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Public Interest Summer Programs & Funding Opportunities

PSJD
Loyola is a subscriber to PSJD which gives students access to a searchable database of thousands of domestic and international public interest organizations and employment opportunities. The website also contains resources for summer funding available for work in any geographic location or for work in a specific geographic location, a listing of law firms sponsoring split public interest summer programs, and a comprehensive global web directory of governmental and non-governmental organizations. 

LOYOLA SUMMER/INTERNSHIP FUNDING

  • 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.
  • Consumer Antitrust Institute Summer Stipends
    The Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies will offer summer stipends to students who work in volunteer or low-paying jobs in the antitrust or consumer protection fields. Two to three stipends, in amounts of $4,000 each, will be available.

    Students must find their own jobs. The stipends are designed to give students the financial ability to work with non-profit or government agencies in these fields. Agencies such as the American Antitrust Institute, Antitrust Division of the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Legal Assistance Foundation, Illinois Attorney General's Office, Illinois Commerce Commission, City of Chicago Department of Consumer Services, the Citizens Utility Board, and certain positions with legislatures are just a small, non-exclusive set of the kind of potential opportunities in the field that would be considered for funding. Students are urged to be creative and consider the full range of antitrust and consumer protection positions in Chicago; Washington, DC; and elsewhere throughout the country and abroad. Proposals to fund jobs with private law firms or corporations will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Information regarding how to apply will be distributed via Law School Announcments emails. Application materials are typically due in March.
  • International Law Summer Stipends
    The Law School's International Programs Committee will offer summer stipends to students who work in unpaid or low-paying jobs related to international law. Approximately five stipends, in amounts of up to $3,000, will be available.

    Information regarding how to apply will be distributed via Law School Announcements emails. Application materials are typically due in April. Please feel free to contact Prof. Platt atsplatt@luc.edu or 312-915-7931 if you have any questions about the program.
  • Federal Work Study
    Off-campus agencies, where Loyola University Chicago students may use their work-study awards, must be from an approved not-for-profit organization that has entered into a work-study contract with the University. To find out which organizations have a contract with Loyola and are currently seeking to hire Loyola work-study recipients, any student can either review the job postings on the RamblerLink Recruiting System or may contact the Student Employment/Federal Work-Study Program Manager, Kathryn Jackson at kjackson9@luc.eduPLEASE NOTE: NO FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER 2013.

SUMMER/INTERNSHIP FUNDING 

  • IABA-Chicago Fellowship
    The IABA-Chicago Fellowship provides a $1,500 grant to a law school student who works in an unpaid or low-paid summer position benefiting the public interest. Work benefiting the South Asian community is preferable but not required. All 1L and 2L law students are urged to submit an application (students do not need to be of South Asian descent to apply). The application should take less than one hour to complete. Additionally, to promote the grant recipient’s exposure to public interest law, the selected applicant must commit to volunteering at least 6 hours total between June to December of 2013 in support of IABA-Chicago’s pro bono activities, including the Cyriac Kappil Clinic, as the IABA-Chicago Summer Intern. For more information see: http://iabachicago.org/public-interest/  

  • Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Summer Internships
    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 in November.  Applications are accepted beginning on December 1. The earlier you apply the better your chances of obtaining an internship. 
  • PILI Spring Semester Internships
    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
  • Equal Justice Works Summer Corps 
    The Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program is an AmeriCorps-funded program that will provide 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 2012, the application is available at the beginning of March and will be due in late March. 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 Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowship
    The Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowship for Social and Economic Justice has its roots in the National Lawyers Guild's established tradition of providing legal, political, and educational support to the important progressive movements of the day. The application deadline is January 14. Download the fellowship application here. 
     
  • Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Summer Fellowship
    The Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Fellowship was established by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL), and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP/NLG), to commemorate the life and legal contributions of Michael Maggio and to continue his pursuit for equality and peace. The Fellowship awards $2,500 to a law student to work on an immigration related student-initiated project. Applicants must submit a project proposal with an organization willing to host the student for 10 weeks. The student's proposal must include a collaborative plan with the host organization to partially match the amount of $1,500. This matching may be done by either direct stipend by the host organization or through other means, e.g. law school public interest funding, independent fundraising, etc. This ensures that the student will receive total funding in the amount of $4,000. To learn more about the Fellowship and to download the application form, visit www.maggiofellowship.org. The deadline for the 2013 Fellowship is December 29, 2012.
  • Jack Carey Scholarship, Cook County Public Defenders Association
    The Jack Carey Scholarship is available to 2Ls and/or 3Ls with a student license pursuant to Supremem Court Rule 711 who are interning at the Cook County Public Defender's Office in the fall, spring, or summer semester. Applications are due on July 1 for fall internships, on November 1 for spring internships, and April 1 for summer internships. Visit this site for more information.
  • ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
    The Judicial Intern Opportunity Program is a full-time, six-week minimum summer internship program open to all first- or second-year minority and/or financially disadvantaged law students who want to work for a judge in one of the participating cities. See the ABA Section of Litigation website for more information. Applications are due in late December.
  • ABA John J. Curtin, Jr. Justice Fund Summer Legal Internship Program
    The Curtin Justice Fund Legal Internship Program is managed jointly by the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty and the Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants. The program will pay a $2,500 (approx.) stipend to students who spend the summer months working for a bar association or legal services program designed to prevent homelessness or assist homeless or other indigent clients or their advocates. The Legal Internship Program will provide much-needed legal assistance to organizations serving the under-represented and give students direct exposure in a public interest forum. Through this, it aims both to help homeless clients and to encourage careers in the law which further the goals of social justice. For more information, visit the ABA's website.

    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.
  • Dr. M.L. "Hank" Henry, Jr., Fund for Judicial Internships
    A $4,000 stipend will be awarded to a qualified law student to support a 10-week summer judicial internship in New York City under the auspices of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Law Association Foundation of Greater New York ("LeGal Foundation"). The program will be designed to give the intern exposure to a variety of courts or tribunals. Applications can be downloaded from the LeGal Foundation's website. Applications are due in early January.
  • 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.
  • Georges Fellowship for Conservation at the John G. Shedd Aquarium
    Shedd Aquarium, through a grant from the Georges Foundation, is pleased to offer the Georges Fellowship for Conservation, a summer internship opportunity, to a qualified candidate selected through a competitive application process. The Georges Fellowship includes an eight-week summer internship with Shedd's conservation department focusing on environmental policy issues, mentoring by a practicing environmental law attorney, and a $5,000 stipend. Download and print the fellowship application here Applications are due in mid-January.
  • Midwest Coalition for Human Rights
    The MCHR Summer Human Rights Fellowship Program places fellows with coalition members to address human rights issues of concern in the Midwest. Work performed by the fellows contributes greatly not only to the goals and objectives of the host organization, but to the broader regional effort to raise awareness of regional, national, and international human rights issues. Fellowships range from 8 to 10 weeks in duration and students are paid a stipend upon completion of their fellowship. The application process for the Summer Fellowship Program begins in March. For more information, see the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights website.
     
  • Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Summer Fellowship
    The Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Summer Fellowship will provide funds to enable a law student to work on an immigration related, student-initiated project this summer. To learn more visitwww.maggiofellowship.org
     
  • 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. 
  • 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 Bureau of Competition's website or the Bureau of Consumer Protection's website.
  • Institute for Educational Equity & Opportunity Summer Associate Award
    The IFEEO has established a Summer Associate Award in the amount of $1,000 per week for 12 weeks. A second-year law student will develop and submit a proposal for a full-time 12 week internship with a public interest organization or an attorney that is involved in litigation to enhance educational opportunities for disadvantaged students, particularly through legal means, such as school finance/equity litigation. Visit the IFEEO website for more information. Applications are due in late January.
  • The Adoption & Child Welfare Jobsite
    Managed by the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy, the Adoption & Child Welfare 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.
  • 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 2010, 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.
  • 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.
     

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