2019 Davis Polk Fellows

Fellowship and Innovation Grant Overview

The Davis Polk Leadership Fellowship is a year-long program that provides recipients with resources and support from faculty, staff, and leadership coaches to build their leadership capacities through weekly development sessions and project creation. The Fellowship is open to currently enrolled Columbia Law School students of any year. Fellows receive a $5,000 award, attend weekly leadership development sessions with other Fellows, receive individualized mentorship, and are automatically accepted into the Lawyer-Leadership seminar and Public Education Policy Lab for the following year or semester (if interested, and as applicable). In addition to the award, Fellows receive project funding (up to $1,000) and support to design and implement a year-long project that builds leadership and creates positive change within the community, broadly defined. Fellows also mentor others as stewards of leadership within the Law School. 

For 2025–2026, with the generous support of Experienced Practitioner-in-Residence Mike Ullmann, the Initiative will be offering an additional special Fellowship for a student with a strong project proposal related to in-house counsel work and/or health care law. This In-House Counsel or Health Care Law Leadership Fellow will join the program as a full Fellow and will participate in the weekly Fellowship sessions described above. 

Innovation Grants provide project funding of up to $1,000 and support from leadership coaches. Recipients are groups or individuals who are currently enrolled Columbia Law School students, faculty, and staff. Student groups, staff departments, centers, and former project groups from the Lawyer-Leadership seminar and clinics are particularly encouraged to apply. Innovation Grant projects are intended to fill an existing and concrete need at the Law School. This could take the form of building on or expanding existing efforts to create positive change within the Law School, identifying and proposing a solution to an unsolved problem at the Law School, and/or meeting a need for capacity-building among students, faculty, and staff. Innovation Grants are intended for those who have a demonstrated capacity to follow through on their proposed project, and are committed to building leadership skills through collaboration and community. While applicants are not required to apply with or through a group (e.g., a student group or Law School department), they will be required to show that they can rely on and collaborate with the relevant existing structures, processes, or groups. We have found that such purpose-driven collaboration, in addition to being a core aspect of leadership learning, increases the likelihood that a project will be sustainable and impactful. 

Please note that DPLI projects should not involve direct legal work, which is more suitable for a clinic or externship opportunity.


Applications
 

 

General Questions

Fellowships are open to currently enrolled J.D. and LL.M. students at Columbia Law School. Students may apply as individuals or in groups of up to three students.

Innovation Grants are open to currently enrolled J.D. and LL.M. students at Columbia Law School, as well as Law School faculty and staff. Student groups, staff departments, and centers are particularly encouraged to apply. We also encourage cross-collaboration among students, faculty, and staff.

We think of leadership as identifying a shared goal and enabling a group of people to effectively achieve that goal. More specifically, we view leadership as existing along three dimensions (Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading Change) and five domains (Vision and Strategy, Management and Teamwork, Problem Solving, Cultural Literacy, and Learning and Improvement). For more information, please see this matrix.

The primary differences are in programming, target audience, project focus, and the student award.

The Fellowship is a year-long program designed to bring together a cohort of J.D. and LL.M. students who are committed to acting as stewards of leadership for the Law School community and beyond. Fellows will (a) build a cohort with their other fellows, and (b) design and implement a project intended to have a positive impact within the community, broadly defined. Fellowship projects should relate to and build leadership capacity within the Law School in some way, but the Law School need not be the primary focus on the project. Examples of previous Fellowship projects are available here. The Fellowship includes mandatory weekly leadership development sessions with the cohort and with the leadership coaches, during which Fellows will practice leadership skills and workshop projects. In addition to up to $1,000 in project funding, each Fellow also receives a $5,000 award.

Innovation Grants are intended to be more independent and self-guided than the Fellowship. Grant projects must directly relate to a concrete need within the Law School. This could include (but is not limited to) addressing an unsolved issue at the Law School, helping advance a goal or project that directly affects the Law School community, or collaborating with others to integrate Law School students, faculty, and staff with the surrounding community. The Restorative Justice Initiative, for example, began as a 2022 Innovation Grant project under which students established a reading group and collaborated with outside practitioners to bring the practice of restorative justice to the Law School. Examples of other previous Grant projects are available here (please note that grant criteria for projects prior to Fall 2023 did not require applicants to show a need directly related to the Law School).

