicants.

NoYes

7(b). If you answered yes to the question above, what other languages are you proficient in?

B. Applicant's Law School Information

8. What law school do you attend?*

9. What is your current law school GPA?*

10. How many semesters of law school will you have completed by May 2020?

11. How many credit hours of law school will you have you completed by May 2020?*

12. What is your anticipated law school graduation date?*

YesNo

14. What law school clinics, internships, and/or externships have you completed, or expect to complete prior to May 2020?

Please limit response to 250 words or less0/250

C. Applicant's Personal Statements

15. What are your reasons for applying for The Florida Bar Foundation Civil Legal Services Summer Fellowship program? *

Please limit response to 500 words or less.0/500

16. Please describe your experiences working (paid or volunteer work ) with the low-income community. You should include brief examples that clearly demonstrate your previous contact with community and/or public service work. Your experiences should be accurate reflections of your commitment to and your continued interest in providing public service work. *

Please limit response to 500 words or less.0/500

17. What skills, experiences, talents, commitments, and/or interests do you have that would support your selection to the Summer Fellowship program? *

Please limit response to 500 words or less.0/500

18. If you are selected, what would you like to accomplish through the summer fellowship? *

Please limit response to 250 words or less.0/250

19. What are your employment goals after law school? *

Please limit response to 250 words or less.0/250

D. Legal Services Program Placement Location Selection

Please see the list of legal service organizations included in this application packet and indicate your preferred program placement location selections below. You must select organizations from this list. You must list at least one (1) and may list up to three (3) program placement preferences in order of priority.

If you are aware that a listed organization has recommended you for placement at its office, and you wish to be placed there, please state these facts below in the appropriate preference box below.

Applications will not be considered if the applicant merely states that they have no preference or that they are willing to be placed at any of the organizations. Successful applicants must show that they have researched the potential host organizations and have a specific interest in the organizations at which they wish to be placed.

Please note: It may be difficult for the Florida Bar Foundation to place all of the students selected at their top placement location selections, especially in some areas such as South Florida. Applicants should give serious consideration to programs in rural areas, Central Florida, and North Florida.

FIRST PREFERENCE FOR PLACEMENT

20. State your First Preference for Placement, and briefly explain why you would like to work at that legal service organization.*

Please limit your response to 250 words or less. 0/250

YesNo

SECOND PREFERENCE FOR PLACEMENT

22. State your Second Preference for Placement, and briefly explain why you would like to work at that legal service organization.*

Please limit your response to 250 words or less. 0/250

YesNo

THIRD PREFERENCE FOR PLACEMENT

24. State your Third Preference for Placement, and briefly explain why you would like to work at that legal service organization.*

Please limit your response to 250 words or less. 0/250

YesNo

E. Applicant’s Supporting Documentation

26. Please attach and upload a copy of your current resume to this application. *

Resume

PDF file only

27. Please attach and upload a writing sample no longer than 5 pages to this application*

Writing Sample

PDF file only

F. Acceptance of Fellowship if Selected

By my initials and e-signature below, I certify that the information included in this application is true and correct and that I have completed this application to the best of my abilities. Further, by my initials and signature below, I agree to and understand the following:

28. If I am selected and participate in The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2020 Summer Legal Services Fellowship program, I will be working full-time for a period of eleven (11) weeks during the summer at a Legal Services program in Florida. *

ENTER INITIALS IN THE BOX ABOVE

29. I understand that prior to being selected as a Summer Fellow and assigned to work at a Legal Services program, the supervising attorney of my assigned placement location will interview me and will make the final decision on accepting me as a temporary, full-time employee at the program. I understand that after interviewing me, the program may decline my assignment at the program. *

ENTER INITIALS IN THE BOX ABOVE

30. If I am selected and accepted by the program, I understand that I will be a temporary full-time employee of the program where I am assigned. I understand that I will be subject to that program’s personnel and human resources policies. *

ENTER INITIALS IN THE BOX ABOVE

30. If I am selected and participate in the program, I understand that my stipend will be subject to all regular income tax withholdings. (Personal income tax, FICA, Medicare, and any other federal taxes.)*

ENTER INITIALS IN THE BOX ABOVE

By signing this document, you certify that the information contained in this application, including attachments, is true and correct.

31. Signature*

1. PRINT YOUR APPLICATION

If you want to print your application, press the Print Form button before pressing the Submit button below.

2. REVIEW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

Before pressing the Submit button below, please make sure to carefully review your answers and verify that the information you have provided is true and correct.

You can click the Go Back button on each page to go back and review your answers. You will not be able to change or edit your answers after you have submitted your online application.

3. EMAIL CONFIRMATION OF SUBMISSION

You will receive an email confirmation from JotForm (the online software) confirming that your Summer Fellows Application has been submitted and received by the Foundation.

CHECK YOUR SPAM before contacting the Foundation to see if your application was submitted.

The confirmation email will also contain the entire Summer Fellows Application Form (including all of the questions, some of which may have been "hidden" when you completed the form) and the answers that you submitted. Do not be alarmed if you notice that the confirmation email contains some questions that you did not see or answer.

2020 Florida Bar Foundation Civil Legal Services Summer Fellowship Program