Your Legal Aid Career Starts Here
Find internships, fellowships and organizations across California. Start with your year in law school.
Make Your Next Move
Right now
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October 30, 2026
FAIR Fellowshipin 4 daysApplications close All materials must be received
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March 18, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipInformation session 3pm via Zoom
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March 31, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipApplication questions posted A PDF of the questions, so you can draft answers before the form opens
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April 3, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipApplications open Reviewed on a rolling basis; earlier is better
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April 15, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipApplications close 5:00 pm
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August 31, 2026
Skadden FellowshipApplications close 11:59 pm Pacific
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September 17, 2026
Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own FellowshipApplications close Extensions are not granted
Explore organizations, start a host conversation, or ask your career office about summer funding.
Next step
- Public Interest Bar Fellowship Explore hosts and prepare your application 2026 application window: April 3–April 15.
First Year
Right now
Look for a summer placement and ask your career office about funding. School-based applications may have their own deadlines.
Next step
- Dan Bradley Fellowship Ask about summer internships Contact our member organizations working on rural issues or consumer rights.
Worth doing this year
- Pick an area to explore
- Find summer funding
- Meet legal aid attorneys
Second Year
Right now
Start summer-placement conversations and check your school's funding deadlines. Explore the Dan Bradley Fellowship for work on rural issues or consumer rights.
Next step
- Dan Bradley Fellowship Ask about summer internships Contact our member organizations working on rural issues or consumer rights.
Worth doing this year
- Find your summer placement
- Check fellowship funding
- Start a project proposal
Third Year
Right now
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October 30, 2026
FAIR Fellowshipin 4 daysApplications close All materials must be received
-
August 31, 2026
Skadden FellowshipApplications close 11:59 pm Pacific
-
September 17, 2026
Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own FellowshipApplications close Extensions are not granted
Explore current jobs and employer-run fellowships alongside project fellowships. Ask your school about bar-study and postgraduate funding.
Next step
- Public Interest Bar Fellowship Explore hosts and prepare your application 2026 application window: April 3–April 15.
Worth doing this year
- Compare your options
- Compare fellowship routes
- Plan for bar study
After Graduation
Right now
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October 30, 2026
FAIR Fellowshipin 4 daysApplications close All materials must be received
-
March 18, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipInformation session 3pm via Zoom
-
March 31, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipApplication questions posted A PDF of the questions, so you can draft answers before the form opens
-
April 3, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipApplications open Reviewed on a rolling basis; earlier is better
-
April 15, 2026
Public Interest Bar FellowshipApplications close 5:00 pm
Explore organizations that have hosted graduates before bar admission and ask about current openings. Keep preparing for the next fellowship cycle.
Next step
- Public Interest Bar Fellowship Explore hosts and prepare your application 2026 application window: April 3–April 15.
Worth doing this year
- Explore bridge funding
- Check supervised practice options
- Find your next role
Find Your Legal Aid Match
Pick your year and interests to see organizations that fit, then ask us for an introduction.
- Housing
- Immigration
- Family & Safety
- Health & Benefits
- Civil Rights
- Employment & Business
- Criminal Law
- Bankruptcy
Fellowship Programs
Compare eligibility, funding, and application dates.
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Dan Bradley Fellowship
Funded summer placement
Law students spending the summer at a LAAC member organization on rural issues or consumer rights
Ask about summer internships
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Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own Fellowship
Two-year post-graduate fellowship
Graduates of a member law school by September 2027 who have not held a full-time, permanent public interest lawyer job or another major fellowship
2027 cycle: applications closed September 17, 2026
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FAIR Fellowship
18-month employment-law fellowship
New attorneys with zero to three years of legal experience
Apply by October 30, 2026
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Public Interest Bar Fellowship
Bridge fellowship, before the bar
New graduates of California law schools who have not yet taken, or had a chance to take, the California bar exam
Explore hosts and prepare your application
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Skadden Fellowship
Two-year post-graduate fellowship
Final-year law students, judicial clerks, LL.M. candidates, and graduates within two years
2027 cycle: applications closed August 31, 2026
Meet Past Fellowship Hosts
Start with organizations that have welcomed fellows before bar admission. Find work that interests you, then explore an introduction with our team.
We matched 22 fellows with legal aid organizations in 2026.
Meet our 2026 Public Interest Bar Fellows and the organizations where they began their legal aid careers.
- University of California Davis School of Law
Ashley Menguito
- University of San Francisco School of Law
Brian Recinos
- University of California Law San Francisco
Connor Urschel
- University of San Francisco School of Law
Emily Pedro
- University of San Francisco School of Law
Ivan Villegas
- University of California Berkeley Law
Jacob Lusk
For Employers and Career Services
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For legal services organizations
Welcome a fellow, prepare your host profile and connect with emerging legal talent.
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For law school career services
Fellowship dates, funding resources and practical guidance for every year of law school.