One of the more common financial resources available to law students, summer fellowships and stipends provide financial assistance to students who would otherwise not be able to accept low-paying or non-paying public interest summer employment. At many law schools, law students spearhead efforts to raise funds, with law schools matching or contributing to the amount raised. Other summer fellowship funding is provided by grants from foundations and gifts from alumni.
Law School Funded:
Honorable Con G. Cholakis Fellowship - Albany Law School has established The Con G. Cholakis Public Service Fellowship as an endowed fund to provide underwriting support for law students working in public offices during the summer months. By establishing this fellowship, the law school recognizes that frequently there are no funds to compensate law students for their important efforts in the public interest and, given today's costs of a legal education; many are forced to turn away from the beneficial experience afforded by such service. As Chalices Fellows, Albany Law School students will have the opportunity to assist in providing crucial legal services to the public and in so doing will encourage those students to pursue public service careers. The fellowship recipient will demonstrate compassion and commitment to public service through prior public service, volunteer work, or other indicia of such commitment, be in academic good standing, and provide evidence of the recipient's independence, individualism, integrity and other strengths of character.
Summer Public Interest Stipend Program - For several years Albany Law School has offered a stipend program to encourage students to pursue public interest and public service opportunities. Each summer, the program provides modest stipends to approximately 50 Albany Law School students who intend to work for public interest and public service organizations during the summer months. The awards range from $700 to $1,000.To be considered for awards, student applicants must be planning to: (1) perform legal work for a federal, state, or local government agency; or (2) provide legal services (criminal or civil) through a not-for-profit tax-exempt organization qualified under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicants must demonstrate that they will work a minimum of 200 hours at their qualified organizations during the summer months. Moreover, student applicants must be uncompensated or receive reduced compensation. The Summer Public Interest Stipend Program is funded, in part, through the Dean's Public Interest Auction, an annual event made possible through donations by members of the ALS community and local businesses.
Graduate Student Funded:
Joseph C. Foiadelli Public Service Stipend - The families and friends of Joseph C. Foiadell, Esq. established a stipend in his honor in 2000. Joe was a member of Albany Law School's Class of 1997 who tragically lost his life in a car accident on November 28, 1998. Joe was a gifted student with a unique ability to befriend anyone, whatever the circumstance. He worked tirelessly in the AIDS Clinic going the extra mile for each and every client he represented. He was devoted to the public service aspect of the legal profession and was working as an Assistant Public Defender for Columbia County, New York at the time of his death. To honor Joe for his outstanding character and for his extraordinary devotion to the practice of law, a $1,500 stipend is offered to a law student who will be working in public legal service during the summer. The fellowship recipient must be in good academic standing and have any interest in and commitment to public interest service.
Other Funding Source:
The Dan Dwyer Law Fellowship Program
Established in 2001, this fellowship program provides a stipend to a law student to work as an intern in the Albany County District Attorney's Office. The intern assists in the prosecution of DWI cases. The fellowship recipient must be in good academic standing, have a demonstrated interest in criminal law, and have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a public interest career.
Edward Cameron Jr. Public Service Fellowship
The Lyric Foundation has established this $1,000 fellowship to be awarded to a first or second year law student who will service as an intern with a legal public service provider over the summer. The fellowship recipient must be in good academic standing with a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in public service.
The Marty Silverman Internship Program at the New York Legal Assistance Group
The New York Legal Assistance Group has established this fellowship in honor of Marty Silverman. This $3,500 fellowship funds a summer intern to obtain experience working with NYLAG's various public interest projects such as the Elder Law Project, The HIV Project, the Holocaust Compensation Assistance Project and the Child Advocacy Project. The Fellowship recipient must be in good academic standing and have a demonstrated interest in public service work.
Joseph C. Foiadelli Public Service Stipend
The families and friends of Joseph C. Foiadell, Esq. established a stipend in his honor in 2000. Joe was a member of Albany Law School's Class of 1997 who tragically lost his life in a car accident on November 28, 1998. Joe was a gifted student with a unique ability to befriend anyone, whatever the circumstance. He worked tirelessly in the AIDS Clinic going the extra mile for each and every client he represented. He was devoted to the public service aspect of the legal profession and was working as an Assistant Public Defender for Columbia County, New York at the time of his death. To honor Joe for his outstanding character and for his extraordinary devotion to the practice of law, a $1,500 stipend is offered to a law student who will be working in public legal service during the summer. The fellowship recipient must be in good academic standing and have any interest in and commitment to public interest service.
Law School Funded:
Summer Federal Work Study Program (FWS)
: FWS during the summer term provides a limited number of stipends to qualifying continuing students working for an eligible off-campus public interest employers.Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Equal Justice Foundation: The WCL Equal Justice Foundation (EJF) is a student-run organization dedicated to closing the justice gap for most vulnerable members of our community. EJF raises funds to provide stipends to Washington College of Law students who take unpaid summer internships with public interest organizations in the United States and abroad. Since it was established in 1989, EJF has given out over 1,000 stipends, growing each year with the support of the WCL community. Through EJF our students are able to deliver critical services to underrepresented members of our community, while gaining valuable experiences in the public interest sector.
Squire Patton Boggs Public Policy Fellowship: Since 2011, the Foundation has been pleased to make available annually a Patton Boggs Public Policy Fellowship grant to the American University Washington College of Law for summer work. The grant provides a rising 2L, 3L or 4L with the essential funding to pursue a public policy position of their choosing. One grant of $5,000 is awarded to the recipient.
Law School Funded:
None
Graduate Student Funded:
None
Other Funding Source:
None
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Baylor Law Public Interest Summer Fellowships Each summer the Law School provides public interest fellowships to students interning for not-for-profit or governmental organizations to assist underrepresented populations in obtaining equal access to justice. During the summer of 2012, ten students worked in excess of 1,700 hours as Public Interest Fellows working for government programs that serve indigent populations, such as legal aid offices and public defenders offices. This year, we have eight students participating in the program. This program is funded through a meaningful endowment gift made to the Law School arising out of a consumer class action settlement.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Baylor participates in the Texas Access to Justice Summer Internship program. Through this 7-10 week program, three students from each of the law schools in Texas work in one of several different Legal Aid organizations in remote areas of Texas. They are awarded $250/wk from the Texas Access to Justice Commission and $1,000 from Baylor Law School.
Law School Funded:
The Summer Federal Work-Study Program offers federal work-study grants to BC Law School students for summer work for eligible government agencies, public interest organizations and nonprofit organizations throughout the country. This funding is in addition to work-study grants available during the academic year. Awards are made through the Financial Aid Office. The federal government pays approximately 60% of the salary of work-study recipients, the remaining 40% is paid for by a contribution from an employer or other summer funding source. Work-study awards are based on financial need and are administered by the Financial Aid Office.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)Summer Stipend Program provides students with financial assistance to pursue public interest work during the summer. All law students who are interested in public interest legal work are eligible to apply for a PILF grant. PILF construes the definition of public interest legal work as broadly as possible in order to give applicants the opportunity to demonstrate how their employers and their particular position will benefit the public interest. PILF has funded positions with government agencies, non-profit organizations, state and federal prosecutors, public defender offices and private law firms with a public interest practice.
Funding for PILF summer stipends comes from a variety of sources: PILF fundraising, The Law School, and outside funding sources. Some of these sources have geographical or practice area restrictions. Applications will be evaluated by a committee appointed by the Public Interest Law Foundation based on two criteria: 1) the applicant's demonstrated commitment to public interest work and 2) the extent to which the applicant's work will benefit the public interest.
Bingham McCutchen Fellowship for Public Service: Through the PILF Summer Stipend Program, several students will be named Bingham McCutchen Fellows. Their summer stipends will be paid from a fund established at the Law School by Bingham McCutchen LLP in honor of John Curtin, to support public interest careers. Preference will be given to students working in civil rights, human rights, juvenile rights & enforcement. As part of this program, Fellows will be invited to participate in a special mentor program with Bingham McCutchen attorneys.
The Owen M. Kupferschmid Holocaust/Human Rights Summer Funding Project was established to fund students in internships that focus on international and human rights issues. Preference is given to internships in foreign countries. H/HRP is particularly interested in the development of law creating legal accountability for individuals responsible for state-sponsored or state-supported crimes or abuses, including mass murder and persecution, and human rights violations which states are unwilling or unable to prevent. However, anyone with an offer of a position in the human rights/international public interest field is encouraged to apply. The funding amount will vary according to the needs of the students, but is intended to cover the out-of-pocket travel and living expenses. It may be combined with work-study or PILF funding, and applicants are required to seek that additional funding.
BC Law students have received a number of summer public interest fellowships in past years, including Equal Justice America, Equal Justice Works, Rappaport, and Massachusetts Bar Foundation Fellowships.
Law School Funded:
BU Law awards summer public interest grants to students who work in qualifying unpaid internships.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Society (PILS), is a student run organization that raises funds for grants to support students in summer public-interest and public-service positions.
Law School Funded:
Yes
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes
Other Funding Source:
One of the student organizations, the Public Interest Law Forum, holds an auction to raise scholarship funds for summer externship students serving in low-income client placements. Typically, five to eight students receive Public Interest Law Forum stipends ranging from $500 to $3300 per student each summer.
Law School Funded:
Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Fellowship: Twenty competitively selected Fellows are provided a $5,000 stipend for an internship in a non-profit representing low-income communities. Fellows also participate in a substantive program consisting of public interest presentations and events.
Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI) Public Interest Fellowship: While this is a student run and primarily student funded public interest fellowship program, Brooklyn Law School underwrites the program at its discretion to ensure the program's viability. More information is provided under "Other Funding" below.
Public Service Grants: Students wanting to work in non-profit and government internships are guaranteed funding to do so. Some 300 students each summer receive some combination of Federal Work Study and law school funds under these grants.
Brooklyn Law School International Human Rights Fellowships: Through this program, Brooklyn Law School sponsors two students to perform human rights work in non-profits abroad.
Brooklyn Law School Summer Program in South Africa: Eight students are competitively selected to intern at the University of South Africa's Department on Law, Race and Gender.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
BLSPI Public Interest Fellowship Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI), is an entirely student run fellowship program. With financial assistance from the School and funds raised through an auction, the group makes grants to approximately 20 competitively selected public interest fellows. Fellows receive a $5,000 grant to work in either non-profit organizations or government agencies for one summer.
International Law Society's Global Justice Fellowships: This is a student run program sponsoring two students annually to work abroad in a human rights organization. In its initial year, students were sponsored in Cambodia and South Africa.
Federal Work Study Funds
Brooklyn Law School has an extremely robust Federal Work Study program.
Other.
Assistance is provided to students by the Public Service Programs Office to obtain outside funding such as the Revson Foundation funded LSPIN grants, Equal Justice America, and many other grants funding law students working in the public interest.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The purpose of Campbell Law School's Public Interest Law Summer Grants is to enable law students to practice public interest law by providing financial support to students who secure certain qualifying unpaid summer employment.
Funding support of the Public Interest Law Summer Grant Program is provided by two organizations. The first group is the Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association (CPILSA). This is a student organization that enables students to live out a spirit of service through the practice of law. The group raises funds year-round to support this grant program, primarily through an annual Silent Auction event.
In addition, the A.J. Fletcher Foundation has provided a generous grant to promote the Public Interest Law Grant program by providing summer fellowships to students. The Foundation supports not only the promotion of higher education, but also the care and support to those persons in underserved populations.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Initiative - student summer fellowship
Law School Funded:
Capital University Law School offers a Public Service Summer Fellowship using funds raised by students through a public and silent auction each spring.
The purpose of the Public Service Summer Fellow Fund is to provide stipends to qualifying students who work during the summer at legal jobs with public interest organizations that are not otherwise able to afford summer law clerks.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Program www.equaljusticeworks.or
Ohio State Bar Association Litigation Section Public Service Internship Initiative
Law School Funded:
The law school offers several summer funding opportunities for public interest externships and internships that are available only to CWRU School of Law students.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Charles and Louise O'Brien Fellowships In 1995, Father Raymond O'Brien, a professor at the law school, created a fellowship in memory of his grandparents Charles and Louise O'Brien. The fellowship may be used for summer work at a public interest organization. The Fellows are chosen from essays submitted by eligible students describing their summer placement in the context of the interaction between their religious perspective and their legal careers. Up to three fellowships are awarded annually, with award amounts ranging from $4,500 to $6,000, depending on funding levels.
Students for Public Interest Law (SPIL) Stipends Students for Public Interest Law (SPIL) spends the academic year raising money to fund stipends for law students who obtain summer employment at public interest organizations. The number of stipends awarded depends upon the fundraising efforts of student volunteers and donations from local businesses and law firms. SPIL's primary fundraising source is its auction held every spring semester. Each stipend is awarded in the amount of $3,500.
Eric Weissman Endowed Scholarship Fund The Weissman family established the Eric D. Weissman Memorial Scholarship in order to specially honor one student who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to public interest law. This scholarship is for $3,500, and the recipient is selected at the same time as the SPIL stipend recipients.
Plato Papps Labor Law Scholarship This program provides a $4,000 stipend for an internship in labor law during the summer following the first year of legal study. Applications are distributed by the CUA Law faculty directly to students shortly after Spring Break. Papps Fellows are expected to work at their assigned internship for ten weeks.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Squire Patton Boggs LLP Public Policy Fellowship Using the attorney's fees earned from a successful pro bono case won by John Oberdorfer, Patton Boggs, LLP established the Patton Boggs Foundation to commemorate the retirement of founding partner James R. Patton, Jr. The Foundation annually grants Public Policy Fellowships to exceptional law students (one of whom is a CUA student) who spend their summers working on public policy matters for a non-profit institution or a government agency. The summer position need not be in the Washington, D.C., area. The stipend is $5,000.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Grant funding for students working in unpaid public interest positions over the summer is provided by the Fowler School of Law student-run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF). PILF conducts fundraising, particularly through an annual silent auction, to support the program. Funding varies by year and applications are due by the beginning of April. Fowler Law's Career Services Office also encourages students to apply to the many public interest scholarship opportunities that the Financial Aid Office publishes.
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The Frank Durkham Fellowship $5,000
O'Dwyer Human Rights Fellowship $3,000
Boyers Davis Zerdin Fellowship $3,000
Jo-Anne Weissbart Fellowship $4,000
Shannara Gilbert Fellowship $1,500
Natalya Paul Cowan Fellowship $2,500
Kyle Jewell Fellowship $500
Graduate Student Funded:
PILA fellowships $2,500
BLSA Fellowships $3,000
rish Law Students Fellowship $3,000
Other Funding Source:
CUNY Law Students have consistently been awarded the Charles H. Revson Law Student Public Interest fellowship ($4500) and have consistently obtained fellowships from the New York County Lawyers' Association Minority Judicial Internship grant, Community Service Society Haywood Burns summer fellowship, the National Lawyers Guild summer fellowships, the Peggy Browning Fund summer fellowships
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Guaranteed Summer Funding (GSF)
Columbia Law School is proud to support students who work full-time in public interest or public service internships in the U.S. over the summer through its Guaranteed Summer Funding program. GSF provides funding to nearly 300 1Ls and 2Ls annually to work at public interest and public service organizations during the summer. All J.D. students are eligible to receive GSF as long as they complete the program requirements. 1L students are eligible to receive $6,720 (pre-tax) for 8 weeks of work and 2L students are eligible to receive $8400 (pre-tax) for 10 weeks of work.
