Young South African lawyers who are committed to advancing constitutional and human rights law in South Africa and/or Africa are to receive assistance from the Pius Langa Memorial Fellowship. Launched in 2021 and named in honor of the previous Chief Justice, this fellowship will give one early career lawyer each year the chance to pursue an LLM at University College London (UCL), one of the top-ranked colleges in the world, in the United Kingdom. (PIUS LANGA MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2023 – 2024)
The fellowship grant, financed by the UK-based nonprofit South African Constitutional Court Trust – United Kingdom, a sister organization of the CCT, will be for £20,000 to cover the fellow’s living and travel expenses (SACCT-UK). The Pius Langa Institute will kindly get a full tuition waiver from the UCL Faculty of Law.
PROCESS FOR APPLICATIONS
There will be one fellowship given out for the 2023–2024 academic year.
It will be acceptable at the London-based UCL Faculty of Law.
The fellowship provides a full tuition remission from UCL as well as a grant of GBP20,000 that is meant to pay for study-related travel and living costs.
In order to be eligible for the Pius Langa Memorial Fellowship, fellows must complete at least one human rights- or constitutional-related LLM course at UCL.
The fellowship will only be granted if the prospective fellow is given a spot on the full-time LLM program at the UCL Faculty of Laws for the academic year in question. In case there is any uncertainty, the potential fellow
Eligibility?
The applicants must be citizens of an African nation who are either early-career lawyers active in South African civil society, working for a South African NGO in a legal programme with a focus on constitutional and human rights law, or who are law clerks or former law clerks of the South African Constitutional Court.
Candidates must have shown a commitment to upholding human rights and a desire to continue working in the field of constitutional law or human rights as they pertain to South Africa or Africa.
The selection process will give preference to candidates who do not already hold an LLM degree, have not had the chance to study abroad, and will not be more than 35 years old when the planned studies begin.
How to apply for PIUS LANGA MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2023 – 2024
By Sunday, August 14, 2022, applicants must email their applications to PLMF@concourttrust.org.za.
The following should be included in applications:
a one- to a two-page motivational letter outlining your qualifications for the fellowship.
a CV that is no more than three pages long.
University transcripts for all higher education degrees, stressing that a strong academic record is required to be considered for a fellowship.
One piece of writing that is pertinent to your application and demonstrates your potential for success in a prestigious LLM program Please do not send writing examples that are more than 2000–3000 words, as this is the suggested length. Extracted from context are okay.
At least one of the two most recent professional letters of recommendation should be related to the applicant’s work at the South African Constitutional Court or in South African civic society. There is no need for a letter if a current Justice of the Constitutional Court is listed as a referee; just their name will do.
The Constitutional Court will interview those who made the shortlist in September 2022. Only those who have been shortlisted will be contacted.
For More information about PIUS LANGA MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2023 – 2024 CLICK HERE AND APPLY
