The University of Miami School of Law Legal Corps, a postgraduate fellowship program, places recent law graduates in public sector organizations nationwide. Economic conditions have decreased funding for public sector agencies while the demand for legal services has dramatically increased. In response, Legal Corps seeks to fill the gaps at understaffed public agencies by providing them with prepared, skilled, and diverse attorneys.
Additionally, graduates must certify in writing as part of the application process that they have conducted a thorough employment search and that they have exhausted all available employment search resources prior to applying for a Legal Corps Fellowship.
Legal Corps reserves the right to make the final determination as to the applicants' acceptance relating to issues regarding final "character and fitness" results, current employment status and other selection criteria as defined herein.
All Legal Corps Fellowships are subject to final approval by the University of Miami School of Law.
1. Who Can Apply for a Legal Corps Fellowship?
Miami Law J.D. graduates may submit an application for a Legal Corps Fellowship within nine months of graduation and must also commence their Fellowship within that same time frame. Applicants must successfully complete a bar examination upon the first attempt. Additionally, applicants must be admitted to a state bar or be awaiting "character and fitness" results to be sworn-in in the immediate future. In order to commence a fellowship with a host organization, the Fellow must be admitted to a state bar.
2. What is the Duration of the Legal Corps Fellowship?
The duration of the Legal Corps Fellowship shall not exceed a period of six months. If a Legal Corps Fellow secures permanent employment during the term of the Fellowship and it is deemed unfeasible to continue with the Fellowship, the Fellow may terminate the Fellowship prior to the expiration of the six-month term, only after consulting with Legal Corps and with the Fellow's host organization and after providing timely and appropriate notice. Fellows must participate in an exit interview at the conclusion of the Fellowship. Please note that Fellows may not re-enlist in Legal Corps once the Fellowship is terminated.
3. What Placement Opportunities are Available to Legal Corps Fellows?
Placement opportunities are available at public interest organizations, judicial chambers, and government agencies nationwide. Please refer to the Legal Corps Host Organizations Catalog for a current listing of placement opportunities and application materials required by each host organization. With Legal Corps' prior approval, selected applicants may secure placement opportunities with eligible host organizations not included in the Legal Corps Hosts Organizations Catalog.
4. What Benefits are available to Legal Corps Fellows?
5. Does the Legal Corps Fellowship Offer Health, Retirement or Other Similar Benefits?
Legal Corps Fellowships do not offer health, retirement, or other benefits. For health insurance options, graduates should consider the following:
6. What are the Requirements of the Legal Corps Fellowship?
7. How Do Graduates Apply for a Legal Corps Fellowship?
Candidates interested in applying to Legal Corps must review and follow the instructions contained in the Legal Corps Handbook:
8. Who can Register as a Legal Corps Host Organization?
Government agencies, judicial chambers, and 501(c)3 tax-exempt organizations may contact Legal Corps for more information on how to register as a host organization. Click here for more information on becoming a Legal Corps Host Organization.
With your support, Legal Corps will set new standards for commitment to public service. Every gift, no matter the amount, will make a difference. Current Legal Corps fellowship sponsors include:
Click here to go to UM's central giving website. From there, you can select Legal Corps as your gift designation for the School of Law.
"For further information, including naming opportunities, please see our brochure and contact the Office of Law Alumni Relations and Development at 305-284-3470."
Miami Law Legal Corps
3000 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 100
Ph: 305-284-8011
Fax: 305-576-9343
E-mail: legalcorps@law.miami.edu
Tamesha Keel, Director
tkeel@law.miami.edu
Melissa Fernandez-Stiers,
Director of Educational Programming &
Professional Development
mstiers@law.miami.edu
Maria "Luly" Chisholm,
Senior Administrative Assistant
mchisholm@law.miami.edu
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Legal Corps Fellow Spotlight: Jared Kalmanson, LegalArt
Legal Corps Information Session for May 2012 J.D. Graduates
Check out Miami Law Legal Corps in the media, plus see the real-world impact that Legal Corps Fellows are making. Read more