Human Rights Internship Program (HRIP)
Unique to Columbia, the Human Rights Internship Program (HRIP) has a long tradition of providing Columbia students with the opportunity to do human rights law-related work throughout the world. The program’s more than 1,700 “graduates” are leading human rights lawyers throughout the world who, among other things, have been instrumental in drafting the South African Constitution; documenting human rights abuses of gay and lesbian youth in America’s prisons; establishing International Criminal Tribunals; helping to write a Freedom of Information Act for Guatemala; and working to improve environmental law in Hungary. Interns from years past also work on the domestic front, now lead community economic-development efforts, head legal services offices, fight against employment discrimination, and defend death row inmates. All first-year and second-year students are eligible to apply to participate in HRIP, however students must submit an application and participate in a training and orientation program. Participants receive a $7,350 stipend for 10 weeks of work, a round trip plane ticket, and emergency evacuation insurance.
Graduate Student Funded: Public Interest Law Foundation
The Public Interest Law Foundation, Columbia's Equal Justice Work's chapter, provides student funded fellowships. The number of these fellowships varies with the success of PILFs fund-raising efforts, but there usually are about 15-20. Some match the Public Service Fellowships and others provide full stipends. Funds are raised through an annual dinner, an annual auction, an annual Dean's Cup basketball game between Columbia Law School and New York University School of Law, a Donated Day's Salary drive, small private grants and membership of students, faculty and administrators.
Other Funding Source: Catalyst Public Service Fellowships
Center for Japanese Legal Studies Morrison & Foerster Public Interest Fellowship
The Center for Japanese Legal Studies Public Interest Fellowship is open to first and second-year law students who demonstrate an interest in public interest law and working in Japan for the summer. Up to two fellowships are available and each will provide a stipend of $10,000 to cover airfare, living, and other expenses for the summer.
John R. Oldham Fellowship
This fellowship is administered through the Center for Chinese Legal Studies and is available to first- and second-year law students to support summer public interest (including government) work or academic research in greater China.
Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship
The Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship provides a stipend of $2,500 to two law students for ten weeks of work in an unpaid internship for either a nonprofit organization or a governmental entity.
Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin Summer Fellowship
The Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of criminal and civil-rights law at every stage of litigation. 1L and 2L funding will be matched and 3Ls will be paid on an hourly basis.
Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) Fellowships
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute offers funding for research, language acquisition, and unpaid internships during the summer and academic year to selected Columbia students committed to professional and academic engagement with East and Southeast Asia.
Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho Summer Associate Fellowship
The Oakland, California plaintiffs’ civil rights and environmental justice law firm Goldstein Demchak Baller Borgen & Dardarian offers a summer associates program and postgraduate fellowship to eligible students.
Law School Funded:
Each summer 50-60 summer public interest grants are awarded to 1Ls and 2Ls. The grants are funded by a combination of student fundraising through our law student Public Interest Law Union, work-study grants and faculty and alumni contributions. The full-time grant for summer 2005 is anticipated to be $4,000 for 1Ls and $5,000 for 2Ls. The Assistant Dean for Public Service assists students with securing funding from a number of state and national public interest fellowship programs each year, including the New Jersey Public Interest Summer Legal Intern Program, Law Student Union Summer/AFL-CIO, Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), and the Revson Public Interest Fellowship Program and the Peggy Browning Fund.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Included in the "student raised funds" category is money raised from the PIF Cabaret and the Give-A-Day in the Public Interest events. Much of the money raised in the "Gifts from individuals, Firms or Corporations" comes in through our phone-a-thon and mail-a-thon, which are staffed by student volunteers, with support from our Development Office.
Fund By Gift Description:
A total of 67 summer Public Interest Fellowship (PIF) grants were awarded. Twenty grants of $5,000 went to 2Ls, and 47 grants of $4,000 whent to 1Ls. Every student who devoted at least 10 hours to fundraising activities received a grant if they took a qualifying unpaid summer job. Qualifying employers are nonprofit organizations, government agencies. Public interest law firms are considered on a case by case basis. Judicial internships are not included.
Law School Funded: Creighton Fund for Clerkships in the Public Interest (CFCPI) provides summer funding for law students working in unpaid public service legal jobs. Qualifying employers include government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Graduate Student Funded:
Two-three summer fellowships.
Other Funding Source:
Twenty-forty summer fellowships (University work-study funds).
Law School Funded: Each year, the Center for Public Interest Law awards summer stipends that enable dozens of students to take unpaid public interest jobs that provide valuable experiences and skill that will help with their job search. CPIL administers the following summer funding opportunities for students through a unified application process during the beginning of the spring semester:
Helen M. Cirese Fellowship
The family of Helen M. Cirese family created this summer stipend for a student who is working in public interest law and has demonstrated high academic achievement, a commitment to public service and issues that impact women.
Cudahy Fellowships
The Patrick and Anna Cudahy Fund, a foundation which supports social service, youth and educational organizations, has awarded several summer fellowships to students choosing to work during the summer after their first year at a public interest agency.
Pusateri Fellowship
The Pusateri Fellowship is part of a larger grant to the College of Law by the family of late DePaul alumnus Justice Lawrence X. Pusateri ('53). The fellowship is dedicated to facilitating public service work by DePaul law students.
Vincentian Summer Fellowships
The DePaul University Office of Mission and Values has created to stipends for students who are committed to public interest work and to learning more about the life and legacy of St. Vincent de Paul. These stipends are only available for students who work for non-profit organization.
Public Interest Law Association Scholarships
Each year, DePaul's student-run Public Interest Law Association (PILA) hosts a benefit auction to raise funds for summer scholarships to support students interested in working in public interest law for the summer. Scholarships enable students to work at nonprofit legal organizations. The Public Service Scholarship Committee administers the selection process in the spring of each year.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
DePaul offers a number of summer funding opportunities for students dedicated to public service.
Helen M. Cirese Fellowship
The family of Helen M. Cirese family created this summer stipend for a student who is working in public interest law and has demonstrated high academic achievement, a commitment to public service and issues that impact women.
Cudahy Fellowship
The Patrick and Anna Cudahy Fund, a foundation which supports social service, youth, and educational organizations, has awarded several summer fellowships to students choosing to work the summer after their first year at a public interest agency of their choice.
Albert & Anne Mansfield Foundation Fellowship Program:
The Mansfield Foundation provides two stipends for students who wish to work for Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.
Pusateri Fellowship
The Pusateri Fellowship is part of a larger grant to the College of Law by the family of the late DePaul alum Lawrence Pusateri. It is dedicated to the facilitation of working in public service.
Vincentian Summer Fellowships
The DePaul University Office of Mission and Values has created to stipends for students who are committed to public interest work and to learning more about the life and legacy of St. Vincent de Paul. These stipends are only available for students who work for non-profit organization.
Public Interest Law Association (PILA) Stipends
Every year, DePaul's student-run Public Interest Law Association hosts a benefit auction to raise funds for summer stipends to support students interested in working in public interest law for the summer. Stipends enable students to work at non-profit legal organizations. For the past three years, PILA has been able to provide about 15 stipends a year to DePaul public-interest law students.
Law School Funded: The Iowa Children’s Justice Summer Fellowship is designed to financially support law students who obtain a summer volunteer position in the area of juvenile law. Examples of eligible juvenile law positions include the Public Defender's Office doing parent representation or GAL/attorney for child work, Youth Law Center in Des Moines, private law firms that provide representation for clients in juvenile court, clerking for juvenile court and appellate judges, and research projects in the area of juvenile law.
The Law School funds the Charles & Joseph Howard Fellowships in the Drake Legal Clinic through the earnings from the students’ work in providing representation under the Legal Clinic’s grant with the Iowa State Public Defender’s Office.
Typically, these earnings have been sufficient to award two to four fellowships. Fellowship awards are made by the director of clinical programs in consultation with the director of the Criminal Defense Clinic. The fellowship also provides a scholarship that covers two to four credit hours of summer tuition, approximately $2,000-4,000.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and the Director for Pro Bono and Public Interest Programs work closely with the Career and Professional Development Office (CPDO) to provide a strong foundation for our students who are interested in pursuing careers in public interest law. We have created a summer grant program for students taking unpaid public interest summer internships, subsidizing a significant portion of the student-run PIE Grant Auction (Public Interest Experience), and matching monies raised at the auction.
In addition, the University offers work study packages for students taking unpaid summer positions in eligible government agencies, public interest organizations, and nonprofit organizations. This funding is in addition to work-study grants available during the academic year. By working with the CPDO to maximize these work study funds, we are able to offer larger summer grants to offset students' summer expenses while working in unpaid public interest summer internships.
Graduate Student Funded:
The PIE Grant Board (Public Interest Experience) sponsors an annual auction to raise money to fund grants for students who take unpaid public interest summer internships.
Other Funding Source:
The Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III Summer Law Fellowship- This Fellowship is designed to support a student with a genuine interest in pursuing a career in local government service. The Fellowship, which provides a stipend of $10,000 for the summer, was created and named in honor of Tobey Oxholm, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff of Drexel University. Prior to joining Drexel, Tobey practiced law in Philadelphia for 22 years, including distinguished service with the Office of the Philadelphia City Solicitor where he served as Chief Deputy City Solicitor for Commercial Claims.
Other- Drexel Law also counsels students regarding summer fellowship opportunities and offers resources to help students identify summer fellowships and awards.
Law School Funded:
Burdman/Steckley/Weitzel fellowships, which are funded through endowments of over $200,000 from the three donors named. The number and amount of the fellowships vary each year based on the amount on endowment interest available. In 2002, three fellowships of $3500 were awarded.
The Law School also contributes $10,000 to the student fund-raising effort.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) raises funds. For the summer of 2001, approximately $40,000 was raised, and $50,000 was distributed (including the Law School supplement of $10,000.)
Other Funding Source:
The student group Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) raises funds through an auction, gear sales and other means. The Law School contributes $10,000 to the student fund-raising effort.
The sources of funds from individuals, firms or corporations in 2004-2005 are: three fellowship endowments of over $100,000 each jointly called the Burdman/Steckley-Weitzel/Carroll-Simon Fellowships. The number and amount of the fellowships vary each year based on the amount on endowment interest available. The Howrey law firm, based in Houston, Texas sponsors a $5,000 fellowship. Two members of the Class of 2004 gave funds to support fellowships in developing countries, and it is called the International Development Fellowship.
IOLTA (through the NC State Bar) provided three fellowships of $3000 each for the summer of 2005. These fellowships are for work at designated agencies or organizations in North Carolina. (Most years, five are provided.) The Stanback Fellowship (provided through the Nicholas School for the Environment) provides 40 or more fellowships of $4,000 to Duke Law students (as well as to students in other departments) who are placed with designated environmental organizations. Six students received these in the summer of 2005.
Law School Funded:
Duquesne University School of Law School has traditionally assisted where PILA funds are not adequate to cover all qualified applicants, by funding at least partial awards for students.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Additional Summer Public Interest Fellowships are funded with monies raised by the Law School’s Public Interest Law Association (PILA).
The McGinley Public Service Law Fellowship program provides student attorneys with valuable work experience through summer positions in government while supporting the law school's ongoing commitment to public service.
Law School Funded:
Leadership Fellows Summer Scholarship
Graduate Student Funded:
PILS Summer Stipends
Other Funding Source:
IOLTA Funds (when available)
EJW Summer Corps
Law School Funded:
Yes
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes
Other Funding Source: The primary source of funding summer public internships comes from efforts of the Emory Public Interest Committee and Center for Public Service Staff. EPIC hosts an annual Inspiration Awards event each February.
Several summer grants are provided through endowments. The majority of summer grants are provided through annual fundraising efforts. See https://law.emory.edu/center-for-professional-and-career-development/center-for-public-service/epic-inspiration-awards.html for additional information.
The Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program places students from law and other graduate programs in child advocacy internships across Georgia. This program is funded entirely through the state's award from the federal Children's Justice Act grant.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Student organizations have service projects during the school year. The Jones' Public Interest Law Foundation works with the Clinical Director and CSO Director to develop means to raise money to provide financial assistance for students working in Public Interest or Public Service.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. provides an annual paid Summer Public Service Fellowship.
The Florida Bar Foundation-sponsored 2002 Legal Services Summer Fellowship provides a $5,000 stipend for a FCSL student to work at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid during summer 2002.
Other Funding Source:
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. provides an annual paid Summer Public Service Fellowship.
The Florida Bar Foundation-sponsored 2002 Legal Services Summer Fellowship provides a $5,000 stipend for a FCSL student to work at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid during summer 2002.
Law School Funded:
Florida International University College of Law funds a Florida Supreme Court Fellowships for law students and provides a stipend of $3,000.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Florida Bar Foundation Public Service Fellowship Fund supports stipends of approximately $5,000 (approximately 4-6 awards annually).
Law School Funded:
Law.fordham.edu/summerfellowships
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
73
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Georgetown offers guaranteed summer funding for students engaged in public service summer activities.
Graduate Student Funded:
Summer funding is supported at Georgetown by the Equal Justice Foundation, a student group dedicated to fundraising to support students engaged in public interest and government work.
Other Funding Source:
Through a combination of these sources, Georgetown was able to fund 121 students during summer 2005. Our student-run fellowship program is one of the largest in the country, and routinely raises more than $150,000 annually. The student fundraising is complemented by a substantial law school contribution, as well as federal work-study money.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Association
Federal Defender Fellowship, administered through Center for Access to Justice
Law School Funded:
Baxter Litigation Fellowship Program: Each year, one outstanding student in Litigation is selected to be the Judge Lee Baxter Graduate Fellow in Litigation in a post-graduate position. The fellow serves as a valuable member of the team that teaches J.D. students in the Litigation Program and assists in the preparation of the mock trial competition teams. The Baxter Fellow assists in teaching the Trial Advocacy and Mock Trial courses, coaching the mock trial competition teams, and is available to students for one on one help as they go through litigation courses.
Clinic Fellowship Program: Golden Gate University School of Law provides one- to two-year fellowships with the school's in-house clinics working on all clinic projects
.
Environmental Law Scholars Stipend Program: Environmental Law Scholars are eligible for a one-time salary assistance stipend.
Federal Workstudy Program: Federal Work Study (FWS) is a federally funded student financial aid program. The FWS program was designed to provide work experience while helping students offset the cost of education. Through this program, federal funds are used to pay a portion of the student's salary and the employer is responsible for the remainder. GGU Law offers the Public Interest Work Study program, which assists employers who cannot pay their share of the student's salary. Funding is limited under both programs. Priority is given to students who meet the FAFSA priority deadline and demonstrate financial need as defined by the federal processor and GGU Law. Students who accept FWS must submit a Work Study Interest form. Accepting FWS does reduce a students' additional loan eligibility for the remainder of the academic term. First year law students are not eligible to receive FWS
.
Part-time Staff Graduate Fellowship Program: On-campus positions are available in the following departments: Law Admissions and Law Career Services.
Public Interest Law Scholars Stipend Program: Public Interest Law Scholars are eligible for a one-time salary assistance stipend.
Public Service Stipend Program: Golden Gate University School of Law provides a limited number of stipends to recent graduates who are performing on-going, legal volunteer work to a local, state, or federal court or government agency.
