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Funding Opportunity for Scholarship Relating to Litigation

Applications for the fourth round of funding are now being accepted.

Deadline:   October 1, 2009

The ABA Section of Litigation (the Section) invites applications to The Litigation Research Fund to support original and practical scholarly work that significantly advances the understanding of civil litigation in the United States.  The Section will make five individual awards of up to $5,000.00. Legal academics as well as social scientists and scholars from other disciplines are invited to apply. Additional information is available at http://www.abanet.org/litigation/researchfund/.

The Section established the Litigation Research Fund in 2007 to support research and writing projects in two broad areas: First, scholarship relevant to litigation policy (e.g., on issues important to rule makers, legislators, or courts, or helpful to the organized bar in developing guidelines and formulating positions); and second, scholarship bearing on litigation practice (such as writings addressing trial skills or other aspects of how litigators conduct their work).  Funded scholarship may relate to judicial administration; judicial independence; rules and standards relating to litigation (e.g., ethics rules, rules of evidence, and rules of civil procedure); the assistance of counsel; trial and discovery practice; or the jury process, among others. Funding in 2008 resulted in grants totaling approximately $100,000.

Preference will be given to works with an empirical foundation, although they need not involve original data collection.  Position papers, comparative and historical scholarship, and other original academic work of practical significance to litigation and litigators will also qualify for funding.  Works already in progress are eligible.  Authors will maintain the copyrights in their works; however, the Section of Litigation will receive the non-exclusive right to distribute, publicize and quote from the completed works in order to make them available, as appropriate, to members of the Section of Litigation, courts, lawmakers and policymakers, and others.

Applications for funding should be submitted by e-mail with the subject line “Litigation Research Fund” to Monica Cortez, ABA Section of Litigation, , with copies to Robert Nelson, Director, American Bar Foundation, , Professor Bruce Green, and Eileen Letts, emletts@greeneandletts.com.

Applicants should submit a statement describing the project with a project title and how it will be conducted; the form the final product will take (e.g., article or book); when it will be completed; the importance of the project in light of the above criteria; and a project budget.  Please include grantee institution’s name and contact person with e-mail and mailing address. The award is not intended to cover institutions’ indirect costs.  Awardees will be asked to sign the ABA grant conditions before the award is made. A curriculum vita including a list of the applicant’s prior publications should also be submitted.  Priority consideration for the next awards will be given to submissions received by October 1, 2009.  For additional information, contact: Professor Bruce Green, .