2015 Benton Public Interest Fellowship Application
Applications must be submitted by
Monday, April 6, 2015 at 9:00 a.m.
Recipients will be notified via email on April 10, 2015.
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE APPLICATION
About MC Law Benton Public Interest Fellowships: Over the past few years, the number of
applicants for Summer Public Interest Fellowships has increased. The law school will make as many
Fellowship awards as possible, but funding is not guaranteed. Applicants are urged to put time and
thought into the application for these competitive awards.
Applicant Eligibility: Applicant eligibility is for 1L students in good academic standing who are
eligible for federal financial aid and who volunteer with legal non-profit organizations, government
agencies, and most judges.
If an applicant is not in good academic standing, he or she may apply for a Fellowship, so long as
the Fellowship has a start date on or after June 15, 2015.
The MC Law Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program is reserved for students who will return
to MC Law School in the Fall semester of 2015. Students who make application to transfer cannot
apply for a Fellowship. Fellowship funding will be terminated for any student who is selected for a
Fellowship and subsequently makes application to transfer.
Funding: Each Fellowship will be paid up to $3,000, at the rate of $10.00 per hour, for a maximum
of 300 hours of work over the summer. There is no minimum hour requirement. Fellowship
students may work during the summer term, defined as the Monday after graduation through the
Friday before Fall semester classes begin. The summer term sets the earliest start date and latest end
date for a Fellowship. Students MAY NOT begin their Fellowships until Mississippi College has
approved the student’s payroll paperwork, and students MAY NOT continue working beyond the
300 hours permitted by the Fellowship. Students are expected to set a specific start and end date in
accordance with these requirements.
Students will submit timesheets to the MC Law Financial Aid Office and are paid every two weeks
according to a schedule they will receive from the Financial Aid Office.
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The Fellowships are funded in part by federal Work-Study funds. Thus, Fellowship applicants must
be eligible to receive federal financial aid. Fellowship applicants must complete the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (“FAFSA”) as soon as possible, and no later than March 23, 2015. Students
should understand that a Fellowship award is considered part of their financial aid package for the
following school year.
Eligible Summer Jobs: Positions at government and nonprofit organizations in the United States
are qualifying organizations under the MC Law Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program. Some
judicial clerkships are also eligible. Examples of eligible jobs include, but are not limited to, legal aid
and legal services organizations, prosecutor’s offices, public defenders, public interest litigation or
policy groups, legislative offices, and government regulatory and enforcement agencies.
Students' job responsibilities should involve substantive legal work commensurate with their skill
levels. Work of a primarily clerical nature does not qualify. Students must be supervised by an
attorney. See the Selection Criteria below for more information on factors that are considered in
awarding Fellowships. Employers must sign MC Law’s Fellowship Agreement before the student
can be paid. Finally, students may not receive both a Fellowship and academic credit for their
summer positions.
Fellowship positions will be allowed this summer with the Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of
Appeals. The following procedure must be followed:
1. Students who made an A in Legal Writing and Legal Research are able to apply to for a
Fellowship with a Mississippi Appellate Court;
2. Applicants must have a letter of recommendation from Professor Pratt and Dean Miller; and
3. Applicants must submit their letters of recommendation to Professor Copeland, who will
coordinate applications with a MS Appellate Court chambers.
4. After submitting the above paperwork to Professor Copeland, the applicant may submit a
Fellowship application.
The following types of jobs are NOT eligible for summer Fellowships: 1) Jobs in foreign countries;
2) Jobs with private law offices even if they do pro bono work; and 3) Jobs with political campaigns.
Absent special circumstances, the following local organizations are not eligible for a Fellowship:
Hinds, Madison, Rankin County District Attorneys; Hinds, Madison, Rankin County Prosecutors;
Hinds County Public Defender; U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. If
you believe you have special circumstances to support a placement at one of these locations, you
must discuss these special circumstances in your application, and you may also wish to consult with
Professor Meta Copeland in advance of pursuing such a placement.
Getting the Summer Job: In order to receive a Fellowship, a student must have (1) secured a