Seasonal Graduate Fellowship Program: On-campus positions are available in the following departments: Graduate Law Programs, Law Admissions, Law Career Services, Law Student Services, and Legal Research.
Graduate Student Funded:
None
Other Funding Source:
Federal Work Study Program: Federal Work Study (FWS) is a federally funded student financial aid program. The FWS program was designed to provide work experience while helping students offset the cost of education. Through this program, federal funds are used to pay a portion of the student's salary and the employer is responsible for the remainder. GGU Law offers the Public Interest Work Study program, which assists employers who cannot pay their share of the student's salary. Funding is limited under both programs. Priority is given to students who meet the FAFSA priority deadline and demonstrate financial need as defined by the federal processor and GGU Law. Students who accept FWS must submit a Work Study Interest form. Accepting FWS does reduce a students' additional loan eligibility for the remainder of the academic term. First year law students are not eligible to receive FWS.
Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF): PILF is dedicated to advancing public interest through law by encouraging and supporting members who give back to the community. PILF assists students in finding legal employment and involvement opportunities in public interest and in government. It also provides forums to hear from faculty and practicing attorneys about their public interest experiences and to discuss issues within public interest fields. PILF helps administer the Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which provides grants to help repay a portion of educational loans to School of Law graduates who work in low-paying public interest jobs. Each spring, PILF awards summer grants to current students working in public interest positions and holds an auction and raffle to raise money for these programs.
Law School Funded:
Gonzaga's Public Interest Law Project (GPILP) is a student-led fundraising organization which focuses on removing the financial obstacles that prevent students from pursuing careers in public interest law. GPILP students organize fundraising events, including an annual auction, to support between five and ten grants each summer for students working in public interest law positions that would otherwise be uncompensated.
Gonzaga Law routinely partners with Washington State Bar Association sections, minority bar associations and other organizations to offer matching funds for summer grants that support law students working in public interest law positions that would otherwise be uncompensated.
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes.
Other Funding Source:
The Gonzaga Center for Law and Justice, "The Clinic," makes work study stipends (paid at a rate of $12.00/hour)available to students who are work study qualified and who commit to a two semester sequence in the General Public Interest Practice Clinic.
Gonzaga Public Interest Law Project awards summer stipends to students working in public service projects in the U.S. and abroad.
Law School Funded:
Harvard Law School guarantees summer funding to all students who work in public interest jobs for at least 10 weeks over the summer. The Summer Public Interest Funding Program is administered by the Student Financial Services office using money allocated by the Dean, Federal Work Study funds, and money raised through the student run Public Interest Auction.
SPIF awarded funds to 363 students who worked in 31 states and 31 foreign countries over the summer of 2005. The awards included $943,695 in SPIF grants (which include funds allocated by the dean and $126,000 raised through the Public Interest Auction) as well as an additional $700,582 in Federal Work Study funds.
In addition to these sources of funding, there is also supplemental funding available through Harvard Law School for those students who qualify and apply. Over the summer of 2005 students received a total of $109,000 in supplemental funds.
https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/academics/fellowships
Graduate Student Funded:
None
Other Funding Source:
These funds are all used as a supplement to Summer Public Interest Funding; further information may be found at: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/academics/fellowships/
Chayes Fellowship - $50,400 (23 recipients in 2005)
Cleary, Gottleib, Steen & Hamilton Fellowship - $3,000 (1 recipient)
Dewey Ballantine- $6,600 (1 recipient)
Heyman Summer Internship - $17,500 (35 recipients in 2005)
Lewis Fellowship - $2,000 (4 recipients in 2005)
Sutin Fellowship - $1,300 (2 recipients in 2005)
Vorenberg Fellowship - $8,450 (13 recipients in 2005)
These funds are all used as a supplement to Summer Public Interest Funding; further information may be found at: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/academics/fellowships/
Alumni Fellowship - $4,500 awarded by various alumni groups (3 recipients in 2005)
Human Rights Fellowships - $15,250 awarded through the Human Rights program at Harvard Law School (16 recipients in 2005)
Law School Funded:
Child and Family Advocacy Fellowship
Hofstra University School of Law established its Child and Family Advocacy Fellowship Program in 2002 to train and develop the next generation of leaders in the specialized field of family law. The program provides the foundation needed for fellows to become heads of social service organizations, members of the judiciary, leaders of the bar, and legislators who will work collaboratively with those from related disciplines to improve the family court system in America.
Each year, Hofstra Law School selects up to five (5) fellows from among students admitted to the entering J.D. class. Fellowships are awarded to students who intend to pursue careers in child and family advocacy. Scholarship awards include a maximum $10,000 tuition fellowship each year over three years of law school and up to two $7,500 summer externship stipends to cover living expenses. The Child and Family Advocacy Fellowships are awarded for one year, but are renewed annually subject to satisfactory academic performance and full participation in program activities and externships. Students are required to complete two 10-week summer externships, approved by the director, after their first and second years. Each externship is supported by a fellowship stipend to cover living expenses, and enables students to integrate the practical experience of full-time work with their formal legal training. At the end of the summer, students are required to submit to the director written reports on their externships. Fellows are required to attend various program functions and to meet regularly with the director. Upon graduation, fellows are expected to use their specialized training to represent the legal interests of children and families for at least three years.
Fellowship for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights
Hofstra University established a fellowship program for students engaged in advocacy on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. This program is designed to demonstrate Hofstra's commitment to equality and support for LGBT individuals. The Law School's participation in the Hofstra University LGBT fellowship program includes the Fellowship for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights. Each year Hofstra Law School selects up to three (3) fellows from among students admitted to the entering J.D. class. Fellowships are awarded to students who have demonstrated a commitment to and intend to pursue careers advocating on behalf of the LGBT community. The fellowship program is open to persons of all sexual orientations in recognition of the diversity of individuals who may ally themselves with sexual equality, and to underscore the importance of alliances between the LGBT community and the community at large.
Scholarship awards include a substantial tuition fellowship each year over three years of law school and up to two $7,500 summer stipends to support two summer externships related to LGBT advocacy. Fellowships are awarded for one year, but are renewable annually subject to satisfactory academic performance and full participation in program activities and externships. After their first and second years of law school, fellows are encouraged to complete two 10-week summer externships at non-profit organizations devoted to legal advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community. Externships enable students to integrate the practical experience of full-time work with their formal legal training. Hofstra Law School provides fellows with a $7,500 stipend to cover living expenses while completing approved summer externships.
Fellows have the opportunity to enroll in a comprehensive course of study devoted to equality, including courses in Sexuality and the Law, Sex Discrimination, Jurisprudence, or an independent study and tutorial designed to address issues of particular concern to the LGBT community. Fellows are also invited to attend Hofstra Law School's Colloquium on Law & Sexuality. Upon graduation, fellows are expected to commit to helping further the civil rights advancement efforts of the LGBT community through LGBT related advocacy and organizations.
Public Justice Foundation
The Public Justice Foundation (PJF) is the Law School's public interest law student organization. The objectives of PJF are twofold: First, to raise awareness about public sector law practice by facilitating student employment in the area; and second, to expose the Law School community to important legal issues through debate and discussion. PJF holds various fund-raisers, including an annual goods and services auction. The auction is PJF's principal fund-raiser, with 100 percent of the money raised used to support summer fellowships for Hofstra Law Students. These fellowships enable recipients to take nonpaying jobs in the public sector that they otherwise would be unable to accept due to financial constraints. In furtherance of its second objective, PJF has sponsored debates on prisoners' rights, the policy and constitutionality of 'hate crimes' legislation, the Clarence Thomas nomination and 'Clintonomics.' Grant recipients have worked at some of the following places; Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, District Attorney's Office, United States Attorney's Office, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, United States Department of Justice, New York State Division of Human Rights, New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, South Brooklyn Legal Services, New York Legal Assistance Group, Legal Assistance Corp. of Massachusetts (Family and Child Department), Domestic Violence Coalition, Public Defenders Office, and much, much more. The amount of individual summer fellowships depends on the size and nature of the applicant pool as well as the amount of money raised during PJF's annual auction. Fellows are also expected to provide at least ten (10) hours of assistance to PJF's fund-raising efforts.
Graduate Student Funded:
Hofstra's Public Justice Foundation (PJF) raises money each year to provide summer stipends to students working in the public sector. If both a PJF Fellow and his/her placement are work-study eligible, the PJF Fellowship will be supplemented by federal work study and substantially increase the amount of money received by the PJF Fellow.
Other Funding Source:
Various summer fellowship opportunities are available from non-Hofstra sources and students are guided by the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Career Services to the various fellowships and stipend opportunities that are available.
Law School Funded:
The law school funds 3-5 Dean's Public Interest fellowships and supports general funding for summer fellowships at varying levels each year.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Howard Public Interest Law Society (HPILS) coordinates an annual Public Interest Benefit Auction which raises money to support summer public interest fellowships. The number of fellowships varies in any given year.
Other Funding Source:
Crowell & Moring Summer Public Interest Fellowship
Patton Boggs Public Policy Fellowship
Howrey HELPS Summer Fellowships
Equal Justice America Summer Fellowship
Justice John Paul Stevens Fellowship
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Kent Justice Foundation Approximately 20 students receive grants from the student-run Kent Justice Foundation, ranging up to $5,000 for ten weeks of public interest work in the summer. This fundraising is supported through a student-run spring auction, a fall wine event and various other fundraising efforts throughout the year, as well as additional support from the Faculty, the Student Bar Association, and the Dean.
Society of Women in Law This student group provides a summer fellowship to one or more students engaged in public interest work every summer.
Every year the Environmental Law Society (a student organization focused on enhancing Chicago-Kent's profile as one of the nation's top-rated environmental law schools) gives away at least one fellowship to a member to supplement their unpaid summer work in environmental law. ELS works all year to raise funds for the fellowship so that ELS can give as much help to the student(s) as possible. Students who are interested in the fellowship must be a member of ELS, with dues paid. The fellowship is given through an application process in the spring semester.
The Public Interest Law Initiative, a nonprofit agency in Chicago that awards funding to students working in public interest positions in Chicago, offers a number of term-time stipends to students from the law schools located in Chicago. Students at Chicago-Kent College of Law have received these stipends on various occasions. The amount of the stipend is $4,500 in the summer.
Equal Justice America awards students up to $3,500 for summer public interest work. Chicago-Kent students can receive this funding.
Equal Justice Works offers $1000 summer grants to students involved in public interest work over the summer. As a member of Equal Justice Works, Chicago-Kent students can receive this funding.
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Law Foundation (student group) holds an annual "Singing for Summer Salaries" fundraiser. Funds raised are matched by the law school and awarded to students pursuing public interest work over the summer.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source: Cohen & Malad Fellowship
The Cohen & Malad Fellowship was established in 2013 by the law firm of Cohen & Malad, LLP. Fellowships are awarded to students who work in unpaid summer positions on cases involving consumer issues, public interest issues, or social and economic justice issues.
EJW Roisman Summer Fellowship
Equal Justice Works, a student-run organization dedicated to public service through law and justice, promotes this fellowship. It is named in honor of Professor Florence Wagman Roisman in recognition of her receiving the Outstanding Law Faculty Award from the national Equal Justice Works organization. A recipient of this fellowship is a member of Equal Justice Works at IU McKinney Law and works during the summer in an unpaid position in the area of public interest law.
Faegre Drinker Biddle Reath Public Interest Fellowship
This fellowship is funded by Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP to support fellowships for students working in pro bono positions over the summer.
Lefstein Fellowship
The Lefstein Fellowship was created in 2016 by the late Dean Emeritus Norm Lefstein. It is awarded to students with a strong interest in the criminal justice system and a commitment to public defense representation. Fellowship recipients work in a summer field placement or externship in the field of public defense representation.
Sandy & Bernie Miller Health Law Fellowship
The Sandy and Bernie Miller Health Law Fellowship was established in 2018 by Sandra H., ‘82, and Bernard O. Miller. It is awarded to J.D. students who work in unpaid summer positions as part of their participation in the school's William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
As a member school of Equal Justice Works, JMLS students are eligible to join the Equal Justice Works summer corps.
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Law Project (PILP) Summer Stipends: PILP stipends help students cover the costs of working at public interest and tribal organizations and government offices on behalf of underrepresented people and causes. Student fundraising provides the vast majority of the dollars for this program for more than 20 years. Awards are between $3,500 and $5,000 for full-time summer work.
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes
Other Funding Source:
Lewis & Clark is an Equal Justice Works member law school making their Summer Corps program available to our students.
Law School Funded:
None at this time.
Graduate Student Funded:
None at this time.
Other Funding Source:
For the summers of 2005 through 2008 and for the upcoming summer of 2011, the Virginia State Bar/Criminal Law Division has given a stipend to a Liberty University law student to work in a prosecutorial office. For the summer of 2006, the Department of Criminal Justice Services in the Commonwealth of Virginia gave a stipend to a Liberty University law student to work in any juvenile court in Virginia. For the summer of 2007, Equal Justice America gave a fellowship for a student to work in a public interest law firm. For the summers of 2008 through 2010, the Virginia Law Foundation gave a stipend to a minimum of three students working in public service internships.
Law School Funded:
In support of PILS and those students who wish to pursue public interest internships for the summer, the Law Center provides $30,000 for summer fellowships, with awards of up to $4000 per student. The Law Center donated the fellowship funds without requiring fundraising on the part of PILS.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
In the summer of 2009, the Law Center provided ten $2000 Juvenile Public Defender Fellowships, which are funded by the Louisiana Public Defender Board. These fellowships allowed students to work with Juvenile Public Defenders across the state or to work in the state office.
Law School Funded:
Summer Public Interest Employment Program (SPIEP)
Loyola Law School's federal work-study program supports 70 students (60 in public interest, 10 in government positions) working at local non-profits and government agencies. Currently, the maximum amount a student can earn on a summer work-study contract is $3,500.
PILF - Public Interest Law Foundation Grant The student run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) offers supplemental funding for SPIEP applicants ranging from $1,000-$2,000. Fellows will be expected to work at least 300 hours at their approved public interest organization.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
PILF - Public Interest Law Foundation Grant - The student run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) offers supplemental funding for SPIEP applicants ranging from $1,000-$2,000. Fellows will be expected to work at least 300 hours at their approved public interest organization.
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Law funding – 25-32
Childlaw -- 6-10
International Law- 4
Rodin funding – 3
Consumer/Antitrust Law-- 1-2
Also, many clinical faculty and faculty working on public interest research have summer law student research assistants
Graduate Student Funded:
organization, raises money each year to provide stipends for students working in unpaid summer positions in public service. The number and amount of the awards varies from year to year depending on fundraising and the number of applicants.
Other Funding Source:
Other summer funding sources include a) Public Interest Law Initiative b) Equal Justice America c) Equal Justice works d) ISBA Rural Practice, e) ABA JIOP f) Peggy Browning Fund
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center places students for ten weeks in Legal Services Offices, awarding stipends of $4,000 with additional allowance for travel. The Center places approximately 25 students at an approximate total cost of $96,000.
