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Learn More: Contact OPIA with any questions: opia@law.harvard.edu
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!
A strong resume and cover letter are essential to making a good first impression with a potential summer employer and helping them start to get to know you. The following OPIA resources can help you perfect these documents and present your background and experiences in a way that employers will find compelling.
OPIA will be closed on Monday, October 12, 2026, in observance of the Indigenous Peoples' Day holiday.
Please schedule an initial appointment with only one adviser, so that OPIA can accommodate all students who wish to make an appointment. After you have…
As you make your game plan for applying for 1L summer internships, you may be trying to strategize about when to submit which applications. Public interest employers’ hiring timelines vary significantly. Here are some examples of employers with early deadlines.
Interested in Cyber Law?
Appointments are available with Wasserstein Fellow James Yoon, Acting Assistant Deputy Chief, U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section where he helps to oversee federal investigations and prosecutions involving ransomware, computer hacking, theft of trade secrets, digital piracy, trademark counterfeiting, and illicit use of cryptocurrency. He previously served as the International Computer Hacking & Intellectual Property Attorney Advisor for Asia, stationed at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong through the U.S. Department of State.
James will be on campus October 7-9. Sign up today!
We know that many of you are considering whether – and to what extent – you’d like to become involved in the myriad student activities available to the law school community. We are often asked by students interested in public service work about the value of extracurricular involvement. Broad guidance on those choices can be found below, but please note that it is impossible to truly provide “one-size-fits-all” advice. Feel free to come to our drop-in office hours to have a conversation tailored to your individual goals.
Immigrant Justice Corps. Demonstrate a strong commitment to immigration work and policy reform. Highlight proficiency in languages other than English, cultural competence, trauma-sensitive interview skills, and direct representation. Mention stakeholders, movement lawyering, and collaborative work in high pressured settings with diverse individuals and age groups. Indicate readiness to take the bar. Contact your top-choice organizations to express interest. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.
Sign-ups for advising appointments with public interest attorney mentors visiting through the Wasserstein Fellows Program are now available! All students can take advantage of this remarkable opportunity to receive guidance from current practitioners in a wide variety of fields.
Appointments are available THIS week with Wasserstein Fellow Erin Drake, Senior Advisor & Legal Counsel, Women’s National Basketball Players Association.
Learn all about the 2026-27 Wasserstein Fellows and sign up for an appointment.
This two-year fellowship conducts high impact litigation and advocacy through four main projects: Access to Justice in the civil court system such as forced arbitration or limits on collective action; Debtors’ Prison to combat criminalization of poverty; Students’ Civil Rights Project to end discrimination and seek systemic change in school settings; Environmental Enforcement to hold corporations accountable for enforcing environmental state and federal laws. Emphasis on strong research and writing skills, experience with litigation, and agility working across civil rights issue areas with diverse individuals and teams under time pressure.
Fellows work on human rights issues in the U.S. by alternating between one year at Human Rights Watch and one year at the ACLU. Strong research, writing, legal analytical skills. Experience with trauma-sensitive interviews, media, and press releases. Exposure to complex litigation. Must be able to practice in U.S. during the two-year fellowship. Preference for applicants with knowledge of a foreign language. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.
Directed by Georgetown Law, Fellows provide quality representation at PDS to adults and adolescents accused of crimes, while developing skills as a clinical instructor. Emphasize long-term commitment to PD work and racial justice. Apply early for its rolling deadline. Submit all essay drafts for review well in advance of the deadline. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.
Independence Foundation Fellows provide free, direct legal services in the Greater Philadelphia area. Only certain organizations are invited to host a single fellow. Consult your host organization about whether they are eligible for the fellowship this year. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.
Justice Catalyst Fellowship. Harnessing the interdisciplinary approach of Professor Hanson’s Systemic Justice Lab, target how your innovative solution to a community-informed, access to justice problem can be addressed for the greatest sustainable and scalable impact that shifts power dynamics (economic and political) and fuels a clear Theory of Change. Regional work may be nationally magnified. Watch the latest info webinar. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit a prospectus by September 30, 2026. Final full application is due on December 1, 2026. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.
Interested in summer public interest work? Make a one-on-one counseling appointment with an OPIA adviser to occur after September 9. Any of our generalist advisers can help you begin your job search; you can review adviser bios and schedule an appointment online in CSM.
During your first year at HLS, there are many ways to get involved with the public interest community, including becoming part of the Public Interest Law Collective (PILC). The PILC is a student-led effort designed to provide support and uplift students with a strong desire to use their legal education in service of the public good.
To join, take 10 minutes to fill out the registration form by September 17. Please mark your calendars for a PILC kickoff event on September 23 at 6:15pm in WCC 2012, where you will meet other 1L members and your upper-class leaders.
OPIA will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of Labor Day.
OPIA invites current JD students at all class levels to participate in the Alumni Mentor Matching Program for the 2026–2027 academic year. The program connects students with experienced public interest attorneys who can share guidance, insights, and support as students navigate law school and explore public interest careers. To request a mentor, fill out the registration form, letting us know of your interests and career goals.
Please note that some deadlines vary by host country. Check the national deadline for your host country to determine which internal deadline you must meet. Project proposal should be endemic to the host country, detailed in methodology, and positioned as a “novel contribution to the field” driven by “why” and “how” questions for critical analysis. Besides the three letters of recommendation for a Fulbright (preferably 2 of the 3 from HLS Faculty), you will also need a Letter of Affiliation from the host country (faculty from an institute of higher learning/NGO), a language form from someone who has taught the host’s official language, and a Campus Evaluation (this fellowship requires a discussion with Judy Murciano in an advising appointment or during drop-in office hours). Submit your drafts for review well in advance of the internal deadline.
The ACLU runs multiple different organization-based fellowships for specific targeted litigation (Brennan First Amendment/National Security, Technology, and Privacy; Karpatkin Racial Justice Fellowship is now 2 yrs, etc.). Familiarity with their ongoing litigation and latest policy advocacy, as well as highlighting your writing and research skills, are key for integrating into their team hiring. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.
The 2026-27 DOJ Honors and SLIP application window has opened and will close at 11:59 pm on September 8th. Note that this year’s application is on a new platform. While most aspects of the application remain the same as in past years, there may be some small differences, and due to the short application window, we don’t have time to fully update our online Guide to reflect the new platform. You may still find useful information in our Guide, but you should also be sure to consult DOJ’s application tips, and always defer to DOJ’s advice when there are any inconsistencies.