They call it the Open Source Law Immersion Program. It makes me wish I were an attorney, frankly. I'll give you the details and where you go to apply in a moment.

I hope a lot of lawyers take advantage of this chance to get up to speed on how to approach things like licensing and how to handle various types of legal threats against FOSS. As SFLC puts it, "legal support is becoming increasingly critical to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) development and use." So we all benefit when there are more lawyers familiar with FOSS legal issues.

There's a second event happening today, the Linux Foundation's Linux Collaboration Summit, where Andy Updegrove is blogging away live and also moderating the legal panel later. From what he's writing so far, it appears the Linux Foundation is very much focusing on the legal defense of Linux, its uptake by corporate users, and standardization.

Here are all the details on the Software Freedom Law Center's Open Source Law Immersion Program:

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Open Source Law Immersion Program

The Software Freedom Law Center is now inviting applications for a resident legal experience designed for practicing lawyers interested in learning more about open source software through direct on-site exposure to SFLC's open source software law practice. Positions are somewhat flexible in scope and duration: SFLC will work with applicants to design a program lasting approximately 2-4 weeks. Positions are available year round and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants are expected to have some familiarity with open source software.

About the Program

As the body of high-quality open source software grows, legal support is becoming increasingly critical to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) development and use. The Software Freedom Law Center benefits the FOSS development ecosystem both by providing direct legal services and by promoting the general understanding of relevant legal issues. Most often, these issues include software licensing, trademarks, patents, government regulations on software, and aiding various nonprofit organizations within our community.

The SFLC Open Source Law Immersion Program is designed to provide practicing lawyers an opportunity to learn first-hand about these issues in open source law. The arrangement is designed to be mutually beneficial: the program fulfills SFLC's mission to promote better understanding of FOSS legal issues, and participating attorneys will benefit by becoming better prepared to handle FOSS legal issues in their own practice.

Applicants are encouraged to send a cover letter and resume to recruitment@softwarefreedom.org. Please send all materials in plain text or other open format (no .doc files), and feel free to include any additional requirements or questions with your application. Applicants will be selected on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Lawyers licensed to practice in any country are invited to apply and participate in this program. However, please keep in mind that all participants will need to arrange for their own accommodations in the New York City area for the duration of the program. Participants will also be asked to make a contribution to SFLC to offset our costs in providing this opportunity.