To be considered for the 2025 Herbert & Nell Singer Connecticut Public Service Fellowship, an Applicant must submit the Application and all supporting documents online at www.ctbarfdn.org in a single PDF file in the order indicated below.  Please label the document "Your Last Name, First Name - Singer Application.”  The Application will not be considered unless the Application and all supporting documents are fully completed, including necessary signatures, and submitted by the deadline.

Completed applications must be submitted online by December 2, 2024.

Click here to download the 2025 Application 

Non-Discrimination Policy

The Connecticut Bar Foundation and the Herbert & Nell Singer Foundation are proud Equal Employment Opportunity Employers.  We are strongly committed to providing opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past history of mental, intellectual, learning, or physical disability, or veteran status.  We continually seek to attract Fellows who reflect the rich diversity of our state. 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

The following documents must be submitted in their entirety with the application.

1. Unconditional Commitment Letter from a Qualified Host Employer (QHE)
A “Qualified Host Employer” is a 501(c)(3) organization with an office in Connecticut that provides legal services to an underserved population in Connecticut and has sufficient staff attorneys willing and able to supervise the Fellow.  The Commitment Letter must be on the organization’s letterhead and be signed by the Chief Legal Officer or Executive Director of the QHE. The letter must include:

• a brief overview of the organization, the legal services provided, and the population served; 
   
• a stated commitment to provide the Fellow with all employee benefits (other than salary) equal to what the QHE would provide to other full-time, entry-level staff attorneys during the course of the Fellowship, even if the cost of such benefits exceeds the reimbursement of up to $15,000 available to QHEs; 
   
• a description of any previous experience hosting Fellows; 
   
• the name and title of at least one attorney who would be supervising the Herbert & Nell Singer Fellow and a brief description of the attorney’s qualifications; 
   
• a description of the organized supervision and skills training that will be provided to the Fellow; and 
   
• the start date of the Fellowship agreed upon by the Fellow and the QHE. 
   
• If the Applicant is applying to become a supplemental staff attorney: The QHE must also certify that the Fellow will supplement the regular staffing capacity of the organization (not be used to fill a vacant position). 

 
2. Project / Practice Area Description
This section should be prepared collaboratively by the QHE and the Applicant.  It must be signed by both the Applicant and an attorney who would be supervising the Applicant during the Fellowship. 

If the Applicant is proposing a project: 
Provide a description of the project in the following format: 

1. In one sentence, describe the project and the target population to be served.
    
2. How would the project address an unmet legal need in Connecticut or provide a different approach to meeting the legal services needs of the target population?
    
3. What measurable goals will the project attempt to achieve?  What is the proposed timeline for meeting these goals?  What substantive legal work will the Fellow perform to achieve these goals? 
    
4. Why is the QHE an appropriate organization to host and support the Applicant’s project? 

OR

If the Applicant is applying to become a supplemental staff attorney:
Provide a description of the practice area(s) and substantive legal work that the Fellow will perform, including identifiable and measurable goals, and the organization’s current and past work that make it an appropriate organization to train and supervise a new attorney in these areas. 

3. Two letters of recommendation from:

• Someone who has supervised the Applicant's work in an employment, volunteer, or related capacity; and
   
• Law school professor

** The selection committee will only review the two letters of recommendation described above;
additional letters will not be considered as part of the supporting documents and should not be submitted. **

4. Certified law school transcript
The Applicant may, at the Applicant’s discretion, provide a brief statement (separate from the required Personal Statement below) with any information that the Applicant would like the Selection Committee to consider about the Applicant’s academic record. 

5. Resume

6. Personal Statement
The Personal Statement shall be the Applicant’s personal reflections on their reason(s) for applying for the Herbert & Nell Singer Connecticut Public Service Fellowship, how the Fellowship would advance their professional goals, and any additional personal experiences the Applicant may wish the Selection Committee to consider. 
 

Note: Both the QHE and Fellow will be responsible for reporting on the progress of the Fellowship.  The QHE is required to provide periodic reporting of the Fellow's professional activities and progress on the measurable goals articulated in Section 2.  Upon completion of the Fellowship, each Fellow will be asked to provide a Completion Letter detailing the Fellowship experience, whether the Fellow was able to meet the measurable goals articulated in Section 2, and whether the experience was successful in advancing the professional goals articulated in the Fellow's Personal Statement.