University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) and Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) announce the launch of the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship. Commencing in August 2019, the programme will provide specialised training to top graduates from South African law schools for careers as impact-oriented public interest lawyers in the areas of health, human rights, HIV prevention, and gender equality.
UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) and Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) launched the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship in 2011 and, to date, it has produced 11 top public interest lawyers and advocates. The programme provides specialised training to top graduates from South African law schools for careers as impact-oriented public interest lawyers in the areas of health, human rights, HIV prevention, and gender equality.
Details of the Fellowship
The Fellowship offers a full-tuition grant to enrol in UCLA Law’s Master of Law Program (LL.M.) and assists Fellows in securing living and travel expenses for their studies. It also offers the opportunity to apply for a one-year Fellowship placement with Sonke’s Policy Development and Advocacy unit.
Fellows will enrol in UCLA Law’s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy (PILP). Through its various workshops and seminars, Fellows will meet PILP students and faculty, and grapple with current challenges faced in public interest legal practice. Students will enrol in the course Human Rights and Sexual Politics, which address a range of issues such as sexual and reproductive health rights, sex work, LGBTIQ+ and access to health care. Each UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellow will also elect other related courses and author a substantial writing assignment on a health, human rights, and/or gender equality-related legal issue facing South Africa. To prepare for American legal studies, Fellows will start off their curriculum by enrolling in a Summer introductory course, American Law in a Global Context.
For more detailed information about the fellowship, please download the brochure.
Eligibility & award conditions
The UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship is open to legal professionals and law graduates holding LL.B. degrees classified second class (division one) or higher from South African law school programmes. Competitive applicants will also have a demonstrated commitment to health, human rights, or gender equality, and work or volunteer experience in this area. Note that non-South African applicants must have a valid work permit.
As a condition of the award, Fellows will be asked to certify that they will return to Africa upon completion of their LL.M. degree, and commit to a public interest career that promotes health, human rights, and gender equality in the African region for at least one year.
Application information
Applicants must complete the online application for UCLA Law’s LL.M. programme and the supplemental application for the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship.
UCLA Law’s LL.M. online application is at www.law.ucla.edu/llm.
Please download the fellowship application form here.
Applicants are currently open and the due date for the online application for UCLA Law’s LL.M. programme and the Fellowship application form is March 15, 2020.
Please direct questions about the fellowship to hhrfellowship@genderjustice.org.za, and questions about UCLA Law’s online LL.M. application procedure to llmapplicant@law.ucla.edu.
Project partners & leadership
UCLA School of Law is the youngest top law school in the U.S., has pioneered innovative specialisations and cutting-edge research centers, and has long been committed to skills training courses that offer students hands-on lawyering experience as they master legal doctrine.
Sonke Gender Justice is recognised internationally for its pioneering work on supporting men, boys, women and girls to promote gender equality, to prevent gender-based violence, and to reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS across Africa.
Leadership
The UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship will be co-directed by Lara Stemple, Director of Graduate Studies at UCLA School of Law, and Bafana Khumalo, acting Co-executive Director at Sonke Gender Justice.