summer volunteer position with a qualifying organization or (2) made a good-faith effort to obtain a
position, and be awaiting a decision from the organization. If a large number of applications are
received, having a confirmed offer of employment may favorably influence the decision on your
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application. If you do have an offer now, please indicate so in your essay. If you have applications
pending, indicate in your essay the type(s) of positions and employer(s) you are pursuing and the
status of those applications. If a student receives a Fellowship without having a firm offer, s/he will
be given a period of time (approximately two weeks) to receive an offer from an employer.
The Selection Committee expects to make awards by March 27, 2015. Students who are offered
summer jobs before the end of the notification date may have to accept the offer by the employer’s
deadline before knowing if they will receive Fellowship funding. Please note: It is unprofessional
and unacceptable to back out of a job after you have accepted. Therefore, any student who
withdraws from an already accepted position will not receive Fellowship funding.
Obligations: Each recipient of a Fellowship award must execute a Letter of Intent affirming that
s/he intends to return to MC Law in the Fall semester of 2015, and agreeing not to transfer in
exchange for receipt of Fellowship funds. This Letter of Intent must be executed in the presence of
Meta Copeland, Sherry Johnson, Debbie Riddick or Rachel Michel, who will witness the signature.
This Letter of Intent constitutes a binding agreement between the student and MC Law that the
student will not make application to transfer after accepting an MC Law Summer Public Interest
Fellowship.
Fellowship recipients will submit bi-weekly timesheets to the Financial Aid Office, according to the
schedule issued by Payroll. Students may not receive additional compensation from their employer.
Fellowship placement locations participating in the MC Law program will not be asked to provide
any compensation for work performed.
The MC Law Financial Aid Office requires that students notify the office if they are terminated,
withdraw or transfer from school. Fellowship funding will be terminated in such cases.
Availability of Fellowships: For Summer 2015, the Selection Committee expects to offer 40
Fellowships. Because we may receive more applications than we can fund, students are urged to
apply for other sources of funding.
The Application Process:
Selection Committee: A Selection Committee of faculty, administrators, and one student will make
the selections based on the written applications. The applications will be evaluated anonymously, as
described below.
Application: The application is a two-part process. The application deadline is April 6, 2015 at 9:00
a.m., but you may apply any time on or after February 2nd. You must apply for an MC Law
Summer Public Interest Fellowship through Symplicity and complete the FAFSA by April 6, 2015.
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Part One: Fellowship Application
The MC Law Summer Public Interest Fellowship application consists of an identification sheet,
resume, and essay. All application materials must be submitted online through Symplicity no later
than Monday, April 6, 2015 by 9:00 a.m.
Detailed instructions for using Symplicity are available in the Student Guide to Symplicity which you
can pick up in the Career Services Office. All students should have received Symplicity IDs and
passwords. Please contact the Career Services Office if you have questions about Symplicity.
Steps for submitting your MC Law Public Interest Fellowship application on
Symplicity:
1. Complete your profile on Symplicity. You must complete this step before you can upload
and submit your application materials.
2. Copy and paste the application identification sheet into a separate Word document. Fill
out the identification sheet and then save it to your hard drive as an electronic document.
3. Once you have all application materials complete and are ready to apply, login to
Symplicity and click on the “Jobs and Resume Selection” tab. Click on the “Documents”
tab and then on “Add New”; upload all application materials. To do this, click on the
“Documents” tab and then click on “Add New.” You will need to label and upload your
completed identification sheet, resume and essay. You will also need to select a “Document
Type.” Please note that your essay should be saved as a “Cover Letter” and the
identification sheet should be saved as “Other Document.”
4. Submit all application materials by Monday, April 6, 2015 by 9:00 a.m. To apply, click on
the “Jobs and Resume Selection” section of the Symplicity site and choose the job entitled
“MC Law Public Interest Fellowship”. Select the uploaded application materials to submit
and click the “Apply” button to submit your application.
Part Two: Financial Aid Paperwork
Students must complete the FAFSA by April 6, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. The FAFSA is available at
www.FAFSA.ed.gov.
Selection Criteria: The Selection Committee will weigh the following criteria in reviewing
applications (as described in the applicants’ essays):

