Fellowships

Equal Justice Works Fellowships

Since 1992, Equal Justice Works has provided paid public interest fellowships to law school graduates to provide legal assistance to underserved populations and causes.  Fellows work on a range of issues, including domestic violence, homelessness, community economic development, immigration, civil rights, juvenile justice, employment rights, access to health care, consumer fraud and environmental justice.  Each year the Equal Justice Works fellowship competition selects qualified and passionate lawyers who have developed new and innovative legal projects that can impact lives and serve communities in desperate need of legal assistance.  Depending on funding, they are able to provide between 40 and 50 two-year fellowships annually. Fellows receive a competitive salary, generous loan repayment assistance, connections to their prominent sponsors, participation in trainings, and additional support during their two year tenure.  

Equal Justice Works also provides funding for AmeriCorp Legal Fellows.  The process for becoming an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow begins in May when host sites begin posting positions and runs through August or until all available positions are filled. Fellowships begin between August 1 and September 30 and run for an 11-12 month term, with the option to renew for a second year given continued funding of the Fellow’s host site. 

Justice Catalyst Fellowships

Justice Catalyst administers one-year, potentially renewable, project-based fellowships for graduating law students, or graduates up to two years out of law school, to support innovative public interest work at nonprofit organizations, as well as unions, government agencies, and plaintiff-side or public interest law firms.

Loyola Law School Post Graduate Fellowships in Public Interest Law

Each year, Loyola Law School offers Post Graduate Fellowships in Public Interest Law to graduating law students.  The fellowships were established to provide legal services to underrepresented groups and to assist Loyola students in obtaining their first public interest job while developing additional public interest resources through newly developed projects. From its inception until 2018, three two-year fellowships were offered with full salary funding in the first year and half funding during the second year with the sponsoring agency providing the balance of funding for the second year of the fellowship.  Beginning in 2019, four one-year fellowships will be offered annually with full salary funding.  The Public Interest Law Department will notify graduating students via official e-mail and InBrief notices when applications become available and the deadline date by which students may apply.

Skadden Fellowships

The Skadden Fellowship Program, described as "a legal Peace Corps" by The Los Angeles Times, was established in 1988 to commemorate the firm's 40th anniversary, in recognition of the dire need for greater funding for graduating law students who wish to devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the poor (including the working poor), the elderly, the homeless and the disabled, as well as those deprived of their civil or human rights. The aim of the foundation is to give Fellows the freedom to pursue public interest work; thus, the fellows create their own projects at public interest organizations with at least two lawyers on staff before they apply.  Fellowships are awarded for two years. Skadden provides each fellow with a salary and pays all fringe benefits to which an employee of the sponsoring organization would be entitled.  For fellows not covered by a law school low-income protection plan, the firm will pay a fellow's law school debt service for the tuition part of the loan for the duration of the fellowship.

Applicants for the fellowship must secure a potential position with a sponsoring public interest organization before applying.  Selection is based on an applicant's academic performance, demonstrated commitment to the public interest, the quality of his/her project and the demonstrated effectiveness of the sponsoring organization.  Applications are generally due during the fall semester in September or October of each year.

Soros Justice Fellowship

The Open Society Foundation’s Soros Justice Fellowship funds outstanding individuals to undertake projects that advance reform, spur debate, and catalyze change on a range of issues facing the U.S. criminal justice system.

Students looking to do a fellowship with a Loyola Law School internal organization, such as a Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic, must get prior approval from Professor Buhai.

CRLA Rural Justice Fellowships

CRLA is committed to the development of new attorneys through comprehensive training and mentoring.Fellowships with CRLA provide law students and recent law graduates an opportunity to develop legal expertise in the areas of housing, employment, environmental justice, education, and health.They sponsor law graduates applying to law foundation or law school fellowship programs and offer our own CRLA Rural Justice Fellowships.

Inner City Law Center's Housing Justice Fellowships

At Inner City Law Center, they believe post-graduate legal fellowships offer wonderful opportunities for law students to enter the public interest arena as well as strong and meaningful ways for their organization to partner with recent law school graduates who want to fight for social justice. They view fellowships as pipelines to other positions at Inner City Law Center and encourage public-interest focused students to apply for one or more of the fellowship opportunities listed on their website.

Stay Housed LA Housing Fellowships

Stay Housed L.A. offers post-graduate fellowship opportunities by hiring 3L or law school graduates who are planning to take the upcoming California bar exam and/or awaiting bar results. Get intensive training and hands-on legal experience, so you are ready to represent clients in court when you pass the Bar!