Asper Fellowships
(Revised Spring 2006)
The University of Maryland School of Law Asper Fellowship Program offers opportunities for law students to obtain credit for supervised law-related work with state and federal judges and with attorneys employed by governmental and not-for-profit organizations. These fellowships, named in memory of the late Professor Lewis D. Asper, are intended to expose students to the practical workings of the legal system and to help students develop insights into the process of judicial decisionmaking or the skills and values required for the practice of law. Through this exposure, students should have the opportunity to enhance their legal writing skills. The Program is open to students who have completed their first year of law school.
An Asper Administrator designated by the Dean is responsible for the overall operation of the Asper Fellowship Program. Members of the full-time faculty are responsible for the supervision of individual student Aspers. Students may not earn credit for an Asper unless the faculty supervisor approves the student's placement and is satisfied that the student's experience meets the objectives of the Program.
Under the revised Policy Statement, each student must obtain approval for his or her Asper Fellowship. To be considered, an Asper Faculty Approval form must be submitted at least one week before the first day of the semester in which the student wishes to undertake the Asper Fellowship. Students interested in doing an Asper Fellowship are advised to contact Teresa Schmiedeler before submitting the faculty approval form and registering for the class.
A student may undertake only one Asper during law school. Student Aspers earn three credits during one semester on a credit/no credit basis. Student Aspers are required to devote 140 hours during the semester to their Asper placement (10 hours per week for 14 weeks during the fall and spring semesters or 20 hours per week during the summer session or a schedule mutually acceptable to both the student and the Asper placement wherein the required amount of hours are satisfied). Before the Asper placement begins, the student shall submit to the faculty supervisor a brief statement of the student's educational goals for the Asper placement. Students will meet with their faculty supervisor at least three times per semester and they are also required to submit monthly written reports (3-5 pages) to the faculty supervisor outlining work performed by the student.
Furthermore, in an effort to better integrate the Asper experience with a student's legal education, students participating in the Asper Program in the fall and spring semesters are required to attend in the same semester six classroom sessions total conducted by the Asper Administrator. Classroom sessions would include presentations by practicing attorneys and judges, generally selected from among the Asper field supervisors, followed by discussion of the presentation and its relationship to the students' field experiences.
Students participating in the Asper Program in the summer semester are required to participate in on-line discussions (approximately six on-line discussions total) conducted by the Asper Administrator. Summer Asper Fellows will be provided with reading materials to supplement the on-line discussions.
At the conclusion of the semester, each student will be required to submit to both the Asper Administrator and their faculty supervisor a reflective paper (5-8 pages in length) evaluating the Asper experience and its contribution to the student's legal education. These reviews will be used by the Administrator as part of the evaluation of the field placement and, with the student's permission, will be made available to other students considering the placement.
If you are interested in finding an Asper placement, please contact Teresa Schmiedeler, Asper Administrator and Director of Pro Bono & Public Service Initiatives,
