Attorney, short-term Fellowship: Killian O. Doherty Environmental Justice Fellowship

The Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) invites public interest lawyers defending the rights of Indigenous peoples related to land or the environment to apply for the 2023 Killian O. Doherty Environmental Justice Fellowship. We seek applicants focused on protecting these rights in Africa or Asia to collaborate with ELAW in 2023.

ELAW is a global alliance of lawyers, scientists, and other advocates collaborating across borders to promote grassroots efforts to build a sustainable, just future. ELAW’s global partners are addressing high impact, complex issues including challenging fossil fuel projects; reducing plastic production, use and waste; protecting the climate; defending land rights; securing clean water; conserving biodiversity and ecosystems; and protecting environmental defenders.

The Killian O. Doherty Environmental Justice Fellowship honors our colleague and friend, Killian Doherty, who exemplified true commitment to environmental justice in his personal and professional life. Together with Killian’s family, ELAW designed this Fellowship to carry his legacy forward.

The Fellowship is open to applicants for the following purposes:

• The Fellow may use the opportunity to advance their own work in an area of law related to defending environmental rights or land rights of Indigenous peoples. ELAW staff will share resources we have gathered to support that work and meet regularly with the Fellow; or
• Building on work that Killian started, the Fellow may help ELAW gather and analyze legal precedents that support new efforts to defend rights of Indigenous peoples to their land and to live in a healthy environment. We wish to expand this research to focus on legal precedents from Africa or Asia in 2023.

ELAW will provide the Killian O. Doherty Environmental Justice Fellow with a US$6,000 stipend to complete the Fellowship over the course of 10 weeks between April 2023 and September 2023. ELAW is open to adjusting the Fellowship to accommodate other commitments.

Please submit a resume and a cover letter that describes your interest in this Fellowship and a brief description of the project you hope to accomplish. Lawyers who have not yet identified a specific area of focus, but hope to help ELAW build on research that Killian began are also welcome to express this interest instead. In this case, please describe whether you have relevant experience and how the Fellowship would help you build your career as a public interest advocate. The application deadline is March 31, 2023.

Please indicate in your cover letter whether you prefer to work from the ELAW office in Eugene, Oregon, or from a different location.