Demonstrated commitment to public service law as a career, based upon employment,
activities, and academic work.

Ways in which the position will assist the student in pursuing his or her public service career
goals.
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
The type of work/contribution that the student will make to the summer position (or
desired position).

In addition, consideration may be given to whether the work of the agency or organization
provides access to justice or services to traditionally underserved clients.

Preference will be given volunteer positions at legal aid and/or legal non-profit
organizations.

Grades will not be considered in awarding Fellowships. GPA/class ranks on resumes will
not be factored into the selection decision.
Anonymity: The selection process will be anonymous. Students must not provide identifying
information such as name, address or phone number in their resume or essay. Students should
indicate their class year on their essay and resume, but may not indicate their section number.
Notification: Fellowship recipients will be notified on Friday, April 10, 2015, via MC Law address.
Questions: Out of a sense of fairness to all applicants, we cannot provide specific advice on the
substance of your application or essay. However, if you have other questions, please feel free to
contact the Prof. Meta Copeland, Director of Experiential Learning, at mcopelan@mc.edu or 601925-7192, or the Career Services Office at 601-925-7109.
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2015 Benton Public Interest Fellowship Application
To maintain anonymity, this page will be removed prior to the Selection Committee’s review of your application.
Personal Information
Name:
___________________________________ Student ID #: _________________
Summer Address: ______________________________________________________________
Telephone:
________________
Summer Telephone (if different):____________________
Will you commute more than 10 miles between your summer residence and your summer
placement?
Y
N
If Yes, from where: _______________________
Public Interest Employment Information
Employer:
_________________________________________________________________
Address:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Name of Contact Person: _______________________________________________________
Title: _______________________________________________________________________
Telephone:
_______________________________
Dates of employment: _____________________
Email: _______________________
Is employment confirmed? Y
N
.
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2015 Benton Public Interest Fellowship Application
Resume & Essay
RESUME:
Please include a detailed resume that provides information about your educational background,
extracurricular activities, and work and volunteer experiences, emphasizing any matters that are
relevant to your public service commitment and career goals.
In describing any activities or work related to public service, please indicate your responsibilities and
duties, the number of hours worked per week and the approximate start and end dates.
Please note: Your name must not appear on the resume. You must list your class year. You
may list your GPA and/or rank.
ESSAY:
Please attach an essay of two double-spaced pages or less. The Selection Committee will weigh the
following criteria in reviewing applications:

Demonstrated commitment to public service law as a career, based upon employment,
activities, and academic work.

Ways in which the position will assist the student in pursuing his or her public service career
goals.

The type of work/contribution that the student will make to the summer position (or
desired position).

In addition, consideration may be given to whether the work of the agency or organization
provides access to justice or services to traditionally underserved clients.

Preference will be given volunteer positions at legal aid and/or legal non-profit
organizations.

In order to receive a Fellowship, a student must have (1) secured a summer volunteer
position with a qualifying organization or (2) made a good-faith effort to obtain a position,
and be awaiting a decision from the organization. Please discuss the status of your search
for a Fellowship in your essay. If you have accepted or are considering an offer of a
qualifying summer position, please indicate so in your essay. If not, indicate the type(s) of
position(s) you are seeking and the status of the applications. The Fellowship committee will
only consider placements that are discussed in the essay.
Please note: Your name must not appear on the essay.
The essay is an important part of the application. Students are urged to put time and
thought into the essay, and to proofread it carefully. It should be written as an essay, not in
a question and answer format.
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