Law School Funded:
The Public Interest Law Society holds an annual auction to raise funds for the Public Interest Law Society Summer Fellowship program which is matched by the Dean of the Law School. Each year summer fellows receive a $4,800 fellowship to work in diverse placements such as Catholic Charities Immigration Services, the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, ACLU of Wisconsin, and various state prosecutor and public defender offices. Selected student-fellows are expected to work at their placement for a minimum of 350 hours during the summer. Read more about summer fellowship online: https://law.marquette.edu/community/pils-summer-fellows.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Dan Bradley Legal Services Fellowship: Funded by the law school and Georgia Legal Services, this fellowship enables second-year students to work for the Macon Office of Georgia Legal Services for a 10-week period during the summer.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The student chapter of MJF annually raises money to support 1 to 3 clerkships at $4000 each. Hamline contributes a portion of another summer clerkship annually through its budget and Hamline uses federal work study funds to support other students working in public interest positions.
Since the summer of 2009, the law school has sent between 11-22 into Dean's Summer Fellowships positions. This program provides students with opportunities to clerk with judges and observe the legal process from the inside. The Fellowships come with small stipends.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Mitchell Hamline collaborates with the other two law schools in Minnesota to support the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) in funding public interest summer fellows hosted at various public interest law firms in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Law Association awards grants to a select number of students who will by working in low- or non-paying public interest related legal jobs in the summer.
Law School Funded:
The Law School provides approximately 200 summer awards (fellowships and summer stipend awards) to students working in otherwise unpaid public interest positions. The funding comes from the law school's operating funds, money raised through student efforts, and the federal work-study program. Student raised funds come from the annual Public Interest Coalition Goods and Services auction.
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes.
Other Funding Source:
Media Law Fellowships
Arthur and Diane Abbey U.S. Attorney's Office Fellowships
Diane Abbey Poverty Law Fellowship
Joseph Solomon Public Service Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Since 2003, through the Public Interest Summer Program, NYU has provided funding for all first-year and second-year students who work in public interest and government positions; over 300 students participate in this program each summer. Within this Program are two specialized opportunities. The first is the Center for Environmental and Land Use Law, which supports students interested in environmental law through summer internships, mentoring by the Schools' environmental and land use faculty, and exposure to leading practitioners in the field. The second, the International Law and Human Rights Student Fellows Program, places students in about a dozen high-profile international organizations, including the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, in Tanzania; the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in Switzerland and Thailand; and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in Cambodia.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The IOLTA Public Service Summer Stipend supports first and second year students who secure a summer position with a North Carolina public interest law organization or agency that is on the list of approved IOLTA placements (these include legal aid agencies and public defender's offices but not judicial clerkships or other government agencies, including prosecutor's offices). Students must work full-time for at least 10 weeks. The stipends are funded by a grant from the NC State Bar's IOLTA Program.
The NCCU Law Public Interest/Judicial Clerkship Stipend supports first and second year students who secure a summer position as intern for a public interest organization or clerk for a judge. The judge or organization can be of the student's choice and can be located outside North Carolina. Students must work full-time for at least 6 weeks, or part-time for 12 weeks. The stipends are funded by a Federal grant.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
During the most recent fiscal year, Northeastern awarded almost $790,000 in stipend assistance to support students undertaking public interest co-ops in the United States and abroad. The money came from a variety of sources including law school budget, federal work-study, and gifts from individuals, foundations and firms. In addition, approximately $34,000 in student generated funds were used to support students doing public interest legal internships.
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Law Summer Assistantships
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The Chase Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program was established in 2006 by the law school with the generous support of the Honorable S. Arthur and Louise Spiegel, Chase students, faculty and friends. The Chase Public Interest Group raises funds to support the fellowship program through a silent auction and with other fundraising events
The goal of the Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program is to provide Chase students with modest grants to work at unpaid public interest law positions. Students who are funded through the summer fellowship program typically receive a grant of $2,500. These grants assume a 350 hour minimum volunteer commitment to the public interest position.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Summer Public Interest Fellowships ($3,500 for ten weeks) have in past years been funded by a grant from the Kentucky Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Fund.
Law School Funded:
The Law School provides guaranteed summer funding, in the amount of $8000, to JD students who work full-time in public interest jobs in the U.S. during their summers. The funding is available for students doing legal work for non-profit or government agencies. Students perform 20 hours of community service during the school year in order to qualify for guaranteed summer funding. The Global Public Interest Fellows program provides $9500 in funding for up to six JD students per year to work abroad during the summer for an approved governmental or nongovernmental organization active on legal issues. Thanks to the generosity of alumni, the school also offers multiple named fellowships for students dedicated to public interest work.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Student Funded Public Interest Fellowship (SFPIF) awards the Len Rubinowitz Public Interest Fellowships to students working at public interest organizations during the summer. Full grants are generally $4,500 and partial grants may also be awarded. The number of fellowships varies from year to year. The fellowships are funded by a combination of donations from students, faculty, administrators, alumni, law school funds, and a number of fundraising events.
Other Funding Source:
The Stevens Fellowships are awarded to Northwestern Law students for summer work at the public interest employer of their choice. The fellowships are funded by former law clerks of Justice Stevens to honor his devotion to public service and to encourage students to obtain public interest jobs. Generally, two to four awards are given, in the amount of $5,000 each.
Each year, the school selects two Mansfield Fellows to work at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. Mansfield Fellows receive $6,500 for a ten-week period. These fellowships are funded by the Mansfield Foundation, the Legal Assistance Foundation, and the law school.
The Chicago chapter of the Federal Bar Association provides funding for two Lefkow Fellowships for Northwestern Law students to work in public interest jobs in the summer. The fellowships are in honor of the life and work of Michael Lefkow, who worked as a public interest lawyer for many years in Chicago. The fellowships provide funding of $5,000 for the summer.
The law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal through its Sonnenschein Scholars Program sponsors students to work at the public interest organization of their choosing, including two students from Northwestern Law. Students are paid $4,000 for the summer.
The law firm of Howrey LLP through its Howrey HELPS program selects first year students from a number of law schools, including Northwestern, to work in a public interest organization in the city in which they attend law school. The compensation is $5,000 for the summer.
Law School Funded:
6-12 students funded yearly ($2500-4500), with funding provided by student fund raisers and $25,000 provided by the law school.
Graduate Student Funded:
6-12 students funded yearly ($2500-4500), with funding provided by student fund raisers and $25,000 provided by the law school.
Other Funding Source:
6-10 yearly ($3000-4500), with funding provided by Notre Dame alumni in various geographic regions.
Law School Funded:
The NSU Public Service Summer Fellowship is designed to encourage law student involvement in public service legal employment for the summer by providing funding to subsidize unpaid work at a public service organization. Public service organizations for the purposes of this fellowship may include government or nonprofit organizations. In order to be considered for a fellowship, students must:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source: The Christopher T. Byrd Environmental Law Fellowship is designed to provide funding for qualified law students who are spending the summer working for a nonprofit public interest organization with a demonstrated commitment to protecting the environment. In order to be considered for a fellowship, students must:
The Ferroli Family Public Interest Law Fellowship is designed to encourage law student involvement in public service legal employment for the summer by providing funding to subsidize unpaid work at a public service organization. Public service organizations for the purposes of this fellowship may include government or nonprofit organizations. In order to be considered for a fellowship, students must:
The Martin A. Feinrider Summer Fellowship for International Human Rights is designed to provide funding for law students who are spending the summer working for a nonprofit public interest organization devoted to international human rights. In order to be considered for a fellowship, students must:
The Ovid and Clare Lewis Public Interest Fellowship is designed to encourage law student involvement in public service legal employment for the summer by providing funding to subsidize unpaid work at a public service organization. Public service organizations fort he purposes of this fellowship may include legal aids/services or other similar nonprofit organizations in Florida. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate active involvement in public interest law through prior public interested activities. In order to be considered for a fellowship, students must:
The Rebecca Knox Public Interest Law Summer Fellowship is funded through proceeds from an annual Public Interest Law Society Auction. The purpose of this fellowship is to provide funding to students who serve community needs by working in a legal position in the public sector. Public interest work is defined, for the purposes of this fellowship, as work for a non-profit organization that serves a low-income, underfunded and/or underrepresented community. Preference will be given to students who choose to work for Legal Aid or Legal Services agencies. Students selected for this fellowship will positively reflect the goals and objectives of the Public Interest Law Society and Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, and will have demonstrated an interest in serving the public interest community. In order to be considered for a fellowship, students must:
In addition, students may apply for fellowships/grants for summer public interest opportunities outside of the College of Law, including local and national fellowships.
Law School Funded:
As a means of encouraging interest in public interest law, the Office of Career and Professional Development offers summer stipends to students who work in a public interest setting for a summer while in law school. From 2012 through 2018, 62 students have been awarded a total of $77,390. The money is raised via an auction of items donated by faculty, staff, alumni, and students. The Law School also regularly brings a variety of public interest and government employers to campus for on-campus interviews, including the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and JAG Programs for U.S. Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) fellows are selected by PILF membership annually for summer stipends to work in the public interest and public sector. https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/study/special-programs/public-interest-law-foundation.
Law School Funded:
The Dean's Summer Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Fellowships are annually funded and awarded to students who secure pro bono and public interest law positions that otherwise would not be funded or would receive modest wages. Recent fellows worked at the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, the Missouri State Public Defender's Trial Division, the Osage County DA's Office, the Roger Mills and Ellis County DA's Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Environment, Transportation and Public Works, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, the Native American Domestic Violence Program, Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Catholic Charities, the Colorado Springs Public Defender's Office, the Oklahoma County Public Defender's Office, and the New York Legal Assistance Group.
The Professional Career and Development Center coordinates the application process and monitors progress reports of participating students.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Law Group funds summer fellowships to students who secure pro bono or public interest law positions.
Law School Funded:
Through a coordinated effort between PILC and the University financial aid and administrative offices, and with some generous grants from alumni and supporters, many students who seek it can now receive PILC’s Public Interest Summer Fellowship funding for unpaid public interest internships. Each summer, as many as 150 students dedicate their summer to public interest internships, with placements spanning a wide range of practice areas and geographic locations from juvenile defense and eviction prevention in New York City, to environmental advocacy in Alabama and North Carolina, to state and local government in New Jersey and Connecticut, to labor law in Washington DC, to disability rights and prosecution in Westchester, to human rights at the Hague.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Select students also receive generous public service scholarships and fellowships through the generosity of faculty, alumni and donors.
Law School Funded:
The Penn State Law Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) is dedicated to promoting student interest and community involvement in the field of public interest law. PILF promotes its goals by fundraising and sponsoring public interest events on campus to educate students about the rewarding career possibilities in public interest law. Each year, PILF raises thousands of dollars to underwrite the PILF Summer Fellowship Program. Fellowship awards enable Penn State Law students to accept summer employment with public interest firms and organizations that desperately need student assistance but do not have the resources to compensate summer interns.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source: IOLTA Summer Fellowship Program
Penn State Law annually offers IOLTA Summer Fellowships to first- and second-year students. Students obtain summer fellowships at Legal Services offices in Pennsylvania or at other IOLTA-funded organizations in Pennsylvania. Each fellowship is intended to fund work over a period of 10 weeks. Fellowship students are supervised on a day-to-day basis by staff and managing attorneys. Students in this program assist staff attorneys in representing eligible clients in a variety of case types, including but not limited to protection from abuse, custody, landlord tenant, public benefits, and consumer law matters. Students have extensive contact with clients, and may carry a caseload of their own.
Law School Funded:
Cherie M. Millage Summer Fellowship Program
Established by students in the fall of 1990, The Penn State Dickinson Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) is dedicated to promoting student interest and community involvement in the field of public interest law. PILF promotes its goals by fundraising and sponsoring public interest events on campus to educate students about the rewarding career possibilities in public interest law. Each year, PILF raises thousands of dollars to underwrite The Cherie M. Millage Summer Fellowship Program. Fellowship awards enable Penn State Law students to accept summer employment with public interest firms and organizations that desperately need student assistance but do not have the resources to compensate summer interns.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
IOLTA Summer Fellowship Program
The Pennsylvania State University's Dickinson School of Law annually offers approximately seventeen IOLTA Summer Fellowships to first- and second-year students in the summer of 2012. Recipients of the fellowships will be placed in summer jobs at Legal Services offices in Pennsylvania or at other IOLTA-funded organizations in Pennsylvania. Each fellowship is intended to fund approximately 375 hours of work over a period of 10-12 weeks and the fellowship funding is distributed in 4 payments over the course of the summer totaling $5,250.
Fellowship students will be supervised on a day-to-day basis by staff and managing attorneys. Those placed in Legal Services programs will assist staff attorneys in representing eligible clients in a variety of case types, most commonly, protection from abuse, custody, landlord tenant, public benefits, and consumer law matters. Students in these positions have extensive contact with clients, and may carry a caseload of their own. Some students will have the opportunity to represent clients in administrative hearings such as unemployment compensation hearings. Students placed in statewide advocacy or pro bono organizations will work on policy or broad-scope matters affecting access to justice and other substantive areas of law.
Law School Funded: Public Interest Stipend Program provides stipends for students working in public interest.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source: The Public Interest Stipend Program receives funding from various funding sources including the Advocates for Public Interest Law, who raise funds through a student-run auction for summer pro bono work.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Project (PILP) Student organized fund raiser to provide funds for summer public interest work positions.
Law School Funded:
The Office of Career & Alumni Services receives $12,000 annually to distribute to students working during the summer in public interest law. Students must submit a formal application and are selected through a competitive process.
Graduate Student Funded:
Through PILAR (Public Interest Legal Advocates of Regent- Student Organization).
Other Funding Source:
Regent Law School receives $9,000 annually from the Virginia Law Foundation annually to distribute to students working during the summer in public interest law. Students must submit a formal application and are selected through a competitive process.
Law School Funded:
RWU Law funds summer stipends for otherwise unpaid public interest summer jobs.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
The Association of Public Interest Law contributes funds toward the summer stipend program by raising money at an annual auction.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) Summer Grants
Law School Funded:
The Maida Public Interest Fellows Program is made possible through the generosity of James and Dr. Sharon Maida. Established in 2015 to acknowledge, support and sustain public interest legal work by students and graduates of Rutgers Law School, the Maida Public Interest Fellowships Program supports Maida Summer Fellowships. In addition, Rutgers students are eligible for numerous other summer stipends.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Through the Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program, the Law School encourages students to participate in the delivery of legal services to the underserved. The Public Interest Fellowship Selection Committee awards fellowships to qualified students for summer positions with non-profit organizations and governmental agencies representing traditionally underrepresented clients, groups or interests. The Committee awards fellowships to students working in areas such as domestic violence, mental health, community development and child advocacy.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The Law School funds ten summer fellowships.
Graduate Student Funded:
Students fund ten summer fellowships.
Other Funding Source:
The Irvin and Maggie Dagen Public Interest Fellowships are awarded to law students who are committed to working in public interest law. The fellowships are funded by the School of Law, the Public Interest Law Group, and the Irvin and Maggie Dagen Fellowship Fund. The fellowship stipends will go to students who obtain volunteer positions with public interest organizations for the summer, including government offices, whose work entails serving the underrepresented and/or ensuring justice in our society. Examples of past employers of fellowship recipients include Legal Services, the Office of the Public Defenders, the EEOC, numerous prosecuting attorneys' offices, HUD and the ACLU. This year, fellowships will have a maximum value of $2500.
