Public Interest/Government
Funding for Public Interest Opportunities
1. Public Service Law Network (PSLawNet):
Loyola is a subscriber to the Public Service Law Network (PSLAWNET) which gives students access to a searchable database of thousands of domestic and international public interest organizations and employment opportunities. The site also contains the "Fellowship Corner" which contains a fellowship calendar, fellowship application tips, a list of fellowship and grant resources, and a list of postgraduate international fellowships. Finally, the website contains resources for summer funding, a listing of law firms sponsoring split public interest summer programs, and a comprehensive global web directory of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
2. Fellowships:
One option for students who want to pursue public interest work after graduating, is to apply for post-graduate fellowships. These are funded opportunities to work for non-profit organizations for a limited time period, usually one to two years. The range of practice areas and geographic locations available are numerous. The process does require initiative and advance planning, but fellowships are excellent opportunities to begin your public interest career!
Click here for more information on Fellowships.
3. LRAP: Loyola's Loan Repayment Assistance Program
4. Summer/Internship Funding:
International Programs Committee Summer Funding
The Law School’s International Programs Committee is offers summer stipends to students who work in low-paying or non-paying jobs related to international law. Students must find their own jobs. Preference will be given to students who work abroad over those who work in the U.S. There will also be a strong preference for those who find international jobs working for not-for-profit organizations, or government organizations, but other forms of employment providing international experience will also be considered. Awards will only be made to students who have confirmed job offers.
Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois JD “Juntos Destacando” Mentors Program
Deadline in early April
• Secure employment with a government, non-profit, or public
interest agency performing legal or legal related work. Preference
will be given to applicants serving the Hispanic community.
• Complete and submit the application form (including the submission of a
short essay about your commitment to serving the legal and social
needs of the Hispanic community).
• Provide a copy of your law school transcript
Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)
The PILI Summer Internship program places students in designated Chicago area public interest organizations selected by the PILI board. A PILI Intern (1L or 2L) receives a $5,000 stipend for ten weeks of full time summer work, and participates in weekly educational programs. Application materials are available on their website beginning in mid-October. Applications are accepted through March, however, the earlier you apply the better your chances of obtaining an internship.
Consider a school year PILI fellowship (for 2Ls and 3Ls). This is a spring term internship which pays a $2,500 (approx.) stipend for 200 hours of work at one of up to 7 approved agencies. Applications are available in November and due near the end of December. For details, please visit PILI's website.
If you are graduating from law school and will be joining a Chicago law firm, you may be interested in a PILI Graduate Fellowship. Ask the firm's recruitment personnel whether the firm participates in the program. Many firms furlough, at the firm's expense, their incoming associates to work at one of our affiliated public interest law agencies, while studying for the bar. New firms are added each year to the PILI program. If your firm is not listed, ask whether you might participate anyway.
Public Interest Law Society Summer Fellowships
The PILS Fellowship is Loyola's own, funded through the PILS Auction and other fundraising activities of the Public Interest Law Society. Any interested student may apply for a grant after obtaining a sponsoring organization. Applications are reviewed and recipients selected by a committee consisting of faculty members, students, and administrators. In recent years, PILS fundraising has supported 10-12 grants to first and second year students who have worked in non-profit and governmental law offices nationwide and even internationally. Applications will be available in early spring.
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps
The Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program is an AmeriCorps-funded program that in 2008 will provide 350 law students with the opportunity to earn a $1,000 (approx.) education award voucher for dedicating their summer to a qualifying legal project at a non-profit public interest organization of their choice. For 2008, the application is available beginning in mid-March and ending in early April. Details can be found on the Equal Justice Works website.
Equal Justice America
This program provides summer fellowships to students working in organizations providing direct civil legal services to the poor such as, the Chicago Legal Clinic, Aids Legal Council, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago and Lifespan Center. Please visit Equal Justice America's website for more information.
National Lawyers Guild
2008 Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowships for Social & Economic Justice
The National Lawyers Guild is proud to offer a number of exciting projects in cities across the United States for the 2008 Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowships. From defense of the Bill of Rights in Northampton, MA to working with immigrant detainees in Florence, AZ, the projects offer a unique blend of advocacy, challenging legal work, and community organizing. In addition, this year students are encouraged to submit their own ideas for projects they want to obtain funding for.
The deadline for applications will be in mid-January.
View the brochure for general information, project ideas, and application processes.
ABA John J. Curtin, Jr. Justice Fund Summer Legal Internship Program
The ideal intern will have a demonstrated interest in public interest law and experience working with poor people or on issues affecting them. All law students are eligible, and first year students are encouraged to apply. The intern must commit no less than eight continuous weeks between May and October to the program of his or her choice. Applicants must submit the application available online to the Curtin Internship Program, American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, 740 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Applications are due in mid-March.
ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC provides summer employment opportunities for law students who have completed one or more years of law school or law school graduates who are going on to judicial clerkships.
