Paid Summer Environmental Fellowship
1890s Multi-State Project on Ecological Resilience and Adverse Weather Events
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Legal Research Fellowship
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension (“UMES”) is seeking law student applicants interested in environmental law, agricultural law, tribal law, and land use to participate in a full-time, paid, legal research fellowship for summer 2025. The 1890s Multi-State Project is a multidisciplinary consortium of scientists, researchers, educators and extension professionals from nineteen 1890s Land Grant Institutions. The project focuses on understanding and analyzing the impacts of ecological resilience and adverse weather events in underserved or marginalized agricultural communities. There are four goals for the project. The legal research fellows will focus on Goal 4 by conducting an intensive literature review of past and current laws and regulations that address issues related to ecological resilience and adverse weather events in underserved and marginalized agricultural communities. Ten fellows will be selected for this summer legal research fellowship, which includes networking opportunities with multidisciplinary faculty from various research institutions. Fellows will receive authorship credit on publications resulting from this project and have the opportunity to present their research at the Association of 1890 Research Directors Research Symposium in 2026 in New Orleans, LA. The fellowship will run from June 2, 2025 until August 10, 2025.
Compensation: $20 per hour ($8,000 total for the 10 weeks) – Students will register as a vendor with the State of Maryland, submit an IRS Form 1099, and submit invoices every three weeks for payment. Students will also be required to submit a Google Form as their time card every week.
Responsibilities and Opportunities:
1. Fellows will compile past and current state and local laws and regulations that touch on ecological resilience and adverse weather events. Examples of relevant statutory and regulatory sections include environmental, agricultural, public health, and land use. Each student will be responsible for one or two states. The states included in the study are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.
2. Fellows will analyze the laws and regulations to identify gaps that impact low-income, underserved or marginalized agricultural communities.
3. Fellows will write a paper and create a presentation to communicate their findings at a virtual meeting to UMES
staff and the project Co-PIs at the end of the fellowship.
4. Fellows will be required to attend an orientation session at the end of May. The date will be determined once all the students are selected.
5. Fellows will meet weekly with UMES staff.
1. Fellows will compile past and current state and local laws and regulations that touch on ecological resilience and adverse weather events. Examples of relevant statutory and regulatory sections include environmental, agricultural, public health, and land use. Each student will be responsible for one or two states. The states included in the study are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.
2. Fellows will analyze the laws and regulations to identify gaps that impact low-income, underserved or marginalized agricultural communities.
3. Fellows will write a paper and create a presentation to communicate their findings at a virtual meeting to UMES
staff and the project Co-PIs at the end of the fellowship.
4. Fellows will be required to attend an orientation session at the end of May. The date will be determined once all the students are selected.
5. Fellows will meet weekly with UMES staff.
Requirements:
1. Fellows must commit to working 40 hours per week for 10 weeks.
2. Fellows must be a rising 2L, 3L, or LL.M. student.
3. Fellows must have completed a legal research and writing course.
4. Fellows must have access to the internet and legal research tools such as Westlaw or Lexis during the summer.
5. Virtual interviews will be conducted the week of May 5, 2025.
1. Fellows must commit to working 40 hours per week for 10 weeks.
2. Fellows must be a rising 2L, 3L, or LL.M. student.
3. Fellows must have completed a legal research and writing course.
4. Fellows must have access to the internet and legal research tools such as Westlaw or Lexis during the summer.
5. Virtual interviews will be conducted the week of May 5, 2025.
Deadline to Apply: Sunday, April 13, 2025
Please email smcapaldo@umes.edu with any questions.
This work is supported (in-part) by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
UMES is an EEO/AA employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, sex, color,
sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation. Minorities, women,
veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate must be able to show acceptable
documentation establishing the right to accept employment in the United States of America without employer sponsorship
sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation. Minorities, women,
veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate must be able to show acceptable
documentation establishing the right to accept employment in the United States of America without employer sponsorship
