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.

As public sector summer job postings go live in the coming weeks and months, you can view a wide variety of opportunities 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. 

Starting next week, we will include a sampling of recently added public sector jobs in our weekly emails.

Keep in mind that proactivity goes a long way in a public interest job search. Though our job board (and other public interest job boards) will show you many exciting opportunities, other jobs may never appear on a board at all. In addition to monitoring boards, remain in the driver’s seat of your search by identifying and reaching out to organizations of interest.

To help guide you in your public sector summer job search and beyond, we've answered some common 1L questions about accessing OPIA advisers and services.

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.

Wondering how to make the best use of your appointment time? Not sure what to expect when working with an adviser? Read this post to find out.

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. While we cannot offer formal career counseling before September 29, we can help you make choices about extracurriculars before then. 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.

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.

Learn all about the 2025-26 Wasserstein Fellows and sign up for an appointment!

We look forward to getting to know you in the coming months and to helping you learn more about public interest career opportunities. Although formal career advising does not begin until September 29, you can still take affirmative steps now to begin your career exploration. Read this post to learn how.

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, 2025. Final full application is due on December 1, 2025. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.

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. 

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. 

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.

Starting on 9/2, 1Ls interested in summer public interest work will be able to make a one-on-one counseling appointment with an OPIA adviser to occur after September 29. Any of our generalist advisers can help you begin your job search; you can review adviser bios and schedule an appointment online in CSM.

Bidding for the fall Massachusetts Law School Consortium (MLSC) Government and Public Interest Interview Program closes on Tuesday, September 9, at 12 p.m. ET. This year's interviews will be conducted virtually on October 8 & 9, 2025. Review the employer list (subject to change) and learn more about the MLSC program and how to participate.

Applying for the U.S. Department of Justice's SLIP or Honors Program? Our application guide is now updated for this year's application cycle.

Read the 2025 OPIA Insider’s Guide

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 19.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is looking for a two-year (Aug./Sep. 2026–Aug./Sep. 2028) Constitutional Litigation Fellow who is committed to civil rights, impact litigation, and upholding core First Amendment protections. Your work will include defending the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, and racial and religious minorities against religion-based discrimination and oppression. And you will fight to keep religion out of government—including through challenges to religious activities in public schools, public financing of religious institutions, and government-sponsored religion in the public square.

Jonathan W. Cuneo COSAL/Justice Catalyst Fellowship

The COSAL enforces anti-trust laws to promote class equity by holding large corporations accountable and stemming anti-competitive practices that harm consumers and small businesses. Applicants must contact one of the preferred law firm host(s) before applying. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment.

EJW Fellows seek to meet the unmet legal needs of marginalized communities in a wide range of issue areas highlighted on their website. Project-driven, the EJW application prioritizes: 1) a clearly defined problem of significant magnitude; 2) an ambitious but feasible means to address the problem with an impactful, creative/innovative concrete strategy; 3) a sustainable and scalable solution; 4) a series of opportunities for engaging the sponsoring firm/corporation in the project. EJW proposals can often serve as a template for many additional fellowships throughout the year. Recommendations sent directly to the EJW portal must be received a week before the deadline. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment. Please check the EJW site for relevant info sessions and Guide.