For more information, see http://law.slu.edu/organizations/pilg/fellowship.html
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Fellowship: Begun in 2016, this fellowship funded one student in their public interest summer internship. It is expected to be offered again in 2017.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Stipend - Students committing to working 8-10 weeks during the summer in an uncompensated public interest or public service position can qualify for Cumberland's Public Interest Summer Stipend.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Some summer fellowships are funded through a foundation grant
Law School Funded:
The Center for Social Justice funds a number of stipends or fellowships for students working in public interest or public sector summer positions. Students apply on one single application, although the stipends may be awarded from a number of endowments, law firm fellowships, and other funds. For more information about the various fellowships and stipends, visit https://law.scu.edu/socialjustice/public-interest-summer-grants-general-information/.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
In 2004-2005, up to 10 students received summer stipends (approximately $30,000 was awarded in summer stipends). The money was raised by PILF (Public Interest Law Foundation) and matched by the Law School.
Graduate Student Funded:
In 2002, up to 10 students received summer stipends (approximately $30,000 was awarded in summer stipends). The money was raised by PILF (Public Interest Law Foundation) and matched by the Law School.
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Each Public Interest Fellowship award is approximately $4000.00 for a ten-week placement. Fellowships typically combine federal work-study funds with private funds raised through the annual public interest auction. If the Fellow does not qualify for work-study, other arrangements will be made, so long as funds are available.
Students working in government placements may receive funding if the employer pays 25% of the work-study salary.
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: The Joseph R. Bartylak Public Interest Fellowship Program assists students who accept nonpaying, full-time (defined as 35 or more hours per week/7 weeks), public interest summer internships following their first or second year of law school. Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Law Committee Summer Grant Program: Southwestern’s Public Interest Law Committee Summer Grant Program offers federal work-study funds for up to 20 continuing students with (i) financial need and (ii) who have committed to an unpaid, full-time summer clerkship up to a ten-week term with a qualified legal services organization or government agency.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source: Donor-Funded Summer Fellowship Programs
Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellowships: Made possible by a grant from the Rodan Family Foundation, Southwestern offers the Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellowships, our premiere summer fellowships offered to select students who plan to dedicate their legal careers to working on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Up to five (5) first-year and five (5) second-year students will be selected to receive grant funding to support full-time work with qualified public sector entities up to a ten-week summer term.
The Harvey L. and Lillian Silbert Foundation established the Harvey L. and Lillian Silbert Public Interest Fellowship at Southwestern to provide grants for selected students working in unpaid, full-time summer clerk programs with specific Los Angeles-based civil legal aid agencies up to a ten-week summer term.
Dean Leigh H. Taylor Public Interest Law Fund: On occasion of his retirement and in recognition of his ardent support of public interest programs and their invaluable contribution to society, Southwestern alumni established an endowment fund in Dean Emeritus Leigh H. Taylor's name in 2005. The recipient of the Dean Leigh H. Taylor Public Interest Law Fund must have a strong interest in public interest practice and have a demonstrated commitment to serve low-income populations unable to afford legal representation.
The Dean Susan Westerberg Prager Endowment Fund: In honor of Dean Susan Westerberg Prager’s long service to the legal community, the Dean Susan Westerberg Prager Endowment Fund was established to support a Southwestern student committed to public interest career practice. This grant is open to all continuing students and a student is eligible to apply if he / she / they is: (i) enrolled full- or part-time as a J.D. student at Southwestern Law School and (ii) has financial aid need according to the policies and practices of Southwestern’s Public Interest Law Committee.
External Funding Programs for Summer Fellowships
Southwestern students receive individualized advice and assist in applying for funding made available to public interest career students from a number of summer funding programs and organizations, including Equal Justice Works, Equal Justice America, the Peggy Browning Fund as well as local, regional and national bar associations offering summer fellowships, such as the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, the Mexican American Bar Foundation, the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association and more.
Law School Funded:
Every summer, the Law School awards summer public interest $5,000 fellowships to over 120 students. These fellowships are funded by Stanford Law School and federal work-study funds. Stanford Law School guarantees these fellowships to all students with financial need who plan to work in a nonprofit or government summer position.
The Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship was established by the family and friends of Ms. Schnitzer, a first-year Stanford Law School student who held a deep commitment to helping others, and who died in a car accident in 1987. Each spring, the $3,000 scholarship is awarded to a female first-year student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to helping the disadvantaged, who meets the Office of Financial Aid's criteria of financial need, and who will work for a nonprofit organization or government agency during the summer following her first year.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Levin Center also administers the nominations process for several summer scholarships funded by external supporters and some are designated specifically for Stanford law students.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Equal Justice Works seeks to promote involvement in public interest law positions by interacting with the public interest community at large. EJW hosts an auction each year to raise money to send interested students to Washington, D.C., in the fall for a national job fair, and also raises money for students working in public interest jobs for little or no pay during the summer. Equal Justice Works also sponsors various guest speakers and clothing drives throughout the year.
Law School Funded:
SPILG Summer Fellowships
The Summer Public Service Fellowship Program, sponsored by the student-run Suffolk Public Interest Law Group (SPILG), awards summer fellowships for students working in otherwise unpaid summer internships with government agencies and public interest groups. In 2008, SPILG funded over 80 public service Fellows.
Graduate Student Funded:
Thomas J. Drinan Memorial Fellowship
Established by family and friends in memory of Thomas J. Drinan, JD '76, this fellowship is awarded annually to fund the ten-week summer internship of a Suffolk University Law School student who has demonstrated a desire to work in a Massachusetts public office engaged in the prosecution or defense of criminal cases.
Paul R. McLaughlin Memorial Fellowship Fund
Established by friends and family in memory of Paul R. McLaughlin, JD '81, this fellowship is awarded annually to fund the summer internship of a Suffolk University Law School student who has a demonstrated desire to pursue a career in criminal law in the public sector. Second-year Day Division students or third-year Evening Division students with a concentration in criminal law are eligible to apply.
Other Funding Source:
Consumer Law Public Service Fellowship
The Consumer Law Public Service Fellowship is a newly established fellowship offered to support the summer employment of a designated Suffolk University Law School student engaged in public service in the field of consumer rights and protection.
Rappaport Fellows Program in Law & Public Policy
The Rappaport Fellows Program in Law and Public Policy is a unique fellowship program in public service and civic leadership sponsored by Suffolk University Law School that brings together gifted students from each of the six Boston-area law schools to work with top public policy makers on the issues that affect our lives and work in Greater Boston and Massachusetts. This one-of-a-kind program exposes outstanding law students to the challenging complexities and powerful societal rewards of creating successful public policy. At the heart of the program is its desire to attract, train, inspire, and connect the next generation of civic leaders and policy shapers.
Law School Funded:
The Dean's Office sponsors two fellows per year at $3,000-3,500.
The Buffalo Public Interest Law Program (BPILP) awards 10-15 fellowships ($3,000-3,500 each). BPILP also collaborates with student groups to fund "Co-op" fellowships for students working in particular practice areas. Past co-op fellowships include: The Domestic Violence Task Force, the Environmental Law Society, the Latin American Law Students Association, OUTLaw, and the Student Bar Association.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
The Human Rights Law Committee sponsors several students per summer to engage in international human rights work through the Buffalo Human Rights Law Center.
One Charles E. Mann Public Interest Award recipient in the amount of $1,000 each year.
One UB Law Alumni Association's Buffalo Public Interest Law Program fellow at $3,000 each year.
Two-three Kaplan & Reynolds Summer Public Interest Law Fellowships are awarded each year. These are $3000 each.
One Suzanne E. Tomkins Women, Children and Social Justice Advocacy Fellow at $3,000 each year.
Law School Funded:
SPIN Fellows - All continuing students are eligible to apply for SPIN Fellowships for the Summer. Fellows are required to commit a minimum of 300 hours of service at a public interest agency. Students secure positions across the country and become part of the SPIN network. During the Summer of 2009, SPIN sponsored 14 Summer Fellows.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Grant Opportunity Program
The GO Program, which provides summer stipends, is funded through fundraising and Syracuse University College of Law contributions as well as from alumni, foundations and other organizations. (Examples: BarBri, Onondaga County Bar, NYS Prosecutors Association) The numbers vary every year. In 2001, the Law School awarded 26 grants at $2,000 each ($52,000 total). The students raised approximately $17,000 from an auction, a pro bono concert, a luau event and a couple of bake sales. The Law School contribution (Dean's Contribution) was $10,000.
Other Funding Source:
SPIN Fellows - All continuing students are eligible to apply for SPIN Fellowships for the Summer. Fellows are required to commit a minimum of 300 hours of service at a public interest agency. Students secure positions across the country and become part of the SPIN network. This year, SPIN is proud to have 14 Summer Fellows placed worldwide.
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/wp-content/uploads/files/americorps/06-07%20Welcome%20to%20Summer%20Corps.pdf
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Student Public Interest Network (SPIN) is a student-run organization that raises money to provide modest salaries to Temple Law students to enable them to work for public interest legal organizations during the summer. The number of grants provided depends on the number of eligible applicants and the amount of money raised.
The Honorable Clifford Scott Green Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded to a second-year day or third year evening student who has demonstrated a commitment to public interest law or pro bono legal service. The scholarship is provided as a financial assistance to enable a student to continue working in the public interest sector during the summer.
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Outside corporations have funded the Public Interest Law fellowship and efforts are ongoing to increase the base of funding for this program.
The Dallas Fort Worth Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel has been a long standing supporter through the Larry Margolies Pro Bono Fellowship fund.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
SPII Summer Fellowship Program - Any law student at Texas Tech School of Law can apply for summer funding from the Student Public Interest Initiative (SPII) that raise funds through an annual auction and other fundraising activities to support students who work with public interest organizations in the summer. Students receiving summer funding from SPII can either work with an organization that does work on behalf of disempowered or underrepresented people, or can work on an independent project that addresses a specific social problem under the supervision of an attorney or organization that is capable of offering guidance and expertise to the student. The student must: (1) Demonstrate that s/he has exhausted all other funding available to him/her and that the work that the student proposes to do would be impossible without funding from SPII (2) Demonstrate that the summer work s/he proposes to do fits within SPII's definition of public interest work.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Summer public interest fellowships are funded by Federal work study , proceeds of an auction sponsored by both Touro and its students and grants raised from private indivduals and organizations.. Fellowships are $3,500 for ten weeks of work, and approximately 40 are given each year.Dean frequently adds to these monies with law school funds.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Twenty-nine students were awarded PILF (Public Interest Law Foundation of Tulane) fellowships in the summer of 2009. The PILF fellowships were funded jointly by the law school and by the student organization of the same name.
Law School Funded:
Summer Long Public Interest Fellowships
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source: Student Bar Association (SBA) Fundraiser
Malkin-Koosed Public Interest Fellowship
Akron Bar Association Fellowship (2 awards)
The David D. Dowd, Sr. Memorial Summer Job Placement Award
The Knight Foundation First Amendment Fellowship
Law School Funded:
Since 1992, when Public Interest Summer Fellowships were first awarded at the University of Alabama School of Law, approximately $175,285.00 has been awarded to approximately 190 students employed in public interest legal work during their summers of law school. Placements have included Legal Aid, Legal Services Corporation, Public Defender offices, U.S. Attorney's offices, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Southern Environmental Law Center in Washington, the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest, the Alabama office of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Nature Conservancy, the University of Berkeley Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, National Labor Relations Board, Equal Justice Center's Poultry Workers Project, and the office of a U.S. Senator. Eligible UA students are offered such fellowships each summer.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded:
Using funds donated by one of our previous graduating classes, one student was funded for a public interest position in Summer 2005.
Other Funding Source:
Students raised funds at an event coordinated by the Public Interest Law Organization. Students, faculty and administrators donated money to fund a position, then cast their vote for the person they most wanted to support, based on anonymous job descriptions submitted by students requesting funding.
Our Summer federal work study program provides paid employment for between 60 and 70 students (primarily first years). Students interview for the positions at our Sonoran Desert Public Sector Career Fair, held each February, and most have received job offers by early March. 2005 work study employers included the Arizona Governor's General Counsel; Arizona Attorney General (capital litigation, agriculture, transportation, employment, natural resources, and more); Arizona Secretary of State; county prosecutors and public defenders from throughout Arizona and beyond; Municipality of Anchorage; city attorneys throughout Arizona (criminal and civil divisions); Tucson City Court; Southern Arizona Legal Aid; White Mountain Legal Aid; Catholic Social Services Asylum Program; DNA Legal Services (the largest legal aid organization in the U.S. for Native Americans); the Gila River Indian Community; DC Employment Justice Center; Arizona Center for Disability Law; and National Center for Interamerican Free Trade.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The University of Arkansas School of Law Summer Public Service Fellowship Program provides paid public service fellowships to promising first and second-year law students interested in public service careers. It offers meaningful employment opportunities to law students and provides free services to nonprofit, non-governmental, and government entities that cannot otherwise afford summer interns. During the summer of 2021, the program will offer fellowships to 10 students. The program is part of the School of Law’s broader effort to fulfill the University's land-grant mission. More information is here.
Past Summer Public Service fellows have worked for employers including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Rush, YWCA Tulsa, Campaign for Youth Justice, Center for Arkansas Legal Services, Arch City Defenders, Shelby County Public Defenders, Oklahoma Innocence Project, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, Federal Public Defender, Arkansas Access to Justice, Washington County Public Defender.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Squire Patton Boggs Foundation funds a Summer Public Policy Fellow position for a University of Arkansas School of Law student. Funding for the Summer Public Service Fellowship Program is also provided by the Raffaelli Lineberger Public Service Fund, Public Interest and Rural Community Sustainability Fund, Public Interest Litigation Scholarship Fund, and Rose Law Firm’s Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Award.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The UC Irvine School of Law provides significant financial support to insure that each first and second year student doing public interest legal work for the summer receives a stipend. The School of Law provides these funds in addition to the student funded PILF Fellowships and the community supported Meyerhoff Fellowships.
Graduate Student Funded:
The UCI Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) is a non-profit student organization that provides financial support to UCI Law students working to address gaps in our justice system and to assist those with the greatest need in our community. PILF seeks to enable all interested UCI Law students to serve the public interest – a core mission of UC Irvine School of Law – by providing work stipends, networking opportunities and informational resources so that students gain hands-on experience and an understanding of how the law works, with real clients and real problems. PILF does extensive fundraising to provide summer fellowships for students doing public interest work.
Other Funding Source:
The Al Meyerhoff Fellowships are financially supported by donations from the community. In conjunction with PILF, the Meyerhoff funds provide financial support for every student doing public interest legal work for the summer.
Law School Funded:
UCLA Law funds summer stipends for students who work in unpaid law clerk positions for public interest (nonprofit or government) employers, federal judges, or state supreme court judges. These include special fellowships supported by donors such as the Justice John Paul Stevens Foundation. In recent years, UCLA Law has funded more than 200 rising 2Ls and 3Ls each summer. More details: https://law.ucla.edu/life-ucla-law/careers/office-public-interest-programs/public-interest-financial-support
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
In addition to UCLA Law’s summer stipends, UCLA Law students are encouraged to seek external fellowships offered by bar associations, foundations, and others that support summer public interest work, and the Financial Aid office maintains an ongoing list of opportunities.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
King Hall Legal Foundation (KHLF) https://students.law.ucdavis.edu/khlf/
The number of fellowship recipients varies from year to year depending on funds available. Thirteen students received fellowships for the summer of 2001. Sources of funding include the KHLF Spring Auction, Day of Wages, and King Hall alumni donations.
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
As part of our mission as a great public law school, Berkeley Law is eager for a large number of our students to experience public interest/public service lawyering. This includes making it financially feasible for every student pursuing a JD degree at Berkeley to do summer public interest/public service legal work.
The Berkeley Law Public Interest/Public Service Summer Fellowship Program (informally known as the "Edley Grant" program) offers summer Fellowships to every continuing JD students who applies. First-time (typically 1L) recipients of Berkeley Law summer funding are eligible to receive up to $4,000. Such recipients may choose to receive only a portion of the $4000 for this summer and save the remainder to support their public interest/public sector work in the summer following their second year. Second-time recipients of Berkeley Law summer funding are eligible to receive an award of $2,000, in addition to any saved funds remaining from their first summer, up to a total of $6,000. Second-time recipients may also request supplemental, competitive funding from the law school.
Recipients can use this funding in combination with other summer funding sources as long as they do not exceed a designated funding cap.
The main requirement for obtaining a Fellowship is to show a commitment to public interest/public service by completing at least 25 hours of law-related pro bono work during the school year. This requirement can be met by participating in Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects (SLPS) or through other pro bono work.
Graduate Student Funded:
A number of law student groups also offer public interest summer fellowships. These groups include: the Berkeley Law Foundation; the Boalt Hall Queer Caucus; the Boalt Hall Women's Association; the Boalt Hall Committee on Human Rights; boalt.org; and the Ecology Law Quarterly.
For links to these organizations, visit: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/227.htm
Other Funding Source:
Each summer, Berkeley Law students are recipients of summer fellowship & stipends from outside funders, such as Equal Justice America, Equal Justice Works Summer Corps, the Peggy Browning Fund, and many others.
The Berkeley Law Human Rights Center also awards a number of summer fellowships to law students (and other graduate students) doing summer human rights work, often outside the U.S.
Law School Funded:
Stephen Cone Fellowship: A monetary stipend for first-year students conducting summer research for a public interest organization.
Graduate Student Funded:
Hastings Public Interest Law Foundation (HPILF) awards multiple summer grants-annually for summer work with a public interest organization.
Other Funding Source: Equal Justice America Law Student Fellowship
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps
Peggy Browning FundRenne Public Law Fellowship
Law School Funded:
The Law School is committed to supporting a range of summer public interest employment opportunities and provides a guaranteed summer funding award of $5,000 to any Chicago law student who chooses to work in a public interest law position during the summer. Students are eligible for this stipend during the summer after their first year, or the summer after their second year, or both. Eligible summer public interest positions include not only work for non-profit legal aid and advocacy organizations and policy groups, but also federal, state and local governmental legal positions, and international human rights organizations and other law-based NGOs.
First-year and second-year students must work in eligible nonprofit or government law positions for at least eight weeks of their summers. Participants in this program may also earn up to $5,000 per summer from other external (non-Law School) funding sources during the course of their summers.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Chicago Law Foundation (CLF) is a student-directed, not-for profit group that awards grants to law students who devote their summers to working in the public interest. Because few public interest organizations and government agencies have the money to pay law students for summer employment, CLF assists law students who would not otherwise be able to work for such organizations. Together with support from the Law School, CLF is now able to guarantee summer public interest funding to any second-year law student who works ten weeks in a public interest law position at a nonprofit or government agency.
CLF is non-partisan and funds projects that fall anywhere on the political spectrum. Past CLF grantees have worked for a wide variety of organizations including: the American Civil Liberties Union; the AIDS Legal Council; the Institute for Justice; Public Citizen Litigation Group; Brooklyn Legal Services; the Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project; the Center for Individual Rights; the Authors' Guild; the National Wildlife Federation; and a host of federal, state or local governmental agencies.
Other Funding Source:
Students also receive summer funding from other sources such as the Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program, Equal Justice America, and other grant programs.
Additionally, students who are working at internationally-based public interest law positions are eligible to receive a $1,200 summer travel stipend.
Law School Funded:
The College of Law offers funded fellowships. Fundraising efforts include a Wine Tasting and Silent Art Auction as well as an annual pledge drive and contributions. The amount of funding varies each year and is a function of the fundraising efforts of the prior year as well as any outside contributions. On average 50-65 students receive funding each summer with awards ranging from $2,500 to $3,075.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
For information regarding the followships listed below, see https://law.uc.edu/admissions-aid/admitted-students/fellowships.htm
Law School Funded:
Colorado Law’s Summer Fellowship Program provides financial support to Colorado Law students pursuing unpaid and extremely lowly paid summer public service job opportunities. Fellowships are available for public service work, with the exception of judicial internships and for-credit externships. Some fellowships are specific to particular practice areas, e.g. environmental law, public policy, and civil rights. Others are available for any practice area. To receive a fellowship/stipend, a student must secure and commit to a public service summer position. Funding amounts vary and most are limited to unpaid or extremely lowly paid work. Two of our student groups, the Women’s Law Caucus and the Public Interest Student Association award and fund summer fellowships/stipends under the umbrella of our Summer Fellowship Program. Colorado Law’s Summer Fellowship also features fellowships which are supported by endowed funds provided by supporters of our law school and its public service-minded students.
Graduate Student Funded:
Women's Law Caucus Public Interest Scholarships - emphasis on public interest work affecting women
Public Interest Student Association Public Interest Fellowships - emphasis on public interest work
Other Funding Source:
Patton Boggs Public Policy Fellowship - emphasis on public policy work
Sangrund Environmental Law Fellowship- emphasis on environmental and natural resources law and policy work
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Public Interest Law Group funds summer grants each year for students who plan to work in low and non-paying jobs that serve the public interest. The number of grants available in any given year is dependent upon how successful the group's fundraising efforts have been. Over the last five years, the group has been able to fund between 8-12 grants each summer.
Other Funding Source:
Similar to students' ongoing application for funding from outside programs on a post-graduate basis, students are encouraged to, and do, apply for a variety of public interest fellowships and stipends to support public service summer positions.
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
None.
Law School Funded: PILG & Denver Law Summer Stipends: The student group PILG raises money each year to provide funding to students who are working unpaid in a legal placement with a nonprofit or government agency. Denver Law also provides supplemental funding for these awards. The number of awards and amount of each award varies per year.
Ved Nanda Center Summer Stipends: ($500-$1500 generally): The Ved Nanda Center at Denver Law often provides funds for stipends to students working or externing in the area of human rights.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Paterson Internship Fund provides assistance for students completing overseas internships. Grants average around $1,000.
Other Funding Source: Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellowship ($2500): If engaging in public policy work for either a nonprofit or government agency, DU students can apply for this fellowship and two will be awarded to DU students. Students cannot engage in litigation, trial work, or client representation to receive an award.
Civil Rights Summer Scholarship ($2,000). This stipend is made available through the profits of the DU Civil Rights Summit. Two awards will be given to students working in the field of civil rights.
Hill and Robbins Fellowship with Colorado Lawyers Committee or Colorado Legal Services ($5000): If interested in nonprofit work and poverty law ad children’s issue, this fellowship is a fit. One award will be given to a CU or DU student.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The College of Law matches funds to support summer fellowships for students working in public interest positions.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Students, through the Association for Public Interest Summer Fellowship Program, provide funding to support summer fellowships for students working in public interest positions (number and amount of each fellowship is determined by the amount of money raised by the students through fundraising activities). The College of Law matches these funds.
Public Service Partners (a program for law firms who volunteer donations to the support the Association for Public Interest Summer Fellowship Program). The number and amount of each fellowship is determined by the amount of money raised by the students through fundraising activities.
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Practicum provides two summer fellowships that allow students to provide services to the homeless, disabled and underrepresented.
Graduate Student Funded:
None
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The law school funds approximately 30 Summer Public Interest Fellowships each summer. In addition, around 10 students can be awarded a Global Fellowship for working in a government agency or non-profit organization abroad.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Our generous friends and alumni fund:
Sohns Fellowship - Awarded for a student to work with Lone Star Legal Aid
Marvin Nathan Fellowship - Awarded for a student to work with the Anti-Defamation League
Law School Funded:
The College of Law administers summer Public Interest Fellowship Funds for summer positions.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The law school has a Public Interest Fellowship Program, funded with Idaho Law Foundation (IOLTA funds and other direct grants) grants and private donations. The program funds living expenses for students who work without pay in summer placements at public interest and public sector organizations.
Law School Funded: Course Work with Funding or Funding Opportunities
COVID-19 Practicum
The COVID-19 Practicum examined issues arising from the unpredictable consequences arising from the pandemic through a short session course. The students were then paired with the with legal aid organizations across Illinois in addressing the societal effects of COVID-19 through the College of Law’s externship program. The classroom component of the Practicum addressed issues relating to constitutional law, employment law, contract formation and interpretation, tort liability, elder law implication, health law, and bankruptcy. The classroom portion of the course featured a team-teaching approach led by College of Law faculty members and select guest speakers. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.
Legal Externships
Externships are designed to expose 2L and 3L students to practical aspects of lawyering by allowing students to earn academic credit for performing uncompensated legal work, under the supervision of lawyers at approved non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or judges. Students will complete assignments such as interviewing clients and witnesses; researching legal questions; preparing pleadings, discovery motions, and briefs; and, in some instances, trying cases.
Racial Justice Practicum
This one-week intensive course surveys issues of race and inequality in several substantive legal areas: civil rights, employment discrimination, immigration, housing, healthcare, criminal justice and more. Each topic is taught as a module by a guest lecturer who is an expert in the field. With a focus on both legal doctrine and policy, this course is designed to prepare students for the range of issues they will encounter in their summer placements and future careers as agents of socio-legal and racial justice. Followed by a tailored externship placement tailed to the racial justice issues. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.
Jerome Mirza Foundation Grants
Exclusive to the College of Law, students are paired with public interest agencies and organizations located in central Illinois. These placements are eligible for externship credit for the summer work. Additionally, those who are selected for the Mirza Foundation grants also receive a generous summer stipend for their public interest work at the externship.
Anderson Fellowship Grants
Also exclusive to the College of Law, the Anderson Summer Fellowships are targeted for students who are paired with selected public interest agencies and organizations located in the Chicago area. These placements are eligible for externship credit for the summer work. Additionally, those who are selected for the Anderson Fellowship grants also receive a generous summer stipend for their public interest work at the externship.
Public Interest Law Initiative’s (PILI) Law Student Internship Program
College of Law students are encouraged to participate in the PILI Law Student Internship Program during the summer term. Students are paired with PILI partner public interest agencies, where they engage in direct client services across a wide scope of legal activities, all under the supervision of a PILI partner attorney. Selected interns are eligible to receive both academic credit and the financial award.
Scholarships and Awards with Summer Public Interest/Pro Bono Requirements
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Class of 1996 Public Interest Award
The Class of 1996 endowed an award for a student who participates in a summer legal pro-bono opportunity each year. Students are selected for this award primarily on their personal statement regarding their public interest goals.
Public Interest Law Foundation Summer Public Interest Grants
Funded in part by the proceeds of the SBA/PILF Auction, the Public Interest Law Foundation annually issues multiple awards for students engaged in government or public interest summer work. Public interest opportunities include direct legal work for government placements (e.g. public defender, judicial externship, EPA, etc.), and non-profit organizations. A primary part of the selection criteria is the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to a career in public interest.
SBA Leadership & Engagement Grants
Funded by the proceeds of the SBA/PILF Auction, the Engagement and Leadership Grant Program is an SBA initiative to assist College of Law students who will spend their summers providing legal work in government or public interest positions for little or no compensation. Additionally, the grants are designed to recognize students who have demonstrated engagement or leadership which has contributed to the College of Law.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Summer Public Interest Grants
The law school offers a number of summer public interest grants, each with its own eligibility criteria which are designed to help offset reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to the field placement. All applicants must be volunteering with a public interest or government agency. Public interest agencies include IRS Code 501(c)(3) entities, government agencies, and advocacy groups. Grants are funded by the law school and private donors.
Equal Justice Foundation (EJF) Summer Stipends
EJF students raise funds each year through a series of fundraisers. EJF manages the application and selection process and awards are based primarily on applicant's participation in EJF fundraising events and general commitment to public interest. The law foundation matches the funds raised each year by the students in the Equal Justice Foundation.
Public Interest Summer Internship Class of 1998 Fund
Recipients must be a currently enrolled law student and must demonstrate procurement of summer employment in public interest law, an area which includes Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) entities, government agencies, and advocacy groups. Projected summer employment compensation must be either low or unpaid. The applicant's level of need and the intensity of commitment to public interest law are the primary criteria for selection. Academic achievement will not be considered a factor. Recipients are selected by a committee of faculty and staff.
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
The law school pays half of the summer intern's salary.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Generous alumni, faculty and student organization support allows the law school to award a record number of stipends. More than $26,000 was awarded to 21 students serving underrepresented populations during the summer of 2010. These fellowships include Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowships, Davenport Public Interest Fellowships, Jana Mackey Public Interest Fellowships, Lyons Public Interest Fellowships, Public Interest Law Society (PILS) Public Interest Fellowships, Women in Law (WIL) Public Interest Fellowship, Brown/Giffin Public Interest Fellowship and the ILS Public Interest Fellowship.
Graduate Student Funded:
Educational Opportunity Fund scholarships are awarded to 2-3 students who volunteer their entire summer to work in public interest law or pro bono work. Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) monies are distributed by the University of Kansas Student Senate. To be considered, requests for EOF funding must meet at least one of several criteria, including that the monies be awarded to students participating in public and community service programs.
Other Funding Source:
The KU Law Public Interest Law Society (PILS) sponsors an annual Casino Night to raise money to fund summer stipends for students working for public interest organizations. In both 2004 and 2005, PILS raised over $2000 at the Casino Night.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The College of Law has received grants from the United States Department of Justice for the Rural Drug Prosecution Assistance Project ("RDPAP"). The purpose of the RDPAP is to enhance the ability of the criminal justice system in the rural parts of Kentucky to prosecute, defend, and adjudicate the increased volume of drug and drug-related crimes, by placing UK Law students and graduates as interns and employees with Commonwealth's Attorneys, Public Defenders and Circuit Court judges. One component of this Program is the funding of a summer internship program under which College of Law students work as summer interns with Public Defender offices in areas affected by the problems of drug abuse. This work would, of course, be for the benefit of indigent defendants.
The Student Public Interest Law Foundation ("SPILF"), the student public interest group at the College of Law, receives some grant money and money raised by students (see description below). Students apply to SPILF to receive grants to support summer work for public interest groups.
Law School Funded:
Ellen Ewing Fellowships - Annual Summer Public Interest Fellowships ($2,500 - $3,000 for ten weeks) are funded by a law school fundraiser, "Lawlapalooza", allowing students to work at The Legal Aid Society of Louisville.
Greenebaum Public Service Fellowships – Annual summer public interest fellowships ($1,000 - $3,000 for ten weeks) funded through the Samuel L. Greenebaum Public Service Program.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
Annual Summer Public Interest Fellowships ($3,000 - $3,500 for ten weeks) are funded by a grant from the Kentucky Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Fund to work at various legal aid agencies throughout Kentucky.
