Interested in human rights? Appointments are available with Wasserstein Fellow Elisa Vari - Attorney with the International Refugee Assistance Project. Elisa Vari is an international human rights lawyer and forced migration expert from Italy. At the International Refugee Assistance Project, Elisa provides legal assistance to refugees and displaced individuals. Prior to that, she worked in administrative investigations for UN agencies including the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

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

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 2027. 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.

OPIA will be closed on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, in observance of Veterans Day.

This month, PILSA will be holding informal office hours designed for 1Ls who are on the fence about recruiting and are looking for a space to chat with upperclassmen who were in their shoes. Meet up at lower Hark by the pool tables, every Friday, 9-10am and 12-1pm, with free coffee.

Judge Todd E. Edelman of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis for clerkships to begin in the Fall of 2027. Judge Edelman has a strong public interest background. Applicants may send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, transcript, and a list of three references to: JudgeEdelmanChambers@dcsc.gov. The deadline is November 25, 2026.

Private public interest law firms (PPILFs) work on 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.

You won’t want to miss OPIA’s annual Student-to-Student Job Fair on October 26, 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 immigrants' rights? Appointments are available with Wasserstein Fellow Michelle Lapointe, Legal Director at the American at the American Immigration Council. Michelle leads the organization's impact litigation and oversees the Council’s legal advocacy to advance the rights of immigrants and promote a fair and just immigration system. Prior to joining the Council in 2024, Michelle served as a Deputy Legal Director at the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), where she litigated immigrants’ rights cases and advocated for immigrant worker rights. Michelle began her legal career and spent nearly 12 years at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Immigrant Justice Project. At SPLC, she represented farmworkers and guest workers in class and collective actions for unpaid wages and other employment violations, and litigated cases against federal and state officials for violations of immigrants’ civil rights.

Michelle will be on campus October 26-28. Sign up today!

If you are interested in working in plaintiffs’ law during 2L summer, note that a few of these firms are recruiting through EIP: Hagens Berman, Saveri Law, and Dovel & Luner.  In addition, litigation boutiques with some plaintiff-side work will participate.  However, most plaintiffs’ and private public interest law firms will recruit for 2L summer positions during your 1L summer and 2L fall, so be on the lookout for many more opportunities later on.

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. 

PSVF Seed Grant: Emphasize the need for launching an ambitious but feasible non-profit that is scalable and sustainable to meet an unmet need with a Theory of Change.

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

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

Mark your calendars! Learn more about the Winterview Program. Review OPIA's Winterview page for key dates and details and get a snapshot of the current list of registered employers (subject to change).

Don't miss the variety of public-interest-focused events happening next week during the Public Interest Law Students Association's "How to Get a Job" Week.  Check out a full listing of these student-led events.  OPIA will host events on demystifying public interest salaries and on how to land a public interest job post-grad, as well as the annual Justice Jam featuring storytelling by public-interest-oriented 3Ls, alumni, and faculty.

Did you miss OPIA's recent 1L Job Search Strategy Session? A recording is now available.

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!

Student Government is matching up Big Law and public interest 3Ls, LLMs, and SJDs to enroll in matching programs for free bar prep courses. Learn more and complete this short survey by October 31 to participate!

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.