As with Fellows, Innovation Grant projects are eligible to receive up to $1,000 in funding, but Grant recipients are only required to attend introductory programming and periodic check-ins with leadership coaches (not mandatory weekly sessions), and they do not receive a $5,000 award. Innovation Grants are particularly appropriate for student groups, staff departments, and/or other groups who have an institutional project in mind, but they are not limited to groups—individuals are also encouraged to apply as long as they have laid a foundation for collaboration moving forward.

It depends on what your goals are for yourself and for your project. 

If you are interested in and committed to improving your leadership skills in addition to creating a project, and you would like a space to develop those skills on a regular basis with a cohort of like-minded students, the Fellowship may be right for you. 

If you prefer a more self-guided approach to project creation and leadership development, or if you are an existing group at the law school (e.g., a student affinity group), the Innovation Grant may be right for you.

Fellowship applications open once a year, in August. Applicants fill out an online form that includes a few short answer questions focused on your leadership experience and project proposal. Applicants also submit a resume and transcript. Once the application period closes, the Leadership Initiative reviews all applications and selects a subset of applicants for interviews. Applicants are interviewed over Zoom by at least two members of the Leadership Initiative Selection Committee. Based upon the interviews and application materials, the Initiative makes final selections and announces the Fellows in early October.

Innovation Grant applications will open at the same time as Fellowship applications, but will remain open and be reviewed on a rolling basis. The first group of Grant applications will be reviewed around mid-October, after the selection and announcement of Fellows. The process is largely the same as the Fellowship, including an application form and interview. The Initiative will continue to review Grant applications until our slots are full for the year.

We typically select between five to six Fellowship projects, and between four and ten Grant projects. The Initiative allows for group Fellowship and Grant projects, so the number of Fellows and Grant recipients may be greater than the number of projects in a given year.

Yes! However, you will need to submit separate applications for each, and you can only receive one award per project. The Fellowships and Grants have different criteria, so you will need to articulate the difference between your applications and project proposals. You can use the same broad project idea for both, but we strongly recommend that you tailor the proposal and explain how your project would fit within each scenario. 

Each project may receive up to $1,000 in funding for any expenses allowable by the Law School Business Office. The $1,000 may be used to compensate others for time and labor, but cannot be used to pay yourself. Charges incurred for ordinary and reasonable use of Law School facilities (i.e., room reservations and cleanup for lunch events) will not be counted towards the project budget (meaning the Initiative will cover that cost separately from your funding).

$1,000 is a hard cap, and the Initiative does not allow for exceptions. We want the money to be a starting point for your project, but not the primary or permanent source of funding. For that reason, we place a great emphasis on thinking about project sustainability and fundraising early on in the design and implementation of each project.  

Previous Fellows and Grant recipients may apply for an Innovation Grant if they have new projects unrelated to their Fellowship projects. Projects that have already been funded by the Initiative are not eligible for additional funding, regardless of whether there is a new team of applicants. We would, however, be happy to meet with you to brainstorm other ways to continue an existing Grant project.

Yes!

Yes! Positive change in the community can mean many different things to different people. We are actively looking for participants across the full spectrum of interests and career aspirations, and we are particularly interested in innovative projects related to private sector interests.

Yes! A number of our Fellows and Grantees are students who were not selected in their first application cycle and reapplied. Those interested in reapplying are encouraged to contact Director Eunice Hong (eh2646@columbia) for feedback on their prior applications.

Fellowship-Specific Questions

We are looking for a cohort that will bring together a diverse set of backgrounds, interests, career focuses, and perspectives. Fellows should show strong engagement with and capacity for leadership, broadly defined. They should also have a demonstrated track record of academic excellence (again broadly defined—we are looking for commitment and enthusiasm, which may not necessarily be reflected in letter grades) and a compelling project proposal that seeks to create positive change within the community. Fellowship projects should relate to and build leadership capacity within the Law School in some way, but the Law School need not be the primary focus on the project.

