This is our last call! OPIA is recruiting members of the HLS public interest alumni community to mentor 1Ls through our alumni mentor matching program. Our hope is to match public interest 1Ls with alumni mentors who share similar career interests and/or who have navigated similar challenges. 

Read more and sign up

Here are the deadlines for OPIA's internally administered fellowships for which 3Ls and alumni are eligible to apply. Mark your calendar and make an appointment to speak with an OPIA adviser!

OPIA’s job postings can now be found in CSM/Symplicity!  You can search for jobs by keyword and location, filter by sector, save postings to return to later, and set up job alerts. For some jobs, you can apply directly within CSM. 

We will continue to include a sampling of recently added public sector jobs in our weekly emails. 

To access CSM, you must have a HarvardKey. You may claim your HarvardKey here. If you need assistance with claiming your HarvardKey, contact the alumni Help Desk. 

We appreciate your patience as we make this transition. If you have any questions, please contact opia@law.harvard.edu.

The Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) is working to establish a new legal services program to assist immigrants and refugees, and is seeking attorneys interested in joining the program.

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Legislature appropriated funds to ORI to establish this new program, which ORI has called the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative (MACI). MACI attorneys will provide direct legal representation to eligible, income qualified immigrants and refugees in Massachusetts through single consultations or ongoing legal representation, consistent with the legislative mandate.

Read more about the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative.

Applying for the U.S. Department of Justice's SLIP or Honors Program? Our application guide is now updated for this year's application cycle.

Read the 2025 OPIA Insider’s Guide

Alumni Speak brings public interest alumni voices to our current students and other alumni on topics related to law school, life, jobs and getting it all done with resilience, intentionality, and confidence. Throughout the academic year or after graduation, your messages will help students and fellow alums navigate the various challenges of law school and beyond.

We'd love to hear from you about:

Training - How and where did you develop the skills to be effective in your field? 

Belonging - When you were at HLS, did you ever feel like you didn't belong, harbor self-doubt, or struggle with lack of confidence?

Please share your thoughts through our Alumni Speak Survey. Thank you!

Bidding closes for V-PIIP virtual interviews on August 18 at 12 p.m. ET. All applications must be submitted through Symplicity CSM. Visit the step-by-step guide on how to submit your bids through Symplicity CSM.

CPCS has received funding from the Massachusetts legislature to double in size by September of 2027. They are currently looking to hire post-bar graduates (including those who sat for the July '25 bar exam) to start September 8, 2025.  They will also be hiring continuously for the next two years.

Applications for those who can start September 8, 2025, can be found here: Committee for Public Counsel Services - 2025 Public Defender Division Trial Attorney - Statewide Positions.

Hiring for Fall 2026 will have a different application process (likely starting in a couple of weeks) and we encourage you to monitor the CPCS website as well as our Alumni Digest for that cycle and all future hiring.

If you do apply, please email OPIA's Alumni Adviser, Rachel Pemstein, so we can alert the CPCS hiring team.

To help address serious staffing shortages at the state public defenders’ and county prosecutors’ offices, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court is allowing licensed attorneys from other states to work at these agencies without taking the state bar exam.

Read more

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for positions and opportunities, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

The Hub for Innovative Law Offices (HILO) is a newly launched incubator for lawyers who are starting their own public interest legal practices, and are looking to work with mission-oriented law firms, nonprofits and other organizations to increase capacity to do vital legal work. Read more: Info for attorneys – Info for organizations

The 2025-2026 DOJ Honors Program application will open on August 22, 2025, and close on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Learn more about the private public interest law firms recruiting through V-PIIP with these resources to help you prepare your applications.

Over 110 organizations have signed up to participate in this year's Virtual Public Interest Interview Program (V-PIIP), either through virtual interviewing or resume collection! Take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to apply for summer and postgraduate positions with public interest organizations all across the country. Review our resources to help you prepare for the program. We will continue to send you important information and updates throughout the summer, including news on new employer registrations, which extends through August. Please schedule an appointment with an OPIA adviser to help you prepare for the program. Review more employer details through Symplicity CSM