Rappaport Fellowship

2024-2026 Rappaport Fellowship

Harvard Law School invites applications for the two-year Rappaport Fellowship. Eligible applicants are promising legal scholars with high academic achievements, possess a strong desire to teach law, and have strong potential for success on the legal academic job market. Applicants will have an interest in pursuing research, writing, and preparing through work on scholarship for entry into the law teaching market. Successful applicants will also have a knowledge of the legal landscape, including of current law-related and higher education issues of interest to a law school community and law students. The fellowship includes time to work independently on scholarship, including access to Harvard’s library resources, and responsibilities related to the Rappaport Forum at Harvard Law School.

A primary duty of the Rappaport Fellow will be to design, plan, and help execute a distinguished speaker series to promote and model full, vigorous, and civil discourse. Working closely with the Communications Office, the Dean’s Office and a wide array of HLS faculty, staff, and students, the Rappaport Fellow will contribute to and bolster the Law School’s vibrant intellectual community through this and other initiatives. The fellowship also facilitates participation in faculty workshops relating to the Fellow’s field of interest and establishes mentoring relationships with faculty working in those fields.

The successful candidate will be comfortable in an academic environment that requires a high level of independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to use discretionary judgment.

Responsibilities:

  • Engage in law-related research, writing, and scholarship
  • Help develop and launch a new distinguished speaker series and conceive of, plan and help promote several related high-profile events each year
  • Work collaboratively with a broad number of constituents within the Law School – including HLS leadership, faculty, staff, and students – to identify potential topics and speakers, build awareness of the Rappaport Forum, and work with HLS student organizations to encourage participation
  • Oversee Rappaport Forum event logistics, manage outreach to guest speakers, develop discussion framework and questions, and prepare associated briefing materials
  • Work closely with colleagues in the Office of Communications on news articles on the Forum and other related content
  • Participate in developing community-wide intellectual life initiatives
  • Serve as an advisor to the student-run HLS Forum
  • Perform other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications:

  • J.D., LL.M or SJD degree, and superior academic record are required

Additional Qualifications:

  • Interest in pursing legal academic career track
  • Ability to think strategically and creatively
  • Interest in and capacity for understanding the most pressing law and law-related issues of the day
  • Superior written and verbal communications skills
  • Sound judgment and an extremely high level of professionalism, diplomacy, discretion, collegiality, and problem-solving ability
  • Strong interpersonal skills and proven success in developing collaborative relationships across diverse constituencies

Additional Information:

  • This is a full-time, campus-based, two-year fellowship which runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.
  • The Rappaport Fellow will receive an annual stipend of $60,000, plus benefits.

To be considered for the fellowship, applicants should submit the following documents: 

  1. a comprehensive résumé  or curriculum vitae,
  2. a detailed cover letter describing your interest in the fellowship,
  3. a law school transcript,
  4. two letters of recommendation (must be uploaded directly by the recommenders through the online application process), and
  5. two writing samples.

Please submit only what is required above. Only complete applications will be considered. 

DEADLINE to submit your application is NO LATER than Thursday, October 5, 2023. Letters of recommendation MUST ALSO BE RECEIVED by October 5, 2023.

CLICK BELOW TO APPLY:

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Harvard Law School selects individuals for fellowships without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please direct any questions to RappaportFellowship@law.harvard.edu.