Post Grad Fellowships

A fellowship is money that is granted to you to work on a specific public interest project. Fellowship work takes place at non-profit organizations, government offices, law schools, and even private law firms. Some fellowships are found and applied for like jobs and others require an extensive grant-like application.

Important Documents

Post Graduate Public Interest Fellowship Manual (pdf)

Announcements

2009 Equal Justice Works Fellowship Applications Available

Equal Justice Works Fellowship Applications are now available online. The deadline to submit completed applications is September 16, 2008. Funding would be for post graduate employment starting in the fall of 2009.

Important Reminders:

Review the application ASAP. Prospective candidates should review the online application form as soon as possible to familiarize themselves with how it works and to consider the necessary items required to apply.

Begin working on the application early. The online application does not have spell check capability, so candidates are advised to draft their application text in a word processing program. There are character limits noted for each text box, and character counts may differ between a word processing program and the application. It is therefore important for candidates to paste the text into the application well in advance of the deadline to ensure that the text fits in the allotted space.

If you are planning on submitting an Equal Justice Works Fellowship Application, it is recommended that you make an appointment with the Public Interest Law Coordinator for application review, and tips regarding this competitive process!

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Fellowship Questions & Answers

1. Why apply for a fellowship?

Fellowship recipients get the chance to use their legal training to make real change in the world while acquiring the skills and reputation that will propel the rest of their legal careers. Often, a fellowship is the only way to get an entry-level position at large non-profits and NGOs, and some of these organizations hire their fellowship recipients as full time staff attorneys after the fellowship period is over. Law firm sponsored fellowships offer a chance to have the best of both worlds doing public interest work while receiving the training and paycheck of a law firm.

2. What is the typical compensation?

Typically, fellowships are granted for short-term work (one to two years), and the pay is generally comparable with other entry-level public service work: ranging from $30,000 to $65,000 plus benefits with a few law firm sponsored fellowships paying much more. Some fellowships, however, only supply minimal compensation but may include loan deferment or other compensation.

3. Who is eligible to receive funding?

Fellowships are typically available for students in their final year of law school (to start after graduation), recent graduates, and graduates serving as judicial clerks. Depending on the nature of the funding and the job or project being applied for, recipients may also need to have passed the bar exam prior to starting work. Qualification requirements vary with the fellowship; for some fellowships, the best qualification is experience with social change, and for others, high grades and law review make for a top candidate.

4. When should fellowship funding be applied for?

Deadlines can vary broadly depending on the funding source, but most have deadlines in the early fall for work starting the following year. Students who want to start a fellowship following graduation should submit applications in the fall of their final year, typically in the first few weeks of fall semester.

5. What is involved in the application process?

As with any other job, the application process will differ from fellowship to fellowship. Many funders rely on the individual to develop a novel project and find an organization to sponsor their project; others provide funding to an organization and rely on the organization to hire the person best suited to carry out the project objectives. In either case, you will need to identify the key organizations providing services in your area of interest and work cooperatively with them throughout the application process.

It takes time and care to be awarded a fellowship, but the reward of starting your legal career with your “dream job” is unequaled. Receiving a fellowship opens many doors in the public interest law field. If you know how you want to change the world or if you see a problem that needs to be fixed, a fellowship may be right for you.

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For additional information on fellowships, review the Post Graduate Public Interest Fellowship Manual, and set an appointment to meet with Bill Penn, the Public Interest Law Coordinator, by writing to wcpenn@lclark.edu