All applications for an Equal Justice Works Fellowship will be judged according to the quality of the proposed project, the individual Fellowship candidate and the host organization, taking into consideration other factors such as issue area, geographic diversity and sponsor preferences. Sponsors typically select projects based in cities in which they have offices. In some cases, however, sponsors will simply indicate an interest in funding an innovative project anywhere in the country. If a sponsor expresses a particular geographic or issue area preference, Equal Justice Works will post that information here.

Project Evaluation Criteria

• The project must involve legal advocacy on behalf of disenfranchised individuals or groups, or issues that are not adequately represented by some aspect of our legal system. Advocacy may entail a wide range of approaches, including, but not limited to, community legal education and training, organizing, direct services, litigation, transactional work and administrative efforts. Restrictions imposed by the Internal Revenue Service and Legal Services Corporation apply.
• Because a goal of the program is to create new public interest positions and give Fellows the opportunity to exercise leadership on distinct projects, Equal Justice Works will not fund a general staff attorney position within an existing organization. The project must introduce new services or expand upon services already provided by the organization in some meaningful way.
• The project must address the legal needs of individuals or communities in the United States and its territories.
• Preference will be given to projects that are designed to impact a large number of people, create programs that can be replicated in other communities and create lasting institutions or programs.
• Projects in the area of indigent criminal defense should focus on innovative services, and support or delivery mechanisms that are not adequately funded by the government or that are designed to impact broad criminal justice issues. For example, Equal Justice Works has funded projects involving death penalty issues, including preventive strategies and systemic issues such as sentencing, alternatives to incarceration and concerns of special populations, such as juveniles and the mentally ill.

Fellowship Candidate Evaluation Criteria

• The candidate's demonstrated or stated commitment to public interest law generally, and specifically to the community in which s/he is planning to work.
• The candidate's professional, volunteer and/or subject matter expertise indicating that s/he possesses the relevant skills and initiative to make the proposed project a success. Traditional measures of academic achievement, such as grades and law review, are not relevant to the Equal Justice Works selection process.
• The candidate's commitment and ability to fulfill the two-year term required by the program.
• The candidate's ability to bring a diverse perspective to his or her project and the legal profession. Equal Justice Works strongly encourages applications from candidates reflecting diverse cultural and experiential backgrounds; people with disabilities; people of diverse ethnic, racial, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds; work experiences; national origins; sexual orientations; and ages.
• Equal Justice Works Fellowships are designed to create new public interest legal positions and launch new public interest careers. An individual who has worked as a full-time, permanent employee with the host organization for any length of time within one year of the application date may not be hired as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at that organization. For the same reasons, Equal Justice Works will not fund an applicant who has had a previous postgraduate legal fellowship through Equal Justice Works or any other major fellowship program (e.g. Skadden, Soros, Echoing Green).
• Equal Justice Works does not require a candidate to have taken or passed a bar exam by the beginning of the Fellowship term. However, the prospective host organization may require bar passage, agreement to take the bar exam in the summer or license to practice in the Fellowship state. Applicants are therefore advised to discuss the matter with their prospective host organizations.

Host Organization Evaluation Criteria

• The 501(c)(3) organization's commitment and ability to provide training, support and supervision throughout the Fellowship project.
• How the project fits into organizational priorities.
• The organization's commitment and ability to provide health insurance and other standard employee benefits to the Fellow during the Fellowship.