Fellowships and Funding

Harvard Law students have access to a wide array of funding sources to support public interest work during law school and after graduation. HLS students and recent graduates are very fortunate to be able to receive funding exclusive to Harvard Law students and funding from Harvard University for students at the various Harvard schools. HLS has a number of fellowships that provide financial support to HLS 3Ls and recent graduates entering a wide range of public interest jobs. HLS guarantees summer funding to all students pursuing public service work during their summers.

There are also many external sources of funding that will support postgraduate public service work, as well as a Fellowship Database that lists postgraduate public service, academic fellowships, and social entrepreneurial grants. Information on fellowships can also be found in chapter 9 of our 2008 - 2009 Job Search Guide, available for review in the OPIA office. We provide a calendar of fellowship deadlines online as well, but it is essential to double check all deadlines with the organizations' updated websites. There is also information on postgraduate fellowships on PSLawNet, a national database of information about public service opportunities hosted by the National Association of Law Placement (NALP). Be sure to review our Insider's Guide to Writing a Successful Fellowship Application.

HLS students interested in pursuing postgraduate fellowships are encouraged to meet with OