The Chayes International Public Service Fellowships are dedicated to the memory of Professor Abram Chayes ’49, who taught at Harvard Law School for more than 40 years. Professor Chayes was a leading authority on international law, and throughout his career, as a lawyer, arbitrator and legal advisor, he took on notable cases arising from military and paramilitary activities in Nicaragua, boundary disputes in Africa, and the genocide in Kosovo, among many others.

Accordingly, these fellowships provide Harvard Law School students with the opportunity to spend eight weeks during the summer working with governmental or non-governmental organizations concerned with issues of an international scope or relevant to countries in transition. Chayes Fellows’ projects can take a variety of forms, but could focus on the development of legal, political, social, and economic institutions, constitutional and legal issues in emerging democracies, or reconstruction of war-torn societies, among others.

The Chayes Fellowships not only allow a cadre of Harvard Law School students to offer their skills to governments and organizations undertaking critical work, but also provide students with practical, first-hand experience with the complex issues faced by societies in development or transition. Chayes Fellows become part of a network of individuals engaged with organizations working on these issues around the world. Since 2001, when the program began, 435 Chayes Fellows, working in 80 countries and jurisdictions, have engaged in projects with 234 placement organizations (read more about the program’s 20th anniversary on Harvard Law Today).