SPIEP Application Instructions

Loyola Law School has two sources for the funding of student summer public interest employment. They are:

SUMMER PUBLIC INTEREST EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (SPIEP) FUNDING: (Public Interest Law Department)

Loyola Law School's federal work-study program supports a number of students working at local nonprofit agencies, government agencies, and courts. Employment split between two or more organizations WILL NOT qualify for SPIEP funding.
PILF SUMMER FUNDING PROGRAM: (Public Interest Law Foundation – Student Organization)

The PILF Summer Funding Program funding has a different application. Apply directly to the student-run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF). The following information pertains solely to the Summer Public Interest Employment Program work-study, not to the PILF Summer Funding Program.

Please read these directions very carefully and in their entirety before completing the attached application.

NOTE: Applicants must have received a written offer of employment by an employer PRIOR to applying for SPIEP funding.

FAFSA Required

Applicants must complete the 2023-2024 AND 2024-2025 FAFSA application online by March 8, 2024.
When filing the 2024-2025 FAFSA application, ask the LLS Student Financial Services Office if your summer work-study allocation will affect your fall/spring financial aid allocation, and make a decision that is best for you.
Applicants currently NOT receiving federal-based aid (Direct Loans or federal work-study) will also need to complete a 2023-2024 AND 2024-2025 FAFSA.
Student Financial Services will track FAFSA filing for SPIEP applicants.

Summer Public Interest Funding Application

*Applications for Summer 2024 will open on March 5, 2024*

Students must submit the Summer Public Interest application and all required documentation by April 8, 2024.

Applicants must have received a written offer of employment by an employer PRIOR to applying for SPIEP funding.
Employers must complete the SPIEP Employer Confirmation Form portion of the SPIEP application. If an employer/supervisor is unavailable to sign the Confirmation of Job Offer, applicants may submit a copy of the confirmation letter or email, which the applicant received by the employer, to confirm their employment. Please note the Confirmation of Job Offer form, letters or emails must be provided directly to the student and should not be sent or faxed to the Law School. It is the student’s responsibility to attach a confirmed job offer to his/her application.
SPIEP APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION:
1. Complete the SPIEP application online at https://onlineforms.lls.edu/spiep.
2. SPIEP Employer Confirmation Form, employer offer letter, or employer offer email
Applicants approved for SPIEP funding will be notified by email as soon as possible after the deadline date has passed. Approved recipients will be required to accept or decline the funding and will be required to attend a Mandatory SPIEP Meeting via Zoom (date to be determined).

What does the Summer Public Interest Employment Program (SPIEP) entail?

SPIEP Funding:

SPIEP Funding is essentially summer federal work-study funding and is not a grant.
Students must request summer work study. There are two different forms available to request summer work study. Students must complete the corresponding form depending on whether they will be enrolled in at least 2 summer units. The forms can be found on LMU's Financial Aid website for Law Students. Contact the LLS Student Financial Services Office at 213-736-1140 or studentfinancialservices@lls.edu to find out which form corresponds to you.
Receiving work-study funding during the summer will affect a student’s loan eligibility for the next academic year if the student is not enrolled in at least 2 summer units.
The LMU Financial Aid Office will make the Summer Financial Aid Application available (for loans and work-study) before SPIEP begins. This should be completed by the priority deadline of April 16, 2024. They will also send a general official notice to students indicating how summer earnings may impact their loan eligibility for the 2024-2025 academic year. Students must read communications from the Financial Aid Office carefully to understand the impact of summer earnings on their fall financial aid package before committing to work study. They should also contact the LMU Financial Aid Office at 310-338-2753 or finaid@lmu.edu if they have questions or concerns.
The maximum amount earned under a full-time summer work-study contract is approximately $3,500.
The maximum amount earned under a part-time summer work-study contract is approximately $1,750.
SPIEP participants may not concurrently work as Research Assistants or Administrative Assistants. The approved funding is for SPIEP only.
Awarded recipients will be paid on an hourly basis at the rate of $18 per hour.
Hours worked must be entered daily via their electronic timesheet in Workday. Students must print their timesheets to have them signed by their off-campus supervisor on the established bi-weekly time sheet due dates. Students may not exceed their awarded allocation.
Awarded recipients who submit a signed contract to LLS Student Financial Services and complete all onboarding tasks via Workday may start working only when this office notifies them via email that their onboarding process is complete. Timesheets will not be enabled until Tuesday, May 28, 2024, provided the onboarding process is complete.
Awarded applicants will receive funding for work performed from 5/28/2024 - 7/18/2024 only. Students must stop working on 7/18/2024 OR when they exhaust their allocation, whichever occurs first. Students may NOT work on holidays or get paid for jury duty. Students may NOT earn academic credit such as field placement credit for work performed and compensated under SPIEP.
After completing the onboarding process, awarded recipients may begin work on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, BUT NOT BEFORE.
Awarded recipients cannot continue to work and receive SPIEP funding beyond the maximum amount of funding allocated or after the contract has ended on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
All awarded SPIEP recipients must attend the mandatory Summer Public Interest Employment Zoom Meeting (date to be determined) to review the SPIEP student guidelines and the summer work-study contract packet process. Mandatory individual online training on the designated electronic timesheet system is required to finalize the financial aid/work study application process. All awarded SPIEP recipients will be notified via email to confirm the date of the mandatory meeting.

NOTE: SPIEP recipients, who do not attend the mandatory Zoom meeting, will be denied funding unless absence or future video viewing of the meeting was pre-approved by Professor Sande Buhai, Director of the Public Interest Law Department (sande.buhai@lls.edu), due to emergency circumstances.

Please be aware that timely submission of a completed application is not a guarantee that applicants will be funded through the SPIEP program.

The Completed Application Packet

A complete SPIEP application consists of the following and must be submitted in the order listed:

2023-2024 AND 2024-2025 FAFSA application online by March 8, 2024
SPIEP Online Application by April 8, 2024.
SPIEP Employer Confirmation Form – signed by employer or employer letter or employer email by April 8, 2024.
After the Public Interest Department has approved your initial application, you will need to apply for a work-study award. More information about how to request the award will be disclosed during the SPIEP mandatory meeting.

Multiple Employer Applications; Changing Employers Later

Applicants may submit applications for funding to work full-time with only one proposed employer in the category that is selected (either public interest, government service, or judicial). You may not apply for funding in multiple categories.

Applicants may not work for more than one employer during the summer.

Students may apply for one-half of the funding if they are unable to work for the entire summer. If an applicant applies for one-half of the funding, they must be sure and check the appropriate box on the application. Applicants MAY NOT submit applications for two consecutive half-funding awards with different employers.

Awarded recipients MAY NOT transfer the Summer Public Interest Employment Program (SPIEP) funding to any employer other than the one for which funding is received.

Required SPIEP Mandatory Meeting:

All awarded SPIEP recipients will be required to attend the Summer Public Interest Employment Mandatory Zoom Meeting (date to be determined), to review the SPIEP student guidelines, the summer work-study contract packet process, and electronic timesheet payroll training, which must be completed to finalize the financial aid/work-study application process.
When available, all awarded SPIEP recipients will be notified via email to confirm the Mandatory SPIEP ZOOM Meeting date.