Edwin H. Perry Mediation Fellowships - A local lawyer has funded fellowships to train students for pro bono service. Each year this program offers a number of fellowships in mediation. Student "fellows" receive basic, family and divorce mediation skills training (70 hours), then apply their knowledge in thirty hours of family law mediation to fulfill their public service requirement. The "fellows" become part of the Louisville Bar Association Family Law Pro Bono Teams Project, mediating all matters of child visitation and custody for each case assigned to a team. .There is no monetary amount for these fellowships. Each student selected for a fellowship will receive free mediation training valued at $1,000.
Law School Funded:
Cushman D. Anthony Fellowship - The Cushman D. Anthony Fellowship gives a student an opportunity to work on child-based policy issues and to develop general practice litigation skills. It is named in honor of Cushman Anthony, Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic’s founder and first director. Students apply during the fall of their second-year. A committee of law faculty selects one Fellow each year, based on a commitment to public service, interest and aptitude in policy work, and a desire to develop trial skills. The Fellow spends time representing plaintiffs in Protection From Abuse proceedings at the Lewiston District Court and juveniles in the capacity of “Lawyer of the Day” in Juvenile Court proceedings at the Biddeford District Court. The other Fellowship hours are designated for policy work, and the Fellow assists Professor Christopher Northrop with ongoing juvenile policy projects. In addition, the Fellow is encouraged to pursue a child focused project of his/her choosing. The Cushman D. Anthony Fellowship is awarded annually by the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic.
James M. Roux Fellowship - The James M. Roux Fellowship was established by Arnie Macdonald and Liza Moore for the benefit of the Summer Intern Program at the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic. During their second year of law school, a Roux Fellow will be selected through a highly competitive process for work as a summer intern at the Clinic. Every year the Roux Fellow will have the opportunity to get invaluable experience representing clients in every phase of litigation. They will assist prisoners with civil issues, youth struggling in their communities and their schools, victims of domestic violence, and many others throughout Maine who likely would not have an advocate for their legal issues without the Clinic.
Roger Putnam Fellowship - The Roger A. Putnam Fellowship gives a student an opportunity to gain experience in important dimensions of lawyering, including: client counseling, ethics, investigation, pre-trial practice, oral and written advocacy, case strategy, negotiation, document drafting, conducting trials, and appellate practice. The Putnam Fellow is selected in his or her second-year of law school through a competitive process and receives a modest stipend for work as a summer intern at the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic. The Clinic provides legal assistance to low-income residents of Maine. Its mission reflects the lifelong work of Roger Putnam, who has delighted in mentoring young lawyers in the art and skill of trial advocacy and who devoted a significant portion of his career to ensuring that all Mainers have access to our system of justice. The Putnam Fellowship is awarded annually by the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic.
Arctic Law Fellowship - In early 2020, augmenting its Ocean and Coastal program, Maine Law launched the innovative Arctic Law Fellowship program. This program provides opportunities for students to study the intersections of law and science coupled with field experiences at an Arctic location, such as Greenland or Norway. Charles H. Norchi, the Benjamin Thompson Professor of Law at Maine Law, supervises the Arctic Law Fellows.
MAPIL Fellowship Program - The Maine Association for Public Interest Law (MAPIL), a student organization, raises funds through a variety of events, including an annual Public Interest Auction. The funds raised, together with funds contributed annually by the law school's Alumni Association and other sources, are used to provide stipends for selected students who engage in public interest work during the summer months through the MAPIL Fellowship Program.
The Bernstein District Court Fellows Program - This fellowship program was established by the law school through a bequest from the estate of a long-time friend of the law school, and provides stipends to selected students who work during the summer as clerks for participating judges of the Maine District Court.
The Horace Libby Fund/Public Utilities Commission Fellowship - This endowed public interest fellowship was established in honor of Horace S. Libby, who served as Chief Counsel to the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for fourteen years. The Fund supports a student summer internship at the PUC.
Legislative Fellowship Program - The Law School's Legislative Fellowship Program provides students with a stipend and an opportunity to serve as summer interns (working in a non-partisan capacity) with the legislative branch of state government. The fellowships are funded by contributions from the law school's Alumni Association and other sources.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Maine Law administers summer public interest fellowships on behalf of the Maine Women's Policy Center (the Linda Smith Dyer Fellowship) and the Cumberland Bar Association (the Cumberland Bar Association Public Interest Fellowship).
Law School Funded:
Dean's Award and support of student organization summer fellows, Maryland Public Interest Law Project,
Graduate Student Funded:
Not applicable
Other Funding Source:
Not applicable
Law School Funded:
The Public Interest Summer Stipend Program enables students to explore public interest law as a possible career path. Students are awarded stipends for working in full-time public interest legal internships for nonprofit or government organizations for an eight-week period during the summer. The awardees are selected though a competitive application process. The applications are distributed during the spring semester and are accompanied by a panel presentation on public interest summer funding opportunities.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Fellowships
Law School Funded:
HOPE Fellowship Program: All continuing students are eligible to apply for a $5,000 HOPE Summer Fellowship. Fellows are required to work full time for 9 weeks at a local, national or international public interest/government agency. Students must submit a proposal for a public interest placement, identify a unique project, and demonstrate a commitment to public interest. Students secure positions worldwide and are responsible for programming, education and advocacy in the subsequent school year.
Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program: Rising 1Ls are eligible to apply for a Summer Public Interest Fellowship which offers academic credit and a stipend. Fellows are required to work full time for 8 weeks at a local public interest/government agency and attend a public interest seminar up to two evenings per week. The seminar includes speakers from the bench and bar, as well as a research and writing requirement.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Michigan Law guarantees funding for 1L and 2L public service summers. In addition, competitive internal fellowships include:
Graduate Student Funded:
Student-funded fellowships are a proud Michigan Law tradition dating back to 1977. This student-run program provides guaranteed summer funding to all first-year law students by
:
Awarding competitive grants in the amount of $6,000 to 1Ls focused on careers in public service. In 2018, SFF provided 24 of these grants.
Providing interest-free loans in the amount of $4000 to all 1Ls (except those who receive an SFF grant or other Michigan Law funding for the summer).
Other Funding Source:
None.
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
In addition to these fellowships, the CPDC staff is available to speak to students about additional fellowship opportunities offered by outside organizations.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Mizzou Law Shortridge Loan Program: The Shortridge Loan Program is designed to help law students gain practical experience in the public sector. Mizzou Law provides up to 10 loans of $4000-$6000 to selected students who work in the area of public service or public interest during the summer. The Shortridge loan offers a 0% interest rate, a 12-month grace period beginning after graduation before entering repayment, and a 7-year repayment term.
Mizzou Law Diversity Judicial Fellowship: Mizzou Law offers one diverse first- or second-year law student an judicial internship with either a state or federal judge, where that student is paid a stipend to continue to develop their research and writing skills while working directly with a judge and law clerks to draft memoranda, judgments, orders, and opinions.
Judge Lawrence G. Crahan Judicial Fellowship: Each year, two first-year law students from the School of Law are awarded the Judge Lawrence G. Crahan Judicial Fellowship, to serve for eight weeks as a judicial clerk for one or more judges at the Missouri Court of Appeals and/or the Missouri Supreme Court. The awardees have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and an interest in a judicial clerkship upon graduation.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Public Interest Law Association Stipend. The Stipend goes to a member of the organization who takes a summer position working in public interest for no pay. To be eligible student members must also fulfill a community service project requirement. This program encourages students to participate in community service projects and also to take internships in the Public Interest field.
Law School Funded:
None
Graduate Student Funded:
None
Other Funding Source:
None
Law School Funded:
The Nebraska Public Interest Law Fund (NPILF) Summer Fellowships provide a limited number of stipends to matriculated University of Nebraska College of Law students who secure summer positions that serve the public interest.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
NFCPI (Nebraska Fund for Clerkships in the Public Interest): Summer fellowships are funded through donations by faculty, staff, attorneys, a percentage of Bar/Bri sales and by the Women's Law Caucus annual charity auction. The number of awards varies each year, with usually four to six awarded. The total amount awarded for summer public interest clerkships is usually $10,000 -$12,000.
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Law Students Association raises funds and awards students fellowships for public interest summer clerkships.
Law School Funded:
Public Interest Coalition Fellowships: In an effort to provide students with meaningful social justice opportunities, the UNH School of Law Social Justice Institute helps fund law students' public interest summer work experience. Because many organizations do not have the financial means to pay a summer legal intern's salary—yet social justice organizations are in grave need of legal assistance—the Public Interest Coalition (PIC) Fellowships provide a $4,000 stipend to students interning with social justice oriented organizations and agencies. This stipend reduces the student's living expenses and makes it possible for the student to assist these underserved populations. Because of this funding, UNH School of Law students can pursue social justice experiences and provide quality legal assistance to many non-profits and government agencies—full time—for an entire summer.
Other Funding Sources
Equal Justice Works:
Through the support and encouragement of the Social Justice Institute, law students have applied for and received summer funding through Equal Justice Works. Equal Justice Works provides funding to law students who demonstrate a commitment to help bring justice to millions of low-income people. Recently, Paul Roberson—a second year law student-- was awarded summer funding to work at Community Legal Services in Compton, California.
Graduate Student Funded:
Yes
Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Coalition organizes a charity auction every year to fund students who are working in the public interest over the summer.
Other Funding by Gifts:
Lexis-Nexis $3,500
Orr & Reno $3,500
The NH Bar Foundation $3,500
The Cindy Lonergan Memorial Fund $1,750
Law School Funded:
The Law School partially underwrites the summer public interest stipends offered by the Association for Public Interest Law at UNM.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Association for Public Interest Law at UNM raises money for summer stipends each year.
Other Funding Source:
The State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyer Division offers two summer fellowships for public interest work. The New Mexico Center on Law & Poverty offers The Seth Montgomery Summer Fellowship, which pays for a student to work at the Center.
Law School Funded:
Each year summer grants are awarded to students who are taking unpaid or low-paying summer public interest and public sector jobs. Funding for these grants comes from several sources, including student organizations and private funds. Examples include:
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Various student organizations also award partial grants. In 2017, the following student organizations awarded grants to students:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
OU Law provides over $80,000 in summer public interest fellowship support to students working unpaid in government and public interest internships.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Oregon Law’s Environmental & Natural Resource Center offers summer stipends for public interest work at environmental nonprofits to some of its fellows.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund, a student organization, raises funds and provides stipends for students with summer public interest positions with nonprofits. Student group Land Air Water also provides stipends each summer for public interest work with environmental nonprofits.
Other Funding Source:
The Wayne Morse Center, an independent center housed in Knight Law School, offers funded summer fellowships to law students with demonstrated commitment to public service. Wayne Morse Center Fellows provides paid summer fellowships in Washington, D.C. and Salem, Oregon. In addition, the Oregon State Bar offers several summer fellowships each year for public interest work.
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The Law School's Center for International Legal Education (CILE) offers fellowships for students pursuing study, research or internships abroad.
Graduate Student Funded:
Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation raises funds each year to provide summer grants to students working in public interest organizations and government agencies.
Other Funding Source:
Equal Justice Works
Peggy Browning
K&L Gates Public Interest Fellowship
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The University of Richmond School of Law guarantees a summer of funding for students interested in unpaid public sector/government internships through the Summer Public Interest Fellowship program.
Graduate Student Funded:
In Summer 2010, the law school awarded 83 stipends to law students pursuing summer employment in the public interest field. This number does not include the fellowships and awards secured by students through Equal Justice Works, Equal Justice America, and other outside sources.
Other Funding Source:
In Summer 2010, the law school awarded 83 stipends to law students pursuing summer employment in the public interest field. This number does not include the fellowships and awards secured by students through Equal Justice Works, Equal Justice America, and other outside sources.
Law School Funded:
The UST Law Chapter of the Minnesota Justice Foundation, the law school annual fund, and the graduating class have joined together to support law students in their desire to work in non-profit, legal aid and public service professions. Students at the School of Law have the opportunity to participate in a competitive process to design their own summer fellowship in the public interest legal field. Each student must submit an application form, a ballot statement and provide a letter of commitment from the agency they intend to work for. Students have won fellowships to work for a variety of public interest agencies such as: the Council on Crime and Justice, ICLAD-Iraq Constitutional Project, Legal Services Advocacy Project, Tenth Judicial District Public Defender's Office, Youth Law Project @ Legal Aid, Friends of the BWCA, St. Paul City Attorney's Office, Center for Biological Diversity, Legal Aid of Oregon, and FAA – Airports & Environmental Law.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Konduros Public Interest Fellows - 8 public interest minded rising 2l and 3L students are matched with SC non-profits. During their 12 week Fellowship they serve as law clerks, project development managers and research assistants.
The James L. Petigru Public Interest Summer Internship provides funding for a variety of positions, civil and criminal. The number of Internships varies and is dependent on the amount of money raised by the James L. Petigru Public Interest Society and Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. The positions are typically located in SC but out of state options are considered.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
Funds raised by James Petigru Public Interest Law Society efforts. Fellowships ranging between $1,000-2,000 are annually distributed to rising 2L and 3L students. Typically, six are distributed per year.
The SC Bar Foundation provides funding for the SC Bar Foundation Public Interest Fellows. The number of Fellows varies from summer to summer but is typically around 4 fulltime positions. They are placed with SC civil legal service programs such as the SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Legal Services and the SC Centers for Fathers and Families. Each Fellow is provided initial training on professionalism, teamwork and reflection. They also set personal and professional goals for the proposed work period and project. At the conclusion of the summer the Fellows file and summary report which becomes part of the SC Bar Foundation Annual Report.
For the past few years the funding for this has been in the $15,000 range.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
The Law School also supports PILF summer grants. Students can receive guaranteed summer funding for both their 1L and 2L summers with the The USC Gould School of Law administers three endowments that produce two summer grants annually: The Adam Scott Memorial Grant, Paul Davis Memorial Award and the Sorrell Trope USC Family Law Summer Fellowship. completion of pro bono work during the school year.
The USC Gould School of Law provides a guaranteed summer stipend to any 1L or 2L student who pursues qualifying public interest work and who satisfies the criteria established by the Barbara L. Bice Public Interest Law Foundation and Gould.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Barbara L. Bice Public Interest Law Foundation, a student-run public interest organization, provides 1L and 2L students summer grants to work in public interest programs. These grants are paid for primarily through donations and fundraising efforts. To be eligible for a grant, students must complete a minimum of 25 pro bono hours and participate in fundraising activities.
Other Funding Source:
PILF, a student-run public interest organization, awards about 25 summer grants each year. Students working their first summer in the public interest are awarded a $4500 grant and students in their second summer receive a $5,500 grant. Funding comes from a Law School-created endowment, student fundraising, and graduate donations made through our Annual Fund drive.
Law School Funded:
Kolwyck Equal Acess to Justice Summer Fellowships - These fellowships are awarded to deserving students at the College of Law who secure pro bono or public interest summer employment with an agency or non-profit organization or with a law firm which will assign the student exclusively to matters in which the firm is providing pro bono. The criteria for the award are professional promise, financial need, prior pro bono or public interest activities, likelihood of long-term commitment to the provision of legal services to persons of limited means, and the extent to which the student's proposed employment will further the goals for which this scholarship has been established. Although prior pro bono or public interest activity and the likelihood of long-term commitment to the provision of legal services to persons of limited means are important criteria, they do not preclude the award of a scholarship to students who have not previously engaged in such activity or are uncertain about the extent to which they will serve persons of limited means after their admission to the bar. The amount and the timing for disbursement of the scholarship stipend are determined by the Committee after an evaluation of the financial need of the recipient and any payments the student will receive from the agency, organization, or law firm which the student will be working.
