In 2011, Dean Michael A.
Simons approved the Global Law Fellows program for foreign
undergraduate, masters and doctoral students, allowing them to
spend a semester at St. John’s School of Law as visiting
researchers. Global Law Fellows enroll in a one-credit hour
colloquium, providing them an academic peer group, a vehicle for
providing U.S. and English language legal research skills
development and regular faculty oversight of this diverse group of
visiting researchers.
Candidates for Global Law Fellowships must express a need to do
research in the United States, in New York City or with English
language source materials. In addition, Global Law Fellows must
have sufficient English language skills to benefit from a semester
of research at St. John’s and must be nominated for a Fellowship by
the chair or a senior member of their academic department or by a
St. John’s faculty member.
Program
Length
One semester (either August – December or January – May). The Dean
may make exceptions on a case-by-case basis to allow two-semester
(one full academic year) fellowships for doctoral students, if
their research agenda would substantially benefit from the longer
duration.
Academic
Support
Fellows will receive a St. John’s University identification card
that allows access to all University facilities (e.g., academic
buildings, athletic facilities) and to receive support from
University administrative offices (e.g., housing, student
services). Fellows will have access to all Law School library and
research facilities, including student accounts for WestLaw® and
Lexis/Nexis® electronic legal research services. Fellows may also
consult with faculty on matters related to their research, at the
discretion of the individual faculty member.
Course
Access
Fellows will be allowed to audit (attend but not sit for
examinations or receive grades or academic credit) for up to six
credit hours of courses offered at the Law School, on a space
available basis and with the permission of the instructor.
Additional
Opportunities
Fellows may be appointed a visiting fellow of the Center for
International and Comparative Law and can be appointed as a
contributing editor for the St. John’s Journal of International and
Comparative Law. Fellows may be invited to present their research
at research brown bag luncheons or (for doctoral researchers) at
our faculty research sessions.
Visa
Requirements
Fellows will normally require a J-1 visa and will generally be
designated as a Short-term Scholar or Research Scholar. St. John’s
University's Office of Global Studies will assist with visa
formalities for Fellows.
Insurance
Requirements
Fellows will be required to purchase Student Health Insurance for
the duration of their residence at St. John’s University. U.S.
Government rules for J-1 visa programs require U.S. insurance
coverage for all foreign students or visiting scholars.
Admission
Criteria
Because Fellows must be prepared to succeed in an environment that
is challenging, entails research and writing in a foreign language
for many and are representatives of their institutions while at St.
John’s, admission to the Global Law Fellows program is very
selective. Among the criteria we will consider in determining
whether a student will be invited as a Fellow are:
- Excellence of the student’s academic record
- Faculty recommendations from the student’s home
institution
- Ability to speak, read, and write English to an academic
standard
- Value of the student’s research agenda
- Maturity and character of the student
Projected
Costs
Although costs will vary depending on the Fellow’s personal choices
(e.g., housing, travel while in the U.S., entertainment), estimated
costs of a Fellowship (excluding transportation to/from New York
City) include:
- Tuition for one-credit colloquium $1,650
- Student Health Insurance (per semester) $624
- J-1 visa fee $180
- Subtotal of University Costs $2,454
- Housing $5,000
- Meals and living expenses $2,500
Estimated Total Expense $9,454
For more information on the Law Global Fellows program at St.
John's School of Law, please
contact us.