Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Law and Social Science

Application Deadline: February 1, 2024

The Opportunity

The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is accepting applications for Undergraduate Research Fellows to gain exposure to sociolegal research during the Summer of 2024. We are particularly impressed by students who demonstrate a strong intellectual curiosity and who take initiative with mentors by asking questions and actively expressing interest in their research. Preference will be given to candidates from groups that are underrepresented in the fields of law and social science, including but not limited to first-generation and low-income students and students of color.

This fellowship introduces undergraduate students to the rewards and demands of a research-oriented career in law and/or social science. It also provides guidance about the many career options within the legal profession. Each Fellow will be assigned an ABF Research Professor who will involve the Fellow in their research project and act as a mentor during the Fellow's tenure. In previous years, Fellows have supported faculty members' work by conducting archival research, creating literature reviews, and coding qualitative data collected from interviews. In addition to partnering with a faculty mentor, Fellows will meet with other ABF faculty and affiliates.

Fellows also participate in a series of in-house seminars and information sessions with legal professionals to get acquainted with the many facets of sociolegal research and the legal system and create networking opportunities. Past Fellows have toured the office of a major international law firm, spoke one-on-one with admissions representatives from local law schools, and met with nonprofits like the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Uptown People's Law Center.

All Fellows will participate in the program 35 hours a week in our Chicago, IL, office on a hybrid schedule (most days working in the office with some offsite and remote days) from June 10 to August 2, 2024, and receive a gross stipend of $6,000.

Eligibility

Applications will be considered only from students currently enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States. Students must have completed at least two years of their undergraduate program and must not have received a bachelor's degree by the time the fellowship begins. All qualified candidates who are authorized to work in the United States for the duration of the fellowship are encouraged to apply. However, please note that the ABF is not able to sponsor employment visas at this time.

Application Process

Completed applications must be received by February 1, 2024 , at 11:59 PM CT. Due to the large volume of applications, late applications cannot be reviewed. Selected candidates will be invited to interview over Zoom in late February or early March 2024. Final decisions are expected to be announced in March 2024.

Candidates must apply via the application portal and attach all documents to their online application. Required materials include:

1. resume or academic CV;
2. unofficial transcript of academic courses completed at the time of application;
3. short responses to the following two prompts in up to 500 words each: 1. The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is a research institute committed to the principle that a deep understanding of the law is vital to a more just, equitable world. The ABF's mission is to expand knowledge and advance justice through innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous empirical research on law, legal processes, and legal institutions in the United States and internationally. How does ABF's mission of expanding knowledge and advancing justice through research resonate with your own intellectual interests and values? How will this particular fellowship in law and/or social science research help you reach your academic and professional goals? 2. This fellowship program gathers undergraduate students from groups who may be underrepresented in the fields of law and social science to learn about research-oriented careers. As a Fellow, how would you contribute to an intellectual community that values equity, inclusion, belonging, and cultural humility? We encourage you to illustrate your response with relevant examples from your past or present experiences, including academic, professional, extracurricular, and/or lived ones.

For further information about the program and to access the bios of previous Fellows, please visit the program webpage.

About the ABF

The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is a research institute committed to the principle that a deep understanding of the law is vital to a more just, equitable world. We conduct rigorous, empirical research that explores the intersection of law and society—creating insights that underpin today's most pressing issues and affect millions of people every day. Many of the ABF's resident research faculty members hold joint appointments at Chicago-area universities and law schools, including Northwestern University, DePaul University, Chicago-Kent College of Law, and the University of Chicago.