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Legal Aid Association of California New Attorney Pipeline

Closing next Equal Justice Works applications close September 17 in 9 days

The whole year

Your year 3L

Third Year

The two big post-graduate fellowships close in the first weeks of the fall semester. By October both windows have shut for the cycle.

Skadden closes at the end of August. Equal Justice Works closes in mid-September. Both need a host organization signed on before you apply.

A speaker stands at a lectern in a wood-paneled hearing room, addressing about fifteen people seated in rows of wooden chairs. A second person listens from a table in the foreground.
A speaker addressing advocates in a hearing room

Do this

Three things worth doing this year

  1. Check what is still open, today

    The two-year fellowships close earlier than most students expect, and Equal Justice Works states that it grants no extensions. What is open right now is on the front page of this site, with the date.

  2. Know what a fellowship actually is

    A fellowship is a post-graduate position at a public interest organization funded through financial assistance from another entity, like a nonprofit, law firm, or law school. Some law schools offer fellowships for public interest legal work, including at legal aid offices.

  3. Plan for the gap after graduation

    Finding permanent employment in civil legal aid is difficult for recent grads, and this program creates bridge funding that allows graduates time to study for and take the California Bar Exam and build their resume and skills, while also providing that important capacity to legal services organizations.

Wherever you are

Talk to people before you need anything from them

Then, when you’re at an organization, even as a volunteer, talk to people. Ask if you can join someone for coffee in person or on zoom to ask them about their work. If you’re on the benefits team, but you have always wanted to learn about housing, ask the housing lead if you can chat with them. Make friends at your own organization and at others. We are a small community in that everyone eventually knows everyone else, and if you make it known that you are interested in direct services work, but you’re currently doing policy work, friends may let you know about opportunities. This is especially important if you are moving across the state and still want to work in legal aid.

Five of the organizations that have hired before the bar

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