FUNDING FOR SUMMER WORK
Columbus School of Law
The Catholic University of America
If you are interested in learning more about any of the following programs, please contact the organization directly or check with an OCPD staff member. To explore more possibilities, consult Chapter 8 of Serving the Public: A Job Search Guide (Harvard Law School), in OCPD on the “Public Interest” shelf and pslawnet.org.
I. CUA FUNDING
Charles and Louise O'Brien Fellowships
The Fellowship was established by the Reverend Raymond C. O'Brien, a professor at the law school, in honor of his grandparents. Students who will be enrolled at CUA for the fall 2010 semester and completing their first, second, or third year of law school are eligible to apply for grants in conjunction with their work at a pro bono assignment during the summer. 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. At present, each student chosen has received a grant of $6,000. Applications will be available in late February and due to the Office of Financial Aid (Room 314) at the end of March 2010.
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 public interest jobs. 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. SPIL funded 15 stipends in 2008 and 28 stipends in 2009; each stipend was $3,500. If you are interested in applying for a SPIL stipend, applications will be available in late February and due to the Office of Financial Aid (Room 314) at the end of March 2010.
Eric Weissman Endowed Scholarship Fund
Students who complete the SPIL application process will also be reviewed for the Weissman Memorial Scholarship.
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 non-profit institutions or government agencies. The student must have been offered a summer position or be under serious consideration for a summer position doing policy work. The position need not be in the Washington, D.C. area. The stipend is $5,000. If you are interested in applying for the Fellowship, you need to complete application materials in March. For more information, please contact the Office of Career and Professional Development.
II. ORGANIZATIONAL FUNDING
ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty / John J. Curtin, Jr. Legal Internship
Website: http://www.abanet.org/homeless/curtin.shtml
Email:
The student must work for an organization run by a bar organization or legal services organization anywhere in the country that serves homeless clients or those at risk of becoming homeless. The ABA provides a list of organizations the student may consider, however this list is not exclusive. The student may work at any approved homeless advocacy project run by a bar association or legal services program. A $2,500 stipend is awarded for no less than 8 weeks of continuous work between May 1 and October 1. Applications will be available online and last year’s deadline was the end of March.
ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Minority Fellowships in Environmental Law
Website: http://www.abanet.org/environ/committees/lawstudents/fellowship_home.shtml
Email:
The ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources offers several Fellowships for eligible minority law students. Each successful recipient will receive a $5,000 ($6,000 for New York Fellows) stipend in exchange for participation in the Fellowship program. There is an 8-10 week minimum commitment wherein the Fellow will work on legal matters of a government agency or public interest organization in the fields of environmental, energy, or resources law, with an emphasis on air pollution. The following states are participating in the summer 2010 program: California (deadline January 18, 2010), District of Columbia – ELI (deadline: January 31, 2010), Florida (deadline: January 18, 2010), Georgia, Hawaii, New York (deadline: November 20, 2009), North Carolina, and Oregon.
AFL-CIO Law Student Union Summer
Website: http://www.aflcio.org/aboutunions/unionsummer/lsus.cfm
Email:
Law Student Union Summer (LSUS) is a unique and exciting 10-week internship for law students that combines front-line labor-related public interest legal work with grassroots organizing in real, ongoing campaigns by AFL-CIO affiliated unions in various regions of the country. Interns work on-site, at locations throughout the country. The weekly stipend is $600 and transportation and housing are provided. The program starts on June 1, 2010, and runs through Aug. 6, 2010. Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in the practice of labor-related public interestlaw and may befirst or second year students; students who have taken one or more labor law courses and who have experience in organizing and/or community activism are preferred. Application deadline:Oct. 20, 2009,for 2Ls; Jan. 26, 2010, for 1Ls.
Alaska Conservation Foundation Internship Program
Website: http://alaskaconservation.org/_pages/programs_amp_initiatives/conservation_internship_program.php
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Internship candidates complete for assignments in organizations involved with environmental/resource management, habitat protection, advocacy, policy implementation, land and park management, marine conservation, and wildlife and endangered species protection. There were will be 12-16 Fellows for a term of 12 weeks and the stipend is $4,000. Last year, the application deadline was the beginning of April.
Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program
Website: http://www.asil.org/helton-guidelines.cfm
Email:
Funded by contributions from members of The American Society of International Law, this one-time award provides financial assistance in the form of “micro-grants” for law students and young lawyers to pursue field work and research in the areas of international law, human rights, and humanitarian affairs. Fellows will undertake their fieldwork between April 2010 and August 2010 in association with an established educational institution, international organization, or non-governmental organization working in areas related to international law, human rights, and humanitarian affairs. Pay is $1,000 in micro-grants. Applicants may submit application materials beginning Monday, October 12, 2009. All applications must be received no later than Friday, February 12, 2010. Due to administrative constraints, only the first 50 completed applications, submitted on-line, and received in full by the submission deadline will be reviewed.
Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund (AEF)
Website: http://www.aefdc.org
Email:
AEF awards summer fellowships and grants each year to law students from around the nation. The primary purpose of the fellowships is to fund a student’s internship with a public interest organization that benefits either the metropolitan Washington, D.C. community-at-large and/or theAsian Pacific American community. Such organizations include governmental organizations and other non-profits serving the public interest. The internship must be unpaid (except for nominal payment for such items as transportation), arranged by the student, and extend at least ten weeks or a total of 400 hours. Any student at an accredited law school who is enrolled at least part-time, as determined by the school, who is in good standing, who is a candidate for a law degree, and who has not previously received an AEF Fellowship, is eligible to apply for an AEF Fellowship. The deadline is April 30, 2010.
Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Summer Fellowship – University of Michigan Law School
Website: http://www.law.umich.edu/centersandprograms/ccl/calc/Bergstrom/Pages/summerfellowship.aspx
Email:
The University of Michigan Law School offers placements in the Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Summer Fellowship. Fellows work in various offices around the country specializing in the representation of children, parents and social services agencies. The applicant should have completed their first year of law school but not yet graduated. Placement in a child welfare office can be found after acceptance into the Fellowship. A limited number of stipends are available and up to $500 in travel expenses for training may be provided. Interns must work a minimum of 10 weeks and attend training. Last year the deadline was the beginning of February.
Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program
Website: http://www.theihs.org/ContentDetails.aspx?id=645
Email:
The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program combines a paid public policy internship with two career skills seminars and weekly policy lectures. You’ll gain real-world experience, take a crash course in market-based policy analysis, and hone your professional skills. The intensive ten-week program begins in June and includes a $1,500 stipend and a housing allowance. This fellowship offers the opportunity to work with top policy experts, journalists and academics in a comprehensive program of policy analysis training, professional development, writing, media relations and intellectual exploration. Fellows participate in an 8 week internship at one of D.C.’s market-oriented research organizations, public interest law firms or other state policy organizations around the U.S. The application deadline is January 31, 2010.
Dan Bradley Summer Fellowship
Website: http://www.calegaladvocates.org/about/item.Dan_Bradley_Fellowships
This fellowship funds four to six law students to work at California legal services programs for a minimum of 10 weeks over the summer. Applicants must be law students and have a strong interest in working to defend and expand the legal rights of the poor and the disadvantaged. The stipend is $3,500 (Legal Aid Association of California provides $3,000 and the host legal services program funds $500). The application must be submitted jointly by the student and an eligible legal services program. Last year, the deadline was mid-April.
Deborah T. Poritz Summer Public Interest Legal Fellowship Program – New Jersey Summer Public interest Legal Intern Program
Website: http://www.lsnj.org/internprog.htm
Email:
Approximately twenty students are placed with various legal services programs, public interest organizations, and government agencies across the state. The program is open to rising second and third year law students. Applicants should demonstrate interest in working in New Jersey in the future. The stipend varies between $550-750 per week for a 10 week period. All applications will be considered in the order in which they are received and hiring decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Interested students are therefore strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible.
Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) / CEIP Fund, Inc.
Website: http://www.eco.org
Email:
ECO off4ers a wide variety of paid internships in the fields of environmental protection, public policy and community development, and resource management. Specific information about ECO’s various placements can be located on the website. Last year there was no application deadline, but early applications generally receive the best responses.
Equal Justice America Legal Service Fellowships
Website: http://www.equaljusticeamerica.org
Email:
Students may work anywhere in the United States, provided that the hiring organization is a non-profit organization providing direct civil legal services to the poor. Equal Justice America funds over 175 students per summer. Students must work full time for at least 10 weeks, and stipends are approximately $4,000. Last year, the application deadline was the end of March.
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Program
Website: http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/programs/summercorps/general
Email:
Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides 355 law students with the opportunity to earn a $1,000 education award voucher for spending the summer in a qualifying internship at a non-profit, public interest organization. Students must complete 300 service hours to receive the education award voucher, which can be used to pay current educational expenses or qualified student loans. Last year, the application deadline was the beginning of April.
Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation/Robert E. Lee Scholarship and Internship Fund
Website: http://www.fcba.org/foundation/internship_stipends.shtml
Email:
The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) Foundation awards stipends to law students from its Chairman Robert E. Lee Scholarship and Internship Fund. The Foundation will award at least four $5,000 stipends to law students employed as unpaid summer interns in positions with the FCC and other government agencies or entities with a connection to the communications industry (i.e., broadcasting, cable television, telephony, satellite, wireless, and information technology). Applicants will be considered based on their demonstrated interest in the communications field; having secured or having pending an unpaid summer position for at least 8 weeks with a government agency; their involvement in community activities and their depends on financial assistance in order to accept an unpaid internship. In addition, the Foundation will select one outstanding intern among those chosen to receive an additional stipend of $600 for the summer—the “Max Paglin Award.” Last year’s deadline was the beginning of March.
Florida Bar Foundation Legal Services Summer Fellowship Program
Website: http://www.flabarfndn.org/grant-programs/lsa/
Email:
Through the Legal Services Summer Fellowship Program, the Foundation provides summer fellowships to roughly 40 first- and second-year law students from accredited law schools throughout the nation. Each summer, law students are placed at eligibleFoundation-funded legal assistance providers. The purposes of the fellowship program are to: involve law students in the provision of civil legal assistance to the poor in critical areas of need; provide an in-depth educational experience in representing the poor and working with individual clients and client groups in civil matters; increase law student interest in and awareness of the legal problems of the poor and the challenges and satisfactions of representing the poor; and promote commitment to pro bono representation of the poor. Stipend is $5,500 for first year students and $7,000 for second year students. Students must work full time for 11 weeks at a legal services organization in Florida. Last year, the application deadline was the end of January.
Google Policy Fellowship
Website: http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/index.html
Email:
Google Fellows will have the opportunity to work at public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access policy, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy, open government, and more. Fellows will be assigned a lead mentor at their host organizations, but will have the opportunity to work with several senior staff members over the course of the summer. Fellows will be expected to make substantive contributions to the work of their organization, including conducting policy research and analysis; drafting reports and analyses; attending government and industry meetings and conferences; and participating in other advocacy activities. They are looking for students who are passionate about technology, and want to spend the summer diving headfirst into Internet policy. Fellows will receive a stipend of $7,000 for 10 weeks during the summer of 2010. Last year, applications were due at the end of December.