For students planning to apply for a summer internship at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, please check our suggestions for how to navigate the two possible modes of application.

As you prepare for exams, don’t forget that OPIA has a jigsaw puzzle library! You are welcome to check out a puzzle (just sign it out in the checkout binder) and take it home for as long as you like.  Jigsaw puzzles have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and increase focus, so grab a puzzle now! And if you just need a quick fix while on campus, come put a few pieces where they belong in the communal puzzle on OPIA’s conference table.

Interested in learning more about public international law work? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

Each year public interest and government employers take advantage of the opportunity to interview students from ABA-accredited Massachusetts law schools for summer and permanent positions through the Massachusetts Law School Consortium (MLSC) Job Fairs (the Fall & Winter Government/Public Interest Programs): one for the fall, and another for the winter. The interviews for the winter program will be conducted virtually on January 29 & 30, 2026. This program is open to ALL JD students (including 1Ls). Learn more about the program, including how to participate, by going to OPIA's MLSC webpage and follow the instructions on how to submit applications.

Please keep in mind these exciting, fast-approaching fellowship deadlines:

Harvard Law Review Fellowship
Applications are due November 21, 2025, at 5 PM EST.

Justice Catalyst Fellowship
Submissions for the full application are open through December 1, 2025.

A reminder to 3Ls and judicial clerks about the approaching deadlines for two wonderful fellowship opportunities.

David A. Grossman Fund Fellowship
January 5, 2026, 5:00 pm  ET
The DAG Fund awards a $65,000 fellowship to one HLS student or alum on a judicial clerkship who demonstrates exceptional promise as a public interest attorney to work at an existing nonprofit using a community-based lawyering model.

Seaman-Plancher Legal Aid Fund Fellowship
January 5, 2026, 5:00 pm  ET
The SPLA Fund awards a $65,000 fellowship to one HLS student or alum on a judicial clerkship who demonstrates exceptional promise as a public interest attorney to work at either a legal aid organization or at an organization serving clients and communities impacted by the criminal legal system, with preference for innocence work.

Students/graduates applying for a PSVF Org-Based Fellowship need to ensure any requests to change the MOU are submitted by January 12, 2026 and to make an appointment with an OPIA adviser by January 21, 2026 to discuss the job search process.  
 
Watch or listen to our PSVF info session to learn more about these fellowships and the application process.

Interviews take on particular significance with public interest employers, as they seek to learn about your interest in their mission and your fit with their office. The following resources can help you prepare to put your best foot forward in interviews with public interest employers.

Please note that second-round applications for Summer 2026 Peggy Browning Fund Fellowships are now open. Offers will be extended on a rolling basis starting on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

The CGS Traveling Fellowship looks for strong research skills and focused, purposeful travel anywhere in the world driven by a clear methodology to address significant questions, conducting studies and practice critical to applicant’s career development. It is restricted to J.D.s and S.J.D.s due to graduate in 2026. One application for the 3 fellowships: Knox is only for a UK/Commonwealth country. Kennedy/Sheldon can go to more than one country. Applicants should choose their 2 letters of recommendation from Harvard faculty. This application requires a Fellowship Advising appointment in advance of submission to CARAT.

The 1L Virtual Mock Interview Program offers you the chance to practice your interviewing skills with, and receive candid feedback from, lawyers in both the private and public sectors. Space is limited and registration is required. Learn more about the program, including how to sign-up for a mock interview!

If you’re interested in learning more about legal nonprofit work, check out the following resources.

OPIA is sharing the announcement below on behalf of several current public interest students.Every year, a group of students choose not to participate in Big Law recruitment. If you feel certain you will not recruit at large law firms, please consider signing this google form so that students can recreate the You Are Not Alone poster. The poster is meant to reassure all students that participation in Big Law recruitment is not a must – people choose not to do Big Law for a whole host of reasons, and we want them to know that if they do so, they will not be alone. Word of mouth is critical to getting everyone in the public interest community signed up, so after you sign, please check the running signature list for your friends and send it to those who haven’t signed! The deadline for signatures is November 15.If you are a 1L who is uncertain about whether you will participate in Big Law recruitment, there is also an option on the form to indicate if you'd like to be kept in the loop about upcoming Law & Social Change and public interest informational events. Completing this form and selecting that option will add you to the Law & Social Change listserv.

Private public interest law firms (PPILFs) are involved in many of the same issues addressed by not-for-profit public interest legal organizations and government agencies – but in a law firm setting. Interested in learning more about PPILFs? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

The Harvard Law Review Fellowship supports recent Harvard Law School graduates with a demonstrated interest in serving the public through their work and scholarship. It enables fellows to spend a year working in a public interest-related role at a government agency or nonprofit organization. Each fellow will receive a $65,000 stipend. At the end of the fellowship year, each fellow writes a piece of legal scholarship that draws on the fellow’s work during their fellowship year that is published in the Law Review’s online Forum. Emphasize a project that engages a compelling Theory of Law and a writing sample that illustrates strong research and writing skills. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment. 

Interested in learning more about criminal law internships and careers? The following OPIA resources can help you begin your exploration.

As you make your game plan for applying for summer internships, you may be trying to strategize about which applications to submit earlier or later. Though 1Ls can apply to summer jobs on or after November 1, employers’ hiring timelines after that date can vary significantly. Here are some examples of employers with early deadlines.

You won’t want to miss OPIA’s annual Student-to-Student Job Fair on October 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m. in Milstein East and West, designed to introduce you to the myriad summer employment opportunities available in the U.S. and abroad. Through this in-person fair, 2Ls and 3Ls will be available to answer questions about their previous summer employers and internship experiences. 

Take a peek at the current list of organizations (subject to change) that will be represented at the fair!

Interested in learning more about government careers? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

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!