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The Melamed Fellowship in International Business and Trade Law

Award: One-half tuition, paid research assistantship with the Center for International Law, and $10,000 stipend
Application Deadline: To Be Determined

In 2001, John Marshall's Center for International Law established the Melamed Fellowship in International Business and Trade Law. The fellowship has been made possible through the generous support of Leo Melamed (’55), chairman emeritus and senior policy advisor of the CME Group. The Melamed Fellowship is currently offered every other year.

The Melamed Fellowship in International Business and Trade Law will be awarded to one full-time student in John Marshall's LLM in International Business and Trade Law program. The Melamed Fellow will be chosen on the basis of academic merit and the potential for excellence in the field of international business and trade law. The Fellow is expected to complete the degree program in one calendar year.

Qualifications:

• Member of the bar of any U.S. state or territory, including the District of Columbia; graduate of an ABA-accredited law school, but not a member of the bar; or a member of the foreign bar or graduate of a foreign law school
• 3.0 minimum law school GPA
• Excellent research and writing skills

Preferred:

• 2+ years of professional experience
• Second language fluency
• Overseas work experience

Application Requirements

• Completed LLM Application, including up-to-date resume and statement of purpose
• Completed Melamed Fellowship application, including a one-page letter of interest and legal writing sample

Leo Melamed

Born in Poland, Leo Melamed moved to Japan with his family at the outset of WWII to escape the Nazi regime; the family eventually settled in Chicago. To pay for his legal education at John Marshall, Melamed drove a cab at night and worked as a runner for Merrill Lynch on the floor of the Mercantile Exchange during the day. Ultimately, due to his experience on the floor, Melamed decided to become a full-time trader rather than a lawyer; however, he says his legal education was a key to his success.

"If I didn't have the legal background, I couldn't have done what I did,” said Mr. Melamed, who is credited with founding the international monetary market and, as chairman of the CME Group, transforming it into the world's foremost financial futures market. “The law was the most important thing that I used in the creation of markets."

Melamed retired from the CME in 1991 and founded his own consulting firm, Melamed & Associates, where he is chairman and chief executive officer. He currently serves on the board of the CME Group and is chairman of the CME Foundation. Melamed also serves on The John Marshall Law School's Board of Trustees.