Interested in privacy and technology law? One-on-one advising appointments are available with Wasserstein Fellow Ben Winters.
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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!

OPIA will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in observance of Veterans Day.

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!

The University of Pennsylvania Law Review is currently accepting submissions for the Dorothy E. Roberts Public Interest Essay Competition through February 28, 2026. The winner will be awarded a $5,000 grant to implement a public interest project related to the article and a $2,000 cash prize.

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.

As a reminder, 1Ls may begin to apply for 1L summer positions starting on November 1.

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

If you are searching for fellowships and entry-level jobs, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

If you are searching for fellowships and entry-level jobs, don’t forget to check the HLS Job Bank in CSM regularly.

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.

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.

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