Human rights lawyer can study in London for free under Pius Langa Memorial Fellowship

The Constitutional Court Trust (CCT) is launching a fellowship programme to benefit young lawyers committed to forwarding constitutional and human rights law.

The fellowship opens to candidates from 2022 and will afford one early career lawyer per year the opportunity to study towards an LLM at University College London (UCL) , one of the top-ranked universities in the world.

The new fellowship is named in memory of the late chief justice Pius Langa. “Justice Langa was not only central to the establishment of the Constitutional Court Trust but, more importantly, his dedication, humility and commitment to the notion that service must be at the heart of leadership are rare qualities we believe young lawyers should be aspiring to emulate in contemporary SA,” said CCT chairperson Justice Sisi Khampepe.

Langa’s family welcomed the establishment of the fellowship, saying: “We look forward to seeing a new generation of lawyers committed to justice and transformation in Africa being developed through this fellowship programme.”

Other fellowships administered by the CCT have been limited to selected former clerks of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court. In the case of this new fellowship, however, the decision was taken to extend this opportunity to include exceptional young South African and African lawyers who have worked for an SA NGO in a legal programme focused on constitutional and human rights law.

Prof David Bilchitz, a trustee of the Constitutional Court Trust and professor at both the University of Johannesburg and the University of Reading, said: “We hope that the opportunity to study for an LLM degree will further contribute to strengthening civil society and its contribution to the advancement of constitutional democracy in our country.”

The fellowship award will be for £20,000 to cover travel and living expenses for the fellow, funded by the CCT’s kindred organisation the UK-based charity the South African Constitutional Court Trust — UK. UCL Faculty of Laws will be providing a full-tuition waiver (2021 value: £28,500) to the fellows selected by the CCT.

Application details can be found here and must be submitted to PLMF@concourttrust.org.za by email before Sunday, October 3. Interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place virtually in late October.

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