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.

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.

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.

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.

The Equal Justice Works Career Fair is the largest public interest legal career fair in the country, bringing together more than 250 public interest employers and over 2,500 law students and recent graduates for prescheduled interviews and informal "table talk" discussions over the course of three days.

The 2025 Equal Justice Works Career Fair will be held virtually from October 16-18. Registration is now open!

3Ls participating in the EJW Career Fair can have their registration fees covered by the Public Interest Interview Fund. Please email opia@law.harvard.edu for the registration code.

View the employer list for up-to-date listings of employers participating either through table talks or interviews. Note that you must apply for prescheduled interviews by Friday, September 19 at 12 p.m. ET.

The 2025-2026 DOJ Honors Program application will open on August 22, 2025, and close on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

OPIA is now using CSM for application materials review! Going forward, if you would like OPIA to review your materials, please complete this new form and attach your document(s) as Word docs. Your materials will then be assigned to an adviser for review. When completed, you will receive a notification to retrieve your reviewed document(s) from CSM.

Reminder: we will review one resume and one cover letter per academic year for 1Ls, 2Ls, and alumni. We will review multiple materials (including fellowships application materials, honors program essays, etc.) for 3Ls and LL.M.s pursuing post-graduate positions. Please allow 10-14 business days for your materials to be returned with edits and comments.

Please note that the following fall clinics still have open seats available:

Animal Law & Policy Clinic
Child Advocacy Clinic
Criminal Justice Institute: Criminal Defense Clinic
Criminal Prosecution Clinic
Family Justice Clinic
Food Law and Policy Clinic
Harvard Dispute Systems Design Clinic
Health Law and Policy Clinic
Human Rights Entrepreneurs Clinic
LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic
Tax Litigation Clinic
Veterans Law and Disability Benefits Clinic

The Nebraska Space, Cyber, and National Security Law Program is offering a Student Travel Award to support a law student's attendance at their Annual DC Conference on September 18, 2025, with additional visits to federal offices and commercial companies. The travel dates for this conference are September 16–19, 2025, and the award will cover the cost of domestic airfare and lodging. Apply by July 14. Learn more about the Student Travel Award.