The Law Foundation of BC’s Graduate Fellowships Fund grants program awards funding over one academic year to support full-time graduate studies in law or a law-related area.

Amount and Duration

Fellowships may be up to $17,000 each (subject to change) and once eligibility criteria are met, should be awarded in two installments falling in August 2023 and January 2024.

Call For Applications And Deadline

The Legal Research Fund Applications are now closed. 

Please send any questions you may have about Graduate Fellowships to fellowshipsandresearch[at]lawfoundationbc.org  .

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must demonstrate that during the period of the Fellowship, they will

1. devote themselves primarily to full-time graduate studies in law or a law-related area,
2. not be in concurrent receipt of funding issued under the Foundation’s Legal Research Fund grants program, and
3. not use the Fellowship to pursue a graduate degree meant to provide National Committee on Accreditation equivalency to practice law in Canada,

and either

4. completed or will complete undergraduate or graduate studies at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria Faculty of Law, or the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law,
5. is a current member of the Law Society of BC, or
6. attends, or will attend at the time of the receipt of the Fellowship, a graduate program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria Faculty of Law.

Applicants who do not satisfy these eligibility criteria may submit an application that includes a request for an exemption from the relevant eligibility criteria.  Exemption from any criterion is at the discretion of the Committee.

Applying

The Law Foundation uses the SmartSimple online grant submission and management system. The SmartSimple Portal can be found at:

https://lawfoundationbc.smartsimple.ca/

Applications request information about the applicant’s academic history and achievements, and require the upload of institutional records and three written references.  References should comment on the applicant’s scholarship, abilities, and personal qualities, and must be on the official letterhead of the referee’s organization or institution.  Applicants may apply even if they are already a Fellowship recipient, but an award of a Fellowship does not constitute a commitment for further funding.

Recipient Re-Applications

If and only if the applicant received a Law Foundation Graduate Fellowship in the previous year and is re-applying, instead of three letters of reference, applicants must provide a signed letter from the applicant’s academic advisor on the official letterhead of the organization or institution confirming continued full-time attendance in the program, including:

• a summary of the program of study;
• a progress report of the work accomplished during the previous year; results obtained; and a description of plans for the coming year, including explanations of any substantial deviation from the plan originally outlined in the previous year’s proposal;
• an updated schedule for completing the graduate program; and
• any other information relevant to the application.

The Law Foundation reserves the right to verify the authenticity of all references and all other information submitted as part of an application, including directly contacting the relevant reference or academic institution.

Selection

Following the deadline for applications, the Foundation’s Fellowships and Research Committee meets to assess the applications and select Fellowship recipients.

Criteria

When assessing Fellowship applications, the Committee takes into consideration an applicant’s

1. academic achievements,
2. involvement in community activities,
3. proposed course of study,
4. personal circumstances and their impact on any of the above factors, and,
5. any other factors the Committee deems relevant.

Academic achievements include those the applicant has completed themselves, and situations where they contributed to an academic project or program as part of a team.

Involvement in community activities encompasses a variety of experiences where the applicant demonstrates leadership, responsibility, and accountability to others such as occupying a leadership role in a society or community group, coaching a sports team, caring for family members, recurring volunteer work, tutoring or mentoring others, supporting Elders, or participating in culturally relevant activities, events, or gatherings.  Where applicants have not had recent opportunities demonstrate such involvement, the Committee considers the potential for future involvement in an applicant’s activities, community work, or academic field.

When evaluating an applicant’s proposed course of study, the Committee considers how well the course of study aligns with the Foundation’s program objectives under its Legal Research mandate and the Foundation’s overall strategic goals.

Applications will be held in strict confidence, especially in relation to disclosures of personal circumstances and their impact on the applicant’s history and goals. If provided by an applicant, the Committee considers disclosures of this kind only to help to better understand an overall application and such disclosures are not shared beyond Committee deliberations.

Questions?

Please send any questions to fellowshipsandresearch[at]lawfoundationbc.org