Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund
Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund

Stipend Application

Interested in applying for an OLSPIF Stipend? Please read the information below.

If you have any questions, contact stipend application coordinator Lauren Trent.

  1. Deadline
    1. The 2009 summer stipend application is available in pdf form here. All stipend applications must be turned in to the administration office no later than 5:00pm on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009. Please direct any questions that you have related to the stipend application to Maureen McGee.
    2. Each applicant must submit seven (7) copies of the completed application materials. Each of the seven packets should be stapled together. Only one copy of the Cover Sheet and Fundraising Contribution Sheet is needed.
  2. Stipend Amount
    1. The full stipend amount for the summer of 2009 will be $3,000.
    2. A stipend applicant may request a full stipend or a partial stipend for a specified amount. Partial stipends are available for applicants who will work less than full time and/or whose sponsors are able to provide some compensation. For those positions with partial compensation, OLSPIF will contribute the amount necessary to bring your total summer compensation to the determined stipend amount.
    3. A stipend applicant who has already received a full OLSPIF stipend is ineligible to apply again. An applicant who received a partial stipend last year may apply for a stipend this year for the amount of the difference between this year's stipend amount and the amount of the partial stipend the student has already received.
  3. To be considered for a summer stipend -
    1. You must be a full-time first or second year law student in good standing at the University of Oregon School of Law.
    2. You must have a sponsor letter offering legal work from a sponsoring organization. Once you receive the letter, your name must be redacted from six of the seven copies you submit with your application. Feel free to share the following requirements with your sponsor organization to assist them in preparing the necessary materials for your application:
      1. An offer of employment, which may be contingent upon receipt of a stipend.
      2. A statement of the maximum amount of money, if any, that the organization can pay you for your work.
      3. A general statement of the goals of the organization and a brief description of its work1.
      4. A description of your job, including responsibilities, hours, and the amount of supervision you will receive by an attorney2.
    3. You must write a personal statement, no longer than three pages (single space, 12 point font), explaining why you and your sponsoring organization should receive an OLSPIF stipend. Your name cannot appear on six of the seven copies of your personal statement. You may want to include the following:
      1. The goals of your sponsoring organization,
      2. How your work would help achieve those goals,
      3. How your work would benefit specific groups of people or the public good in general,
      4. Your specific duties and how your work will provide you with a good legal learning experience,
      5. How your work will further your own career goals, especially as those goals relate to the public interest,
      6. A description of your commitment to public interest law and/or to the particular area in which you will work, and
      7. Any other information that would be helpful to the Selection Committee in making its decision.
    4. You must have contributed at least ten (10) hours total toward OLSPIF and/or PIPS (5 hours maximum for PIPS) fundraising in the present school year prior to the stipend application deadline. (Please see attached Fundraising Contribution Sheet.)
  4. Job requirements -
    1. Your job for the summer must be in the public interest. OLSPIF's definition of "public interest" is broad. Your Personal Statement will define for the Selection Committee how and why your job is in the public interest. Narrowing the focus of your project will help the Committee better understand your prospective summer experience. If you need help finding a sponsor for the summer, contact the Career Services Center.
    2. The organization for which you work must be unable to pay you more than $200 per week for your work. Any salary paid by the organization will be deducted from the stipend amount and will be considered a partial stipend.
    3. The organization for which the student will work must be not-for-profit, government funded, or a government agency. Because government agencies generally have more funding, they will receive more scrutiny by the Selection Committee; be sure to make clear why the particular agency lacks funds and how your contribution to the agency will promote the public interest.
    4. Your project must involve legal work. OLSPIF seeks to provide you with a valuable learning experience in addition to helping the community. Your work MUST be supervised by an attorney. Note that lobbying, organizing, and political campaign work are excluded from eligibility for an OLSPIF stipend. You may work for an organization involved in these activities, but you may not participate in those activities as part of your summer work for which you are receiving an OLSPIF stipend.
  5. What is expected of you if you receive a stipend?
    1. To receive a full stipend, you must work full-time (40 hours/week) for at least 10 weeks. Partial stipends are available for part-time work. If you do not complete the 10 weeks you must reimburse OLSPIF pro rata (absent severe illness, injury, or other emergency).
    2. Upon finishing your work for the summer, you must write a statement about your experience. We will use the statements to inform other students about the kinds of public interest law work available and to show those who donated to OLSPIF how their donation was used. Additionally, if your stipend comes from funds provided by the UO Law School Alumni Board, we may ask you to write a thank you letter, with a description of your summer work experience, to the Board.
    3. You may be asked to give a short oral presentation on your project at a future OLSPIF meeting or event. These presentations are critical to maintaining the history and momentum of the OLSPIF organization.
  6. The selection process
    1. The selection process will be anonymous. All materials, with the exception of the "Cover Sheet" and the "Fundraising Contribution Record," must be submitted to the Selection Committee without names. Please be aware of who is on the Selection Committee (at this point those members are yet to be determined) and avoid discussing the stipend application process with them.
    2. The Committee, consists of one member of the law school administration, two faculty members, and three student members (one from each class, excluding OLSPIF members). For 2009, OLSPIF's community advisors may serve in lieu of or in addition to these members.
    3. The stipends shall be awarded on the following bases:
      1. the merits of the proposed projects,
      2. the student's commitment to public interest law,
      3. the student's commitment to OLSPIF
      4. the organization's monetary needs,
      5. the project's benefit to the student's legal education, and
      6. the project's effect on the student's career goals.
      The stipends shall not be awarded based upon academic achievement or financial need.
    4. Stipend recipients will be announced by as soon as possible. All applicants will be notified by email.
    5. All applicants will be notified of any changes to the important dates in the selection process.

1It must be work in the public interest or public service, which generally includes projects that will benefit under-represented groups or individuals, for example focusing on protecting civil and individual rights, better government, environmental issues, or advocacy for the public good in general. The organization itself must be not-for-profit, government funded, or a government agency. For government agencies, it is helpful if the sponsor addresses the reasons the agency is unable to fund your work.

2It must be legal work. Lobbying, organizing, and campaign work are not eligible for OLSPIF Stipend funding. The organization may be involved in these activities, but the student may not participate in them as part of his/her summer work.

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