Yes. As a Fellow, you will receive a $5,000 award, which is yours to spend however you wish. Separate from the award, each project is also entitled to receive up to $1,000 in project funding, for any actual expenses incurred in implementing your project. Please note that this $1,000 in funding can be used to pay others for time and labor, but cannot be used to compensate yourself for any work you do on your own project.

Fellows should expect to spend 1–3 hours per week in Fellowship-related training, meetings, check-ins, and the like. This includes a mandatory weekly session with your Fellowship cohort and leadership coaches, which will take place during the Wednesday lunch hour (12:10–1:10 p.m.). Fellows will spend additional time on their project-related efforts, and that time commitment will depend upon the nature of the project. Fellows may also spend time toward the end of the year planning a leadership-related symposium or other event; the time commitment there will depend on the cohort’s conceptualization of the event.

Fellows may also be asked to help build interest in the program throughout the Law School community by, among other things, participating in events and information sessions, and identifying other leaders who may be interested in applying.

We accept Fellowship group applications for up to three students. Your group should plan to collaborate on the application, just as you would collaborate on your project if selected to receive a Fellowship. Please submit one application for the whole group. Please designate one point person, who will submit the application under their name. You will be able to upload multiple resumes and transcripts in the application form.

Each member of a group Fellowship project will receive their own award of $5,000. Project funding will still be capped at $1,000 for the entire project. For example, if two co-fellows apply with a joint project, the Initiative will give each of the co-fellows a $5,000 award, but will only reimburse up to $1,000 in expenses incurred for their project.

Innovation Grant-Specific Questions

Grant applicants should have a demonstrated capacity to follow through on a project, as well as strong engagement with and capacity for leadership within the Law School community. They should also have a demonstrated track record of academic excellence (broadly defined—we are looking for commitment and enthusiasm, which may not necessarily be reflected in letter grades), the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and a compelling project proposal that seeks to fill an existing and concrete need within the Law School.

Accordingly, Innovation Grants may be particularly suitable for existing student organizations, journals, staff departments, and centers. Individuals are also encouraged to apply, but should be prepared to show that they can rely on and collaborate with an existing structure, process, or group that will enable them to effectively execute their project.

We place particular importance on project sustainability, the role of the project within the context of the Law School, and the capacity to do the proposed work. Because Innovation Grant projects are intended to fill a need within the Law School, we highly encourage you to research beforehand whether a version of your project already exists, and/or whether you can collaborate on an existing project rather than start a new one. We also strongly advise you to discuss your ideas with relevant partners and include in your application how those discussions have informed your thinking. The selection process will place a great emphasis on your ability to articulate (a) how your project proposal adds value to what already exists, and (b) the concrete steps you have taken towards collaborating with others.

The timeline will be project-dependent, but you should have a concrete end date for the grant-supported work in mind when you apply. Grant funding may roll over to the next academic year depending on the circumstance. The hope is that the project will continue beyond the term of the Grant project, with independent support.

It largely depends on your project. During the first few weeks of the Spring semester, Grant recipients should expect to spend 1–3 hours per week in introductory sessions, meetings, and check-ins. After that, grant recipients may meet together or with members of the Initiative as often or as infrequently as they wish, although they will be required to check in periodically with the leadership coaches (twice per semester), and should expect to provide regular reports on their progress to the Initiative Director.

In addition to initial trainings and meetings, Grant recipients will spend additional time on their project-related efforts, and that time commitment will depend upon the nature of the project.

Your group should submit only one (1) application for the whole group, and you should therefore plan to collaborate on the application, just as you would collaborate on your project if selected to receive a Grant. Please designate one point person, who will submit the application under their name. There will be space in the application to list all the members of the group, and certain questions are geared specifically towards group applicants. The application allows you to upload up to 10 resumes and up to 10 unofficial transcripts so that each member of your team can include their relevant documents. As with an individual project, a group project is eligible to receive a total of up to $1,000 in expense funding per project.