Fred Rooney ’75 was selected for a 2019-20 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant to Bulgaria where he will be working on incubator development for young Roma lawyers. As defined by the American Bar Association, legal incubators “enable newly admitted layers to acquire the range of skills necessary to launch successful practices that expand access to legal services for those of low and moderate incomes.”
The Roma people have their origins in Northern India and, at the beginning of the 12th century, migrated as a group, eventually settling in Europe with the densest population in Bulgaria. They are widely discriminated against, and the majority live in poverty. Rooney’s work will teach young lawyers the skills they need to serve this underrepresented group.
This is Rooney’s second Fulbright Scholar grant. He has also been awarded several Fulbright Specialist grants, including an appointment to Bulgaria and Pakistan. As described by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, “the Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning, and related subjects at academic institutions abroad for a period of 2 to 6 weeks.”