Congratulations on completing your 2L year! Now that you are a rising 3L, be on the lookout for our 3L Weekly Bulletins and check out the 3L Guide to Entry-Level Post-Graduate Jobs to help you plan your post-graduate job search.

Congratulations on completing your 1L year! Now that you are a rising 2L, be on the lookout for our 2L Weekly Bulletins and check out the 2L Guide to Summer Jobs to help you plan your 2L job search.

OPIA will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2023, in observance of Memorial Day.

Location: Washington D.C.
Deadline: Open until filled
Learn more about the Law Intern position.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Congratulations, graduates! We have loved working with you. Many of our services are available to you after you leave HLS and we very much hope that you will stay in touch. All graduating students are encouraged to join our alumni listserv to receive a weekly email highlighting job & fellowship opportunities, ways to engage with our office (such as alumni happy hours, mentoring programs and networking events), and various job-related events. Read more.

As you take a breath between the end of finals period and the beginning of your summer job, now is a great time to start to familiarize yourself with the timeline and public interest job search process you can expect during your 2L year. (You read that right – you’re a 2L now!)

Though it’s only May, some early fellowship sponsorship deadlines have already been announced. Don’t miss the chance to apply for host opportunities closing in late May and early June in particular.  Get a head start on surveying the landscape at our fellowship host organization deadlines feed, and read more about fellowships generally in our recent e-advising post. Sponsorship deadlines will continue throughout the summer.

Location: Various
Deadline: Various
Learn more about the Internship positions.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Location: Washington D.C., Remote
Deadline: Open until filled
Learn more about the Legal Internship.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Once you identify jobs for which you would like to apply, it is time to start preparing your application materials. By the end of your 2L summer, you should have completed the following to prepare materials for an entry-level public interest job search.

The People's Parity Project Leadership Fellows program is open to rising 2Ls with an anticipated two-year commitment. The fellowship will start in September 2023 and finish in May 2025. Applications are due by June 16th. Learn more about the fellowship and apply here.

Networking is a critical component of a successful post-graduate job search. Even if you are working remotely this summer, you can still take many steps toward establishing relationships that will help guide your decision-making and move you forward along your career path.

Government Honors Programs are the most common pathway for 3Ls and certain recent graduates to enter government service. In preparation for your 3L year, you should start to get familiar with these opportunities now.

Read this guidance if you plan to bid on plaintiffs' firms this summer.

All 2L and 3L students considering or planning to apply for clerkships for the 2024 cycle can now refer to HLS’s updated 2023 anecdotal list of judges with a public interest focus when researching potential clerkship options. Note that this version has been significantly expanded to include federal circuit and district judges confirmed in the last year, as well as additional federal magistrate and state court judges. The updated list can be accessed here.

At OPIA, our goal is to help you find a great public interest job and avoid the common mistakes that can derail your job search. Read our list of common job search mistakes and don’t let them happen to you!

Searching for post-graduate job opportunities can feel daunting – or even overwhelming. We can help you get started by breaking down the process into more manageable chunks. Here are the four primary ways to search for entry-level job opportunities.

Location: Remote
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Learn more about the Alan Klinger Civil Rights Fellow position.

While the public sector is extremely varied, most employers are looking for a core set of skills. These are skills you may already have and should continue to develop during law school through internships, clinics, and coursework. Additional qualities that employers value in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic are increased flexibility and comfort with remote or hybrid work.

We strongly encourage you to apply for any fellowship that may help you reach the work you are excited about. Because many fellowships require you to pursue a project with a host organization, however, and because some fellowships have very early deadlines, it is important to begin preparing NOW for your fellowship search.