NYU School of Law has created the first-ever LL.M. degree in Public Service Law as part of the Global Public Service Law Project. This is a one year masters program for lawyers who will have at least two years of post-graduate legal public service work experience upon arrival. At least ten scholars will be non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Scholars can apply for a full or partial scholarship. Full scholarships include a tuition waiver, travel, and stipend. United States citizens and permanent residents are not eligible for a full Global Public Service Scholarship. The Global Public Service Law Project defines public service law to be lawyering for social and political justice, including such areas as the provision of legal services; human rights; labor advocacy and organizing; civil society and institution building; the protection of the environment, the rights of women, indigenous peoples, and minorities; government work; and criminal law.

The Project aims not only to provide a first-rate theoretical education to the 10-15 Global Public Service Scholars who visit NYU each year, but also to assist them practically in their difficult and often groundbreaking work making change in the legal structure and wider culture of their societies. This practical approach is woven into the Project by structuring the curricular and extra-curricular work to allow the student-lawyers to learn from each other and to trade practical strategies across borders, and by sponsoring the Global Public Service Fellowship Program, which supports graduates to work for up to one year at a law-related public interest organization of their choosing upon graduation. Through the Global Public Service Law Project, NYU hopes that it can, in a small but powerful way, help local activist lawyers in their work, while also feeding the emerging phenomenon of cross-border public interest lawyering.

The deadline for applying for the 2004-2005 academic year is December 1, 2003.

Global Public Service Law Project's website.
The e-mail for the project.

Diana Hortsch
Global Public Service Law Project
NYU School of Law
110 W. Third Street, Second Floor
New York, NY 10012
(212)992-8814 (tel.)
(212)995-4529 (fax)
law.gpslp@nyu.edu
http://www.law.nyu.edu/globallawschool/gpslp.html