Interested in learning more about public international law work? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

Each year public interest and government employers take advantage of the opportunity to interview students from ABA-accredited Massachusetts law schools for summer and permanent positions through the Massachusetts Law School Consortium (MLSC) Job Fairs (the Fall & Winter Government/Public Interest Programs): one for the fall, and another for the winter. The interviews for the winter program will be conducted virtually on January 29 & 30, 2026. This program is open to ALL JD students (including 1Ls). Learn more about the program, including how to participate, by going to OPIA's MLSC webpage and follow the instructions on how to submit applications.

Interviews take on particular significance with public interest employers, as they seek to learn about your interest in their mission and your fit with their office. The following resources can help you prepare to put your best foot forward in interviews with public interest employers.

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 2026. 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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.