Read this guidance if you plan to bid on plaintiffs' firms this summer.

Spring of your 3L year is the best time to start preparing for your post-clerkship public interest job search. Watch or listen to the Entry-Level Job Search webinar to get your post-clerkship job search questions about getting started, how to decide what jobs to pursue, what employers are looking for, and how to find job opportunities answered by the knowledgeable OPIA advisers.

Spring of your 2L year is the best time to start preparing for your post-graduate public interest job search. Watch or listen to the Entry-Level Job Search webinar to get your entry-level job search questions about getting started, how to decide what jobs to pursue, what employers are looking for, and how to find job opportunities answered by the knowledgeable OPIA advisers.

At OPIA, our goal is to help you find a great public interest job and avoid the common mistakes that can derail your job search. Read our list of common job search mistakes and don’t let them happen to you!

Searching for post-graduate job opportunities can feel daunting – or even overwhelming. We can help you get started by breaking down the process into more manageable chunks. Here are the four primary ways to search for entry-level job opportunities.

The LGBTQ+ Public Interest Scholarship is intended for law students and/or recent law school graduates studying for the Bar who are working or will be working in the LGBTQ+ space doing public interest work. One or more scholarships of up to $5,000 each are awarded annually. The deadline is April 30, 2025.

During the week of August 5-9, CEO will host 10-12 law students from around the country at its fourth annual Civil Rights Fellowship in Washington, D.C. The application deadline is April 15, 2025.

The Rural Summer Legal Corps is a collaboration between Equal Justice Works and Legal Services Corporation that aims to address critical legal issues facing rural communities. The following host organizations are seeking additional law student applicants for the 2025 Rural Summer Legal Corps: Michigan Advocacy Program: Farmworkers Legal Services / Legal Aid of the Bluegrass / Colorado Legal Services

The Curtin Fellowship provides a $3,500 stipend to three law school students who spend the summer months working for a bar association or legal services program designed to prevent homelessness and/or assist indigent clients (including those experiencing homelessness) or their advocates. The deadline to apply is March 28, 2025.

Harvard’s Presidential Public Service Fellowship (PPSF) program supports a broad range of summer opportunities that serve the common good. Students from Harvard College and from Harvard’s graduate and professional Schools are eligible to apply. The application deadline is March 21, 2025 at 5:00pm EST.

Law Students for Climate Accountability, creators of the scorecard assessing law firms' work with the fossil fuel industry, is accepting applications to join its student board for the 2025–26 school year.  Responsibilities range from strategic operations to outreach to content generation, and board members receive a stipend. Successful applicants are passionate about climate justice and student engagement. Applications are open until March 24; you can apply here.

While the public sector is extremely varied, most employers are looking for a core set of skills. These are skills you may already have and should continue to develop during law school through internships, clinics, and coursework.

You are encouraged to apply for the Borchard Fellowship even if you have not worked on Elder Law issues in the past. An Elder Law lens can often be applied to the work you’re doing whether it involves housing, employment, health issues, or criminal law. Past fellows have worked on issues ranging from immigration detention to consumer affairs. For assistance with your application, set up an appointment with Judy Murciano or attend Judy’s drop-in hours.

As you may have heard, over the last few days, several U.S. Attorney’s Offices have notified students who had accepted internships (and in some cases, had interviewed) before the federal hiring freeze that their office now has permission to hire unpaid volunteer interns. If you have been notified of a re-issued offer and would like to speak with an OPIA adviser about your options, please come to drop-in hours or schedule an appointment in CSM.  We strongly discourage reneging on an alternative offer you have already accepted, but can speak further about exploring split summers or other opportunities to work in government while at HLS.

As you develop your plans for your post-graduate public interest job search, you may be considering applying to fellowships, government honors programs, and/or direct entry-level positions. Along with these options, you may be wondering about whether to include clerkship applications.

We strongly encourage you to apply for fellowships to support the work that excites you. Because many fellowships require you to pursue a project with a host organization and some fellowships have very early deadlines, it is important to begin preparing NOW.

While you may have just finalized your internship plans for this summer, we know that many of you are already thinking ahead to 2L summer and weighing the pros and cons of spending it in the private sector. In this post, we offer some thoughts you may find helpful as you consider whether to participate in the Early Interview Program (EIP).

The shifts in federal government policy towards summer law interns this year has necessitated reimagining this year’s Heyman Summer Interns Program to be both more virtual and more inclusive.  The prior application deadline of February 13th has been waived.  Please stay tuned for additional information in the coming weeks/months as to what the program may look like and how you can participate.

In light of the federal hiring freeze and related actions, the Heyman Fellowship Program has been suspended for the 2025 fellowship year.  If you are a 3L, feel free to make an appointment with an OPIA adviser or come to a drop-in hour if you need assistance.  If you are an HLS alum in need of public interest career support, please reach out to OPIA for an appointment.

Because many fellowships require you to pursue a project or position with a host organization and some fellowships have early deadlines, it is important to begin preparing during your 2L spring for the fellowship application process.

We are often asked by students interested in public service work about how to weigh their wide-ranging academic options while in law school. This advice is meant to offer broad guidance on the choices you may be contemplating. Please note that it is impossible to truly provide “one-size-fits-all” advice — if you have questions about particular options and how they might relate to your career plans, be sure to seek out an OPIA adviser.