Workshops, Prizes, Fellowships and Grants

Workshops & Conferences

J. Willard Hurst Summer Institute

The J. Willard Hurst Summer Institute in Legal History is a biennial event sponsored by the Institute for Legal Studies in conjunction with the American Society for Legal History (ASLH). Each Hurst Institute is organized and chaired by a well-known legal historian and includes visiting senior scholars who lead specialized sessions.

Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars Program

The Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars program is designed to help legal historians at the beginning of their careers. At the annual meeting of the American Society for Legal History, two early career legal historians designated Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars present what would normally be their first papers to the Society.

Wallace Johnson Program for First Book Authors

The Wallace Johnson Program for First Book Authors, sponsored by the American Society for Legal History, is designed to provide advice and support to scholars working toward the publication of first books in legal history, broadly defined. In conversation with peers and with the advice of senior scholars, participants will learn about approaching and working with publishers, and will develop and revise a book proposal and one to two sample chapters.

ASLH Student Research Colloquium

The American Society for Legal History will host the tenth annual Student Research Colloquium (SRC) on Wednesday, October 25, and Thursday, October 26, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The SRC annually brings eight graduate students to the site of the ASLH annual meeting to discuss their in-progress dissertations or other research projects with each other and with ASLH-affiliated scholars. To apply, please submit the following three items to John Wertheimer at: srcproposals@aslh.net: a cover letter that describes, among other things, how far along you are and approximately how many years remain in your present course of study; an up-to-date CV; and a two-page, single-spaced research statement that begins with a working title and proceeds to describe the in-progress research project that you would like to present at the colloquium. Application deadline: June 1, 2023.

Fellowships

ABF Doctoral/Postdoctoral Fellowships Program in Law & Inequality

The ABF Doctoral/Postdoctoral Fellowships Program in Law & Inequality, offered through the American Bar Foundation, encourages original and significant empirical and interdisciplinary research on the study of law and inequality. Not currently accepting applications for the 2023-2024 cycle.

Berger-Howe Fellowship

The Berger-Howe Fellowship offered by Harvard Law School enables one fellow every other year to complete a major piece of writing in the field of legal history, broadly defined. Application portal will be opening Fall 2023.

George Sharswood Fellowship

The George Sharswood Fellowship, offered through the University of Pennsylvania Law School, funds two years of research, writing, and teaching. Application portal closed.

Samuel I. Golieb Fellowship

The Samuel I. Golieb Fellowship at New York University Law School provides young legal historians with research support and a forum to present their work. Application due Feb 1, 2023.

United States Supreme Court Fellows Program

The United States Supreme Court Fellows Program offers four one-year fellowships, with legal historians most frequently placed in the Federal Judicial Center. Fellows gain practical experience in judicial administration, policy development, and education. They also benefit from time to study and write, and a vantage point from which to develop an academic research agenda. Application portal is closed.

Grants and Prizes

William Nelson Cromwell Legal History Article of the Year Prize

William Nelson Cromwell Legal History Article of the Year Prize: The William Nelson Cromwell Foundation recently established a $10,000 prize for the best legal history article of the year.  The prize is intended to recognize the growing role of legal history teaching and research in law schools.  Articles on legal history published in a journal of legal scholarship, including student-edited law reviews, or written by a scholar with a degree in law, are eligible for consideration. Nominations due Feb 1, 2023.

ASLH New Initiatives Funding

The Projects and Proposals Committee of the American Society for Legal History invites proposals for the funding of new initiatives in the study, presentation, and production of legal historical scholarship and in the communication of legal history to all its possible publics and audiences.

American Society for Legal History Cromwell Fellowship

Each year, the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation makes available a number of $5,000 fellowships to support research and writing in American legal history by early career scholars. Early career generally includes those researching or writing a PhD dissertation (or equivalent project) and recent recipients of a graduate degree working on their first major monograph or research project.

Law & Social Inquiry Graduate Student Paper Prize

The Law & Social Inquiry Graduate Student Paper Prize is open to graduate and law students. The winning submission will be published in Law & Social Inquiry, and the author will receive a cash prize of $500.

Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition in California Legal History

The Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition in California Legal History, sponsored by the California Supreme Court Historical Society, seeks to promote research and writing on the California Supreme Court and the state’s legal history. The first prize is $2,500 and publication in the Society’s annual journal, California Legal History.

Hughes-Gossett Award

The Supreme Court Historical Society’s Hughes-Gossett Award recognizes the best student paper on some aspect of the Supreme Court’s history with a $500 cash prize and publication in the Journal of Supreme Court History. Papers may be submitted on an ongoing basis.

William Nelson Cromwell Foundation Dissertation Prize

William Nelson Cromwell Foundation Dissertation Prize is awarded annually to the best dissertation in any area of American legal history, including constitutional and comparative studies, although topics dealing with the colonial and early national periods will receive some preference.