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Bar and Bench has opened applications for the Migration and Asylum Project (MAP) Catalyst for Change Fellowship 2026- 2027, Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
The Fellows will have an unparalleled opportunity to spend twenty-four months gaining both academic, legal and field experience working in the areas of migration, women’s rights, protection of displaced communities, and being part of a movement to build an inclusive and responsive legal protection landscape through a rule of law-focused approach.
The position will be a unique opportunity for a highly motivated candidate to raise awareness around issues related to forced migration and displacement, gain an in-depth understanding of programmes, engage with domestic and international experts, and, most importantly, interact with the migrant and displaced communities. The Fellows may be placed in any of MAP’s three primary programmes – support for survivors of sexual & gender-based violence, legal empowerment of migrant workers, and direct assistance to displaced communities.
The Fellows will have the rare chance to use core human rights and international law principles to directly impact the lives of their clients. Over the course of the Programme, the Fellows will be trained to effectively leverage the law as a tool to protect the rights of displaced populations, contribute to ongoing advocacy, litigation, and policymaking efforts and undertake path breaking research in the field. Fellows will also have the opportunity to engage with MAP’s key partners and collaborators, which includes UN agencies, civil society organisations, and state institutions.
The CFC Fellowship can be used as a springboard towards a wide range of academic and professional opportunities in the future. MAP’s alumni have gone on to pursue careers in the development sector including in the UN system and graduate degrees, other prestigious academic fellowships and PhDs.
MAP is looking for applicants who are graduates of law or other related fields, with 0-2 years of experience. Candidates must have a deep commitment towards human rights and access to justice issues.
Residents of Mizoram and fluent Mizo speakers are encouraged to apply.
Some key responsibilities, depending on the programme the Fellows are assigned to, may include:
Provide legal aid and representation to migrant and displaced populations in India;
Engage with the target communities through trainings, meetings and other events to spread awareness on their legal rights and their access to justice;
Assist in operationalising community legal desks in identified settlements to conduct in-takes and provide individualized assistance to vulnerable clients;
Conduct trauma-informed interviews with potential clients to identify protection needs, prepare legal/supporting documentation, and perform such other tasks related to casework;
Engage in programme-based research, policy and advocacy;
Assist in strengthening MAP’s community-based networks comprising of Paralegal Volunteers, NGOs, community leaders etc., and coordinate their grassroots interventions;
Assist in maintaining office databases and drafting office correspondence; and
Such other activities, which are required to meet MAP’s goals.
The Fellow will be carrying out the aforementioned activities under the supervision of the Project Coordinator. The Fellow will be required to travel for work, as needed.
Apply for Bar and Bench - MAP Catalyst for Change Fellowship