Graduate Student Funded:
Tennessee Association for Public Interest Law TAPIL is an organization that conducts annual fundraising activities to raise money for summer public interest law fellowships. Applications are accepted each spring and money from the previous year's donations are allocated by a committee on the basis of the quality of the proposal and the student's need as reflected in a budget submitted as part of the application. TAPIL typically provides partial support for the student's activity, with the applicant supplementing the TAPIL award with other funds earned or raised. TAPIL recipients have worked in a variety of settings, both in and out of state, assigned to non profit law firms, legal services offices, public defender programs, and advocacy organizations.
Other Funding Source:
An additional funding source is the IOLTA program of the Tennessee Bar Foundation.
Law School Funded:
The law school is launching a new program, the Summer Public Service Program, in 2022 to provide a guaranteed stipend ($5000) for students working in full-time unpaid positions in the public sector during the summer. More information about this program will be available on the school’s website in the fall of 2021.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Joseph L. Rauh Equal Justice Works Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program
The UDC David A. Clarke School of Law faculty is committed to preparing students for careers in the public interest, public service, and in public policy reform. Summer jobs are among the most effective training grounds for building student expertise and commitment, making valuable professional contacts, and providing vitally needed legal services to individuals who otherwise could not afford a lawyer. For these reasons, the School of Law funds Summer Public Interest Fellowships for all qualifying first-year students and for as many second-year students as possible. Students receiving the fellowships work full-time, for a minimum of ten weeks in otherwise uncompensated legal work in support of a public interest, governmental or judicial office.
Recent placements include:
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Health and Aging Law Summer Fellowship
Each summer the McGeorge Health Law Society, in partnership with the AARP, provides approximately $5,000 to a student who obtains a position focusing on the legal issues related to health and aging. Issues of focus have included addressing elder abuse, reform of Medicare, both in California and nationally, and veterans' issues.
The Public Legal Services Society Summer Fellowship
The PLSS raises funds each year at its popular charity auction in order to assist students who have obtained public interest and public service summer positions. The grant typically ranges from $1,500-3,000 for the summer, and allows students to work in organizations that serve the public good but cannot afford to pay students.
Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Robert T. Matsui Foundation Fellowship
The Robert T. Matsui Foundation's purpose is to promote, support, and encourage early career opportunities in public service for law students. The Foundation, in collaboration with Pacific McGeorge, seeks to serve this goal with respect to both prospective Fellowship winners and others in the law school community whom the program would touch. The Foundation seeks to impact a generation of leaders now and in the future. To that end, Fellows' financial awards ranging from $500-$2,500 are only one aspect of a collaborative project between the Foundation and Pacific McGeorge.
Law School Funded:
The College of Law, in cooperation with the Public Interest Law Association, awards several public interest fellowships to help support students who work for public interest entities during the summer. These fellowships enable students to provide legal assistance to underrepresented people throughout the country by providing a stipend for students to help with their expenses.
Graduate Student Funded:
The Public Interest Law Association, in cooperation with the College of Law, helps fund several public interest fellowships to help support students who work for public interest entities during the summer.
Other Funding Source:
Bruce Comly French Public Interest Law Fellowship
Cooper & Kowalski Public Interest Law Fellowship
The Joel A. and Shirley A. Levine Public Interest Fellowship in Alternative Dispute Resolution provides students with an opportunity to explore the world of Alternative Dispute Resolution through a direct placement in the field.
The Levison Alternative Dispute Resolution Award was established to provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of alternative dispute resolution.
The Ohio State Bar Association Litigation Section Public Service Internship Award provides students wishing to practice in Ohio with support for public sector or public interest work.
Law School Funded:
The Public Interest Law Society holds fundraisers annually to support Summer Public Interest Fellowships. These fellowships have allowed students to work at organizations such as: Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Neighbor for Neighbor, and Oklahoma Indian Legal Services.
Global Internship Fellowship Fund which enables students to pursue summer public service projects or legal internships abroad.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
The Yaffe Endowment is specifically for Summer Public Interest Stipends. Other donations have also been made on an ad hoc basis. These donations have enabled students to work at organizations such as: Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, and Denton County Prosecutor's Office.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Frankel Public Interest fellowships
Spurgeon endowed fellowship
Khazeni Fellowship
Law School Funded: Graduate Student Funded:
Public Interest Law Association Student-Funded Fellowships: The Public Interest Law Association (PILA) is a UVA School of Law student organization that supports and promotes public interest law. Through its Student-Funded Fellowships (SFF) program, PILA awards fellowships to students who will work in volunteer or low-paying public interest positions during the summer. Fellowships are funded through student fundraising efforts, student, faculty, and community donors, the Law School Foundation, the Dean's Office, and the Law & Public Service Program.
Other Funding Source:
Katherine and David deWilde '67 Public Interest Summer Fellowship
Democracy Summer Fellowship
Monroe Leigh Fellowship in International Law
Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Public Policy Fellowship
Justice John Paul Stevens Fellowship
Mortimer Caplin Public Service Fellowship
Linda Fairstein Public Service Fellowship
Law School Funded:
The Gates Public Service Law Program provides summer stipends for the participants in the scholarships program and also donates a grant through the Public Interest Law Association summer grant process each year. http://www.law.washington.edu/GatesScholar/
The School of Law supports the student-run Public Interest Law Association effort to provide summer fellowships by donating funds in addition to the privately raised support. http://students.washington.edu/pila/
Graduate Student Funded:
The student-run Public Interest law Association raises funds each year to support several summer grants to students to do public interest law work in the summer. http://students.washington.edu/pila/
Other Funding Source:
None
Law School Funded:
University of Wisconsin Law School Summer Public Interest Fellowships (SPSF)
The SPSF program provides stipends to University of Wisconsin Law students who take full-time, unpaid or extremely low paid summer public service jobs. The amount of money awarded to a student will depend on the number of applicants and the amount of available funds at the law school.
http://law.wisc.edu/career/publicinterest/summer_funding.htm
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
The Career Services office provides resources to support students applying for a number of national summer funding programs including:
ABA John J. Curtin, Jr. Justice Fund Summer Legal Internship Program
Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program
Equal Justice America Legal Services Fellowships
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Program
Everett Public Service Internship Program
Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowship for Social and Economic Justice
Peggy Browning Fund Summer Internship
Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Summer Internships
Students can also receive funding from student organizations such as:
Public Interest Law Foundation
Children's Justice Project
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Each summer, Vanderbilt Law students receive stipend awards to help defray their living expenses while they engage in summer pro bono work as interns in judicial chambers, U.S. Attorney offices, governmental agencies and federal public defender offices and with NGOs and nonprofit legal aid organizations.
LAS Public Interest Stipend
Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society's Public Interest Stipends are available to students who pursue projects that support traditionally under-served populations. The stipends are awarded on a competitive basis. Students apply by submitting proposals detailing their projects, and recipients are selected based on the merits of their proposals.
VLS Summer Stipend
Vanderbilt Law School's Summer Stipends are available to students who work unpaid positions at either a non-profit or a governmental agency, including the judiciary. Positions may qualify whether they are in the U.S. or in other countries. Students apply by submitting applications to the Associate Dean for Experiential Education. Stipends will be awarded to those students who have accepted positions that most clearly reflect their educational, personal and/or career goals.
Amy and Frank M. Garrison Public Interest Fellowships
Each year, students receive fellowships to support a summer experience working in the public interest in unpaid positions at either a non-profit or governmental agency. Garrison Public Interest Fellows are selected by the Law School from among J.D. students applying for VLS Summer Stipends.
Environmental Fellowship
Vanderbilt Law School's Environmental Fellowship provides financial support to students who work in the summer for non-profit organizations dedicated to land conservation. Students apply by submitting either the PISF or VLS Summer Stipend application to the Associate Dean for Experiential Education.
Cheek Business Law Summer Fellowship
The Cheek Business Law Summer Fellowship program provides financial support to Vanderbilt Law students who work in the summer on transactional matters in the area of corporate and business law. Students are eligible for the fellowships if they are working for government agencies which regulate business issues or are working on corporate and transactional issues at not-for-profit corporations or businesses. Students apply by submitting either the PISF or VLS summer stipend application to the Associate Dean for Experiential Education.
George Barrett Social Justice Summer Stipend
The George Barrett Social Justice Summer Stipend provides financial support to students who seek to do social justice legal work during the summer. Students apply by submitting either the PISF or VLS Summer Stipend application to the Associate Dean for Experiential Education.
Koch Public Defender Summer Fellowship
The Koch Public Defender Summer Fellowship program provides financial support to Vanderbilt Law School students who work in the summer at state or federal public defender offices. Students apply by submitting either the PISF or VLS summer stipend application to the Associate Dean for Experiential Education.
Regulatory Fellowship
Vanderbilt Law School's Regulatory Fellowship provides funds for students who work in the summer for government or non-profit organizations that are involved in regulatory matters. Students apply by submitting either the PISF or VLS Summer Stipend application to the Associate Dean for Experiential Education.
Nichols Humanitarian Fund
The Nichols Humanitarian Fund enables law students to volunteer for domestic or international humanitarian service opportunities by making support available for educational, travel, and living expenses during their time of service. Nichols Humanitarian Fund Award recipients are selected by the Law School from among J.D. students applying for VLS Summer Stipends.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
The Equal Justice Foundation holds a fundraiser each year to support student public interest work in the summer.
Law School Funded:
N/A
Graduate Student Funded:
N/A
Other Funding Source:
A law student organization, the Public Interest Fellowship Program, organizes an auction every year that raises approximately $40,000 for summer fellowships, $5,000 each for law students employed at public interest organizations. Fellowship recipients over the years have worked at organizations including the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Justice, South Carolina Appleseed Justice, Philadelphia Women's Law Project, the Philadelphia AIDS Law Project, the Philadelphia Women Against Abuse Legal Center, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Montgomery County Public Defender, the Los Angeles Public Defender, the United States Attorney Office, the New Jersey Attorney General Office, and the Pennsylvania Health Law Project.
Law School Funded:
None.
Graduate Student Funded:
None.
Other Funding Source:
PILO grants – Usually $2,000 for a 10 week summer placement or $1,000 for a summer placement that is less than 10 weeks. Grant amounts or the number of grants available may vary if funding sources fluctuate from year to year.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Students working in the public sector during the summer are eligible for a limited number of work study position through The Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability and through Career Planning. In addition, funding is available through Career Planning Grants, and the Sarah Eckhoff Fellowship. The Public Interest Law Student Association (PILSA) provides first and second year law students with summer grants supporting their work in the public interest. The grants are funded by a combination of sources including the Law School and community donations.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded: Law School Funded: Public Interest Law Fellowship (PILF)
Annually, the law school invites students pursuing unpaid or low-pay public interest or public sector summer positions to apply for limited summer funding to defray summer expenses.
The Freeman Fellowship funds one law student to enroll in the International Law Program each year at the University of the Hague in the Netherlands each summer.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
A student group, the Public Interest Advocates, raised funds through a variety of mechanisms. These funds were used to sponsor 16 2005 summer public interest positions.
James Marshall Sprouse Public Interest Law Fellowships
Law School Funded:
Summer Federal Work-Study Program offers federal work-study grants to students for summer work for eligible government agencies, public interest organizations and nonprofit organizations throughout the country. Work-study awards are based on financial need and are administered through the Financial Aid Office, the Controller’s Office and Career Services. The federal government pays approximately 60% of the salary of work-study recipients, the remaining 40% is paid by the School of Law.
Graduate Student Funded: Other Funding Source: Public Interest Law Association. The Public Interest Law Association (PILA) is a student group dedicated to providing summer stipends to students who have unpaid legal internships at nonprofit organizations and government agencies. PILA raises funds through an annual auction that it holds at the School of Law. In order to qualify to apply for the stipends, students must volunteer 10 hours toward the organization of the auction.
Students have also received funding through the Massachusetts Bar Foundation Legal Intern Program.
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
The Public Interest Law Alliance, a student group, raises funds for summer public interest stipends through an annual silent auction.
DuPont Public Interest Summer Fellowships, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin Public Service Summer Fellowship, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP Public Service Summer Fellowship, MBNA Financial Literacy Education Fellowships
Law School Funded:Graduate Student Funded:Other Funding Source:
Law School Funded:
Work study money is available to qualifying students year round.
Graduate Student Funded:
The student public interest group, WUPILP (Willamette University Public Interest Law Project), raises money for public interest fellowships each summer.
http://willamette.edu/law/resources/student-orgs/wupilp/index.html
Other Funding Source:
Oregon State Bar Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship, Stipends, and Fellowships.
Law School Funded:
The Law School has a robust summer public service fellowship program. Funding sources include money allocated by the Dean, endowments, and alumni donations.
Graduate Student Funded:
The William & Mary Public Service Fund, a student organization, raises money for summer public service fellowships and loan repayment assistance.
Other Funding Source:
The Law School receives grants for summer fellowships from the Virginia Law Foundation and the Virginia State Bar's Criminal Law Section.
Law School Funded:
The Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program (SPIF) provides up to $645 a week for up to 12 weeks to every student who needs this financial support to pursue a public interest job in the summer. More information can be found here.
Kirby Simon Summer Fellowships are offered by the Schell Center for International Human Rights. These fellowships combine SPIF living stipends with a travel grant to support summer work in international human rights. In recent years, as many as 20 percent of all first year students have received summer funding through these fellowships for international human rights work. More information can be found here.
The Mary McCarthy Fellowships provide funding for students' summer or brief post-graduate work in the public interest.
Graduate Student Funded:
SPIF- Student Contribution (SPIF-SC, formerly known as YIPPIE) encourages student participation in summer public interest work by raising funds to supplement SPIF (Summer Public Interest Fellowship) funding.
Other Funding Source:
Ford Foundation Law School Public Interest Fellowship Program started in 2013 and with an initial group of four partner institutions (Harvard, NYU, Stanford and Yale Law), this program is designed to connect highly motivated and accomplished law students to substantive, ten-week placements with the foundation's grantee organizations around the world, working to improve the lives of others through legal analysis, litigation and public policy advocacy.
Law School Funded:
Cardozo Public Interest / Public Service Stipend: Awarded to first and second-year Cardozo students who have secured voluntary public interest/public service, government, or judicial legal internships during the summer. Funding for some of these stipends is provided through the David Berg Public Interest Summer Fellowship and the David Rudenstine Fellowship, which are awarded to students with a demonstrated commitment to working with underserved communities.
Cardozo Federal Work Study Program: This federal program provides funding to students for public service internships.
Cardozo International Human Rights Fellowship: Awarded to first and second-year Cardozo students who demonstrate a commitment to International Human Rights and working abroad.
Summer internships in the public sector are frequently uncompensated. To encourage first- and second-year students to explore public interest law and to meet the demands of these interested students, Cardozo provides grants to all students who complete a rigorous qualification process. In summer 2013, the law school provided 244 grants of $4,000 each to qualified students.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Source:
12/16/2022