The Bureau of Competition has a summer program with a deadline of late September for 2Ls and as soon as possible after December 1 for 1Ls.
The Bureau of Consumer Protection's summer program has a deadline of mid-November for 2Ls and mid-March for 1Ls. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.
For more information, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's website.
Environmental Protection Agency
National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) is a comprehensive fellowship program managed by EPA’s Office of Environmental Education. The purpose of the NNEMS Program is to provide students with practical research opportunities and experiences in such areas as Environmental Policy, Regulation and Law; Environmental Management and Administration; Environmental Science; Public Relations and Communications; and Computer Programming and Development.
The deadline for applying to the program is in late January. Please visit the EPA's website for more information.
Securities and Exchange Commission
The SEC's Summer Honors Law Program provides compensated summer positions for law students in their first or second year or entering judicial clerkships. This program gives law and JD/MBA students the opportunity to become acquainted with the regulation of the securities market and careers within the Commission. Students have the opportunity to work for ten weeks during the summer at the Commission's Washington, DC headquarters or in one of its 11 regional offices nationwide, including: New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. The application for 2Ls will be accepted online at this website. Applications for the DC Office must be submitted by late October. Applications for Regional Offices must be submitted by early December.
Department of Justice
The Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) is the Department's recruitment program for compensated summer internships. The SLIP is highly competitive; the Department reviews many elements of a candidate's background including: academic achievement, law review experience, moot court, legal aid and clinical experience, specialized academic studies, work experience, and extracurricular activities. The majority of students applying are in their second year of law school. Visit the DOJ's website to apply. Applicants apply online between early August and mid-September each year.
Internal Revenue Service
The Summer Legal Intern Program is available for first and second year law students in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, National Office in Washington, DC and select cities around the nation. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Submit in early fall (2Ls) or after December 1 (1Ls) for best consideration. Visit the IRS's website for more information.
United States Postal Service
The Department serves as general counsel to a $65 billion agency with 800,000 employees. It employs 280 attorneys, two-thirds of whom are located in field offices. Headquarters is organized into 5 sections: Civil Practice, Corporate Law, Employment and Labor Law, International and Rate-Making Law, and Legal Policy. Field offices are located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Hartford, Memphis, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. Attorneys practice in most areas of the law, though primarily in labor, employment, and finance law.
The Law Department routinely hires a few students who have completed two years of law school to serve as legal interns at their Headquarters and field offices during the summer months. Summer interns are paid a salary of approximately $900 per week, above many other federal intern programs. In addition, interns are reimbursed for their round-trip travel expenses from their schools to Headquarters of the area law office location at which they are assigned. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so apply early! Learn more and/or apply online at the USPS website.
City of Chicago, Law Department
The Law Department will hire approximately 10 2L Chicago residents for its paid 10-week Summer 2008 Law Clerk Program and 36 1L Chicago residents for its volunteer Summer Extern Program. The rate for paid interns is approximately $23.62 per hour. Submit cover letter, resume, official law school transcript (with GPA and class rank), a list of legal references (including legal writing professor for 2Ls and one other law professor) and a writing sample (see writing sample policy on website) prior to November 1 (2Ls) or February 1 (1Ls). 1Ls should not submit an application before December 1.
Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program
The Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program (ESCAP) provides paid, supervised internships with hands-on learning opportunities in the field of child advocacy during the summer months. Students participate in the program in one of two ways: either by working as an intern with an organization or by working on a research project. For summer 2008, the program has between 10 and 15 positions paying a stipend of approximately $5,000 for the summer. The deadline for student applications is early December. Visit the website to find out more about the program.
The Adoption JobSite
Managed by the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy, the Adoption JobSite is a one-stop matching program that connects law students and graduate social work students with adoption and child welfare employers across the country. The Adoption JobSite matches qualified students for summer employment or internships - both paid and volunteer positions. Adoption JobSite services are free to students and employers.
Michigan Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellowship
The Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellowship is committed to inspiring the best and brightest law students to pursue careers in child welfare law. Through the fellowship, students gain experience and insight into the field and provide much needed services to various child welfare offices specializing in representing children, parents, and social service agencies. After attending a three-day training session at the end of May at the University of Michigan Law School, Fellows spend at least 10 weeks at their placements. For fellows accepted into the program, living expenses during the training session will be covered. Additionally, travel costs to Ann Arbor and then to summer placement will be covered (up to $500). Funding for summer stipends is expected but limited. Visit the website for more information on the application process.
The Jack Carey Scholarship Fund:
The purpose of the Jack Carey Scholarship Fund is to provide law clerk scholarships within the Cook County Public Defender's Office, which defended indigent clients in civil cases as well as criminal misdemeanor and felony cases. Selected applicants will assist a supervising attorney(s) in investigations, case preparation, client visits, legal research and writing, motion drafting, and trial advocacy. One new applicant will be selected for each Fall, Spring, and Summer semester. Students must be eligible for their 711 license. Applications are available in the Career Services Office.
Click here to download the application.
