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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 After Graduation

Graduated, Waiting on the Bar

The months between graduation and bar results are the gap the Public Interest Bar Fellowship was built for: LAAC says finding permanent legal aid work is hard for recent graduates, and this is bridge funding while you study for the bar.

Court rules allow recent graduates the ability to provide legal services while under the supervision of legal nonprofits through California Rules of Court 9.42.

Five people sit in a row at a workshop, laughing, with flip-chart paper taped to the window behind them and trees outside.
Deputy directors at a LAAC retreat in Pomona

Do this

Three things worth doing this year

  1. The Public Interest Bar Fellowship is built for exactly these months

    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.

  2. You can do the work before you are licensed

    Court rules allow recent graduates the ability to provide legal services while under the supervision of legal nonprofits through California Rules of Court 9.42.

  3. After the bar, apply as a staff attorney

    In addition to applying to fellowships, once you pass the bar exam, you can apply to be a staff attorney. Staff attorneys are entry-level positions offered to recent graduates by legal aid 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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