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.

1Ls interested in summer public interest work are now invited to make a one-on-one counseling appointment with an OPIA adviser to occur after October 15. Any of our generalist advisers can help you begin your job search; you can review adviser bios and schedule an appointment online. Choose one of the “general advising” scheduling options if you are in the early stages of exploration. Alternatively, if you have identified specific interests aligned with one of our more specific appointment options, you can select one of those instead. Please do not email the general OPIA email address or individual advisers asking for an advising appointment, as all 1Ls should be using CSM to schedule appointments.

To help prepare for your advising session, we encourage you to read our e-advising post that provides further guidance on your 1L appointment.

Interested in learning more about government careers? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

Environmental litigation focused, this two-year fellowship for HLS puts a lot of weight on the writing sample as evidence of strong research and legal analytical skills. Fellows are expected to indicate their preference for NRDC in NY, CA, DC, or IL and sit for the bar in that state before beginning the fellowship. The cover letter is usually a couple of pages and recommendations are scrutinized. Interviews often discuss the writing sample and complex or special litigation experience. Sign up for advising with Judy Murciano by making a Fellowship appointment. 

This two-year fellowship conducts high impact litigation and advocacy through four main projects: Access to Justice in the civil court system such as forced arbitration or limits on collective action; Debtors’ Prison to combat criminalization of poverty; Students’ Civil Rights Project to end discrimination and seek systemic change in school settings; Environmental Enforcement to hold corporations accountable for enforcing environmental state and federal laws. Emphasis on strong research and writing skills, experience with litigation, and agility working across civil rights issue areas with diverse individuals and teams under time pressure. 

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.

Representatives of student organizations, if you are planning any career-related events, please email opia@law.harvard.edu. We would love to minimize conflicts, can help identify speakers, and/or spread the word in our weekly emails.

Student Government is matching up Big Law 3Ls and public interest 3Ls to enroll in matching programs for free bar prep courses. Learn more and complete this short survey to participate!

The Law and Social Change Program seeks a student fellow to work with program chairs (Ben Sachs, Catherine Pattanayak, and Sabi Ardalan) to facilitate programming. Responsibilities will include brainstorming and organizing events, setting up mentoring opportunities, updating the website, among others. The position is paid.

As a PSL, you will have the opportunity to connect with other public interest-oriented students, participate in unique leadership development programming, and receive mentorship from like-minded alumni and upper-class students. To sign up, please complete the Public Service Leaders registration form by September 19.  Also mark your calendars for a PSL kickoff event on September 24 at 6:30pm in WCC 1010. Food and drinks provided at the social hour that follows immediately after the meeting! 

OPIA has now transitioned to a new appointment scheduling system! We have joined the Office of Career Services in CSM/Symplicity, so you will now be able to make all your HLS career advising appointments in one place.

We appreciate your patience as we make this transition. If you have any questions please contact opia@law.harvard.edu or call us at 617-495-3108.

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 People's Parity Project Leadership Fellows program is open to rising 2Ls with an anticipated two-year commitment. The fellowship will start in September 2024 and finish in May 2026. Applications are due by August 22nd. Learn more about the fellowship and apply here.

An independent clinical opportunity is available in the Legal Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for the Fall 2024 semester.  The student will likely be asked to work on matters arising out of the operation and development of payment systems as well as other fintech-related initiatives, including technical research into central bank digital currency systems. 

Students should submit a resume and cover letter to Dana Pierce, Director of Externships, at dpierce@law.harvard.edu by August 1, 2024. Applications will be sent to the Federal Reserve Bank for their review and selection. Once a student is selected by the Federal Reserve Bank, the student will be required to submit an independent clinical application.

More info about this opportunity with the Federal Reserve Bank.

The application deadline for the Spring 2025 White House Internship Program is July 26, 2024, and the application deadline for the HLS Semester in Washington Program is August 16, 2024. Read more

Congratulations on completing Harvard Law School! OCS and OPIA remain available to you for advice throughout your career. Read about our career resources for alumni. 

If you have secured employment, please take a minute to complete the Graduate Employment Survey in CSM. The ABA requires all law schools to report the employment outcomes for its graduates pursuant to ABA Standard 509(b). The information you provide will be reported in the aggregate, will not be shared with anyone, and will allow us to comply with this ABA requirement.

If you are unsure of your start date, so that you can complete the survey, you may enter an estimated date and note in the survey that it is approximate. The Office of Career Services will follow up with you later in the spring for an updated start date.

Read this post for information regarding upcoming Bar Exam application deadlines.

Thinking of applying for a U.S. Department of Justice Volunteer Legal Internship? Our application guide is now updated for this year's application cycle.

Read the 2023 OPIA Insider’s Guide to the U.S. Department of Justice Volunteer Legal Internship Application Process.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Public Service Venture Fund, which serves to support HLS graduates’ public interest careers and amplify the impact of their work. Read more about the PSVF, its history, and how some alumni are using PSVF funds to build a better world.

All 2L and 3L students considering or planning to apply for clerkships for the 2024 cycle can now refer to HLS’s updated 2023 anecdotal list of judges with a public interest focus when researching potential clerkship options. Note that this version has been significantly expanded to include federal circuit and district judges confirmed in the last year, as well as additional federal magistrate and state court judges. The updated list can be accessed here.