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Edward J. Murphy Fellowship

Notre Dame Law School’s Program on Church, State & Society is proud to offer its Edward J. Murphy Fellowship. In addition to a generous scholarship, Murphy Fellows are provided with special programming and mentorship opportunities and are frequently invited to meet with distinguished visiting judges and speakers. Designed for students who are interested in religious freedom and church-state relations, the Murphy Fellowship also enables students to participate in the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, one of the foremost law school clinics in the United States, whose cases have been litigated in several federal courts of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Upon graduation, past Murphy Fellows have begun working in private legal practice; for federal district, appellate, and Supreme Court judges/justices; and as legal academics. Learn more about Edward. J Murphy, for whom the fellowship is named.

To apply for the Murphy Fellowship:

  • Students must apply for admission to Notre Dame Law School as a first-year J.D. student before December 1.

  • In addition to their regular application materials, students should also submit an additional personal statement(s) outlining their specific interest in the Fellowship as an addendum in their LSAC application.

    • If you have already submitted your application without including your fellowship statement but still wish to apply for the  Murphy Fellowship, you may send your statement(s) as a PDF attachment in an email, addressed to the Office of Admissions at bulletin@nd.edu. Please include "Murphy Fellowship Personal Statement" in the subject line of the email.

    • Each statement should be no longer than two pages, double-spaced. The statement should have the student’s name and LSAC number in the header, in addition to the title of the document.

  • A complete application for admission and the Fellowship personal statement must both be submitted by December 1 for consideration for either fellowship.

  • The Selection Committees will notify students of their status in mid-February.