Pipeline for Students with Disabilities

The Coelho Center recognizes the need for people with disabilities to occupy spaces where decisions are made. We aim to increase the number of students and professionals with disabilities in power by creating and connecting members of the community with resources to solve the barriers that exist for them.

College Students

Apply to The Coelho Center's Law Fellows Program.

Our program offers:

a one-week summer intensive course at Loyola Law School;
an academic-year-long virtual course;
a mentoring program between the fellows, law students, and attorneys with disabilities;
academic planning and support through the law school application process; and,
a $1,000 stipend to be used for school supplies

NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship

Thanks to a generous contribution from NBCUniversal, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is proud to offer the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship. The cycle for 2019 has closed now.

Internship Programs for Law Students with Disabilities

ABA Commission on Disability Rights Internship

The ABA Commission on Disability Rights is seeking talented law and undergraduate interns to work on various Commission initiatives, activities, and programs aimed at advancing disability civil rights and fostering the inclusion of law students and lawyers with disabilities in the legal profession.

ABA-Prudential Summer Internship

The summer internship program will allow interns to work with attorneys who support Prudential’s businesses' broad reach.

ABA-Travelers Summer Internship

The intern will work directly with experienced lawyers, conducting research, drafting briefs and motions, and observing court proceedings. The program aims to develop high-potential candidates for attorney positions at Travelers.

ABA-Microsoft Summer Internship

The legal intern will have a broad range of responsibilities across the department, including researching legal issues impacting business strategy, drafting transactional documents, attending client meetings and product reviews, and collaborating with internal teams on cross-group projects. Get ready to overcome challenges, forge solutions, and provide direct counsel to the cutting edge of the world’s most dynamic industry.

ABA-Accenture Summer Internship

The summer law intern program will be held at Accenture’s downtown Chicago offices. It will provide interns with the opportunity to work with attorneys who support Accenture’s businesses' broad reach.

1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Scholars Program

Interns and 1L law students attend the Scholars Summit and work directly with attorneys from LCLD Member organizations.

American Association of Persons with Disabilities DC Summer Internship Program

Ten (10) week (35 hours/week) paid summer internships in various offices. The AAPD provides a stipend, transportation to and from DC, and fully accessible housing.

Bazelon Center Internship

Unpaid summer and academic year ten-week internships. 2Ls and 3Ls preferred, but outstanding 1Ls will be considered. Summer applications open from September 1st to October 1st, and school-year internship applications are due June 1st for the fall and December 1st for the spring.

King & Spalding 1L Summer Associate Diversity Scholar

Nine-week summer associate program in Atlanta and DC for second-year law students.

Knobbe Martens 1L Diversity Scholarship Program

A 1L summer internship program in intellectual property law, with a grant of $5,000 and a potential path to a 2L summer associateship.

Washington Lawyer's Committee Spring and Summer Civil Rights Legal Internship Openings

Ten-week unpaid internships in employment, housing, disability rights, immigration, and prisoners’ rights in Washington, D.C.

ABA-Prudential Summer Internship for Law Students with Disabilities

10-week, paid (about $10,000 stipend) summer internship at Prudential’s New Jersey offices. Work with attorneys who support the broad reach of Prudential’s businesses.

ABA-Tr avelers Summer Internship for Law Students with Disabilities

internship begins on June 5, 2018, and runs through August 2018, with flexibility on the intern’s end date. Interns in this program are paid $25 per hour, with an intended 40-hour work week.

Fellowships

1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Scholars Program

ABA Business Law Section Fellows Program

BakerHostetler Diversity Fellowship Program

Disability Rights Advocates Sidney M. Wolinsky Fellowship

Latham & Watkins 1L Fellowship Program

McAndrews Diversity in Patent Law Fellowship Program

Perkins Coie 1L Diversity Student Fellowship

Clerkships

ABA Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship

ABA Mentorship Program for Students and Law Graduates with Disabilities

The American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights established the National Mentor Program for:

law students with disabilities
prospective law students with disabilities, and
recent law school graduates with disabilities

The Program’s purpose is to provide mentees with the opportunity to gain insight into the legal profession from an experienced attorney who practices in an area of interest and/or who shares similar personal experiences with the mentee, such as a disability. However, mentors do not have to have a disability to participate; they just have to be willing to mentor a prospective or current law student or recent law graduate with a disability. Learn more.

Pathways to the Bench

In the video series Pathways to the Bench, individual judges talk about the personal, character-building challenges they have faced that prepared them to serve on the bench. Review the videos on the U.S. Courts Website.

A.B.A Pledge for Change

In furthering its commitment to diversity in the legal profession, the ABA Commission on Disability Rights is promoting “Disability Diversity in the Legal Profession: A Pledge for Change,” a one-page pledge for legal employers to sign. The Pledge affirms the signatory’s commitment to diversity, precisely disability diversity. It recognizes that diversity is in the profession's best interest, those the profession serves, and the organization committing. The Pledge also announces that the signatory will encourage others in the legal industry to commit. Learn more about and sign the Pledge for Change.