Applications for the ABF/University of Chicago Doctoral Fellowship in Law & Social Science for the 2025-26 academic year are now open.
Deadline: February 1st, 2025
Purpose
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) and the University of Chicago (UChicago) are committed to developing the next generation of scholars in the field of law and social science. The purpose of this fellowship is to encourage original and significant research on law, the legal profession, and legal institutions.
Eligibility
Applicants should be outstanding UChicago Ph.D. students who started their program in the Social Sciences Division at the University of Chicago in Summer 2018 or later, will have completed all doctoral requirements except the dissertation by September 1, 2025, and expect to receive UChicago funding during the years of the fellowship. Final selection is made by the ABF’s Doctoral Fellowship Committee. Doctoral and proposed research must be in the general area of sociolegal studies or in social scientific approaches to law, legal institutions, the legal profession or social justice. The research must address significant issues in the field and show promise of a major contribution to social scientific understanding of law and justice.
Award
Fellows will receive their annual stipend from UChicago and an additional $3,000 fellowship stipend from the ABF for up to two academic years (24 months). Doctoral fellows will not be employees of the ABF and must retain benefits, health insurance and any other expected funding from UChicago. Fellows will also have access to a modest research account provided by ABF to reimburse expenses associated with research, travel to meet with advisors, or travel to conferences at which papers are presented.
Tenure
Fellowships are awarded for up to 24 months, beginning September 1, 2025.
Conditions
Fellowships are held in residence at the ABF. Appointments to fellowships are full time. Fellows are expected to participate fully in the academic life of the ABF so that they may develop close collegial ties with ABF faculty and other scholars in residence. Because this is a full-time program, the ABF does not allow fellows to hold concurrent fellowships, but we support and encourage fellows to apply for research grants.
Qualifications
Applications are invited from outstanding UChicago Ph.D. students who are candidates for Ph.D. degrees in the Social Sciences Division at the University of Chicago and who started their program in Summer 2019 or later, will have completed all doctoral requirements except the dissertation by September 1, 2025, and expect to receive UChicago funding during the years of the fellowship. Doctoral research must be in the general area of sociolegal studies or involve social scientific approaches to the law, legal institutions, or legal processes.
How to Apply
Applicants must include:
- 1-2 page cover letter of application;
- 2-3 page description of a research project, a dissertation abstract or proposal with an outline of the substance and methods of the research;
- A curriculum vitae;
- Names and contact information of 3 professional references that we may contact if appropriate, one of whom should be the applicant’s dissertation chairperson;
- A letter of endorsement from the student’s department in consultation with the Office of the Dean of students in the UChicago Social Sciences Division that will ensure eligibility and provide expectations regarding the completion timeline for all candidates;
- A writing sample, reflective of a candidate’s best work and appropriate to a candidate’s discipline; and
- A Diversity Statement, not more than 2 pages, highlighting demonstrated and planned efforts to promote diversity and equity through their research, life experience, or other work.
If you have questions about the application process or the position, please direct inquiries to "fellowships@ abfn.org" with the subject line “ABF/University of Chicago Doctoral Fellowship Program.”