Post-graduate fellowships are an exceptional avenue for students who are passionate about public interest work. The University of Miami School of Law is pleased to have an extensive tradition of students obtaining prestigious post-graduate fellowships. There are several types of fellowships to explore. Typically, they are time-limited (1-3 years) and offer some form of loan repayment assistance. They provide unique opportunities to assess the needs of a population or community and dedicate resources to addressing the gaps in access to justice. They also provide opportunities for collaboration with some of the leading public interest practitioners in the designated field.

The main type of fellowship is a project-based fellowship when a third party (company, foundation, individual) funds fellowships for graduates to work at another organization. Applicants must develop their own projects and identify host agencies. Examples of this type of fellowship are Skadden Fellowships and the Equal Justice Works Fellowships.

Another type of fellowship is an organization-based fellowship. The non-profit serves as the host and the funding agency. For these fellowships, one must follow a more traditional application process, but need not submit a project.

The other type of fellowship is a teaching fellowships. Georgetown is the largest program and allows Fellows to teach and act as staff attorney in one of the clinics. Recipients are paid and receive an LL.M. at the end of the program. While not all programs are as comprehensive as the Georgetown model, there are several exciting ways in which to pursue clinical teaching and advocacy through fellowships.

In addition, there are government honors programs and Fellowships. Examples include: Presidential Management Fellows Program, the White House Fellows Program, and the Supreme Court Fellows Program.

The HOPE Public Interest Resource Center team is available to work with students to develop fellowship proposals. Be sure to meet with us to learn about past fellowship recipients, work out a timeline for your proposal, and schedule your mock interview(s).

Students who know they will be interested in applying for a post-graduate fellowship are encouraged to begin the process early. Many of the deadlines are very early the 3L year so your application should be almost complete when you return to school. There will be information provided at the HOPE meetings each semester, so please be sure to watch the HOPE calendar for information on fellowship meetings.

PSLawNet is the first stop for looking at domestic and international fellowships. The process is described in detail and new postings are listed frequently. The University of Miami School of Law subscribes to PSLawNet for use by University of Miami students and alumni. To use the guide, click on “Getting Started” and “Create Account” to register. For a list of summer funding sources, please visit https://www.pslawnet.org/content/index.php?pid=50.

For more information and additional listings, refer to the Harvard Law School Public Interest Job Search Guide and Yale's Comprehensive Fellowship Guide - the Ultimate Resource for Law Students and Lawyers (available at the Career Development Office). Note that opportunities to work in federal and state agencies are covered in detail in the Government Honors and Internship Guide (also available at the CDO).

It is always a good idea to read through fellows profiles on the various funders sites to get a sense of what types of proposals have  been successful. If you are interested in pursuing a post-graduate fellowship and have revieved the on-line resources we have listed above, please contact the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center to take the next steps in obtaining your fellowship!

Post-Graduate Fellowship Listings

Equal Justice Works

Meet the 2009 Echoing Green Fellows

Government Careers Page on PSLawNet

Other State and National Fellowships

Online Advice for Fellowship Applicants

Fellowship and Grant Portals on the Web