In evaluating whether to undertake proposed projects, the Sheller Center will use the following criteria
- The project seeks to remedy injustices experienced by groups disadvantaged by poverty or discrimination.
- The people whom the project seeks to benefit lack adequate access to legal assistance.
- The project has the potential to implicate systemic change.
- Legal research or advocacy (whether in the form of research, policy advocacy, community education, litigation, or some combination) are, alone or in combination with other strategies, appropriate methods of achieving the goals of the project.
- The work required by the project is appropriate for law students and will further their legal education in a meaningful way.
- Representatives of the group(s) whom the project is intended to benefit will have substantial involvement in the planning and implementation of the project.
- The project is sustainable, and will have an ongoing impact on the community it seeks to serve.
- There is a faculty sponsor at the Law School as well as students committed to carrying out the project.
- The project is of manageable scope and size given the resources available within the Law School and the Center, as well as considerations of academic calendar and schedule.
- Projects that leverage collaborations with other schools and departments within the University and/or members of the Philadelphia legal community (including legal services organizations and attorneys working pro bono) are favored.
- Projects that duplicate efforts already underway elsewhere in the Philadelphia legal community will not be considered.
The Center has limited capacity and resources to undertake new projects. Even projects that meet these criteria cannot necessarily be accepted by the Center. However, these criteria will assist the Center in identifying the projects on which it is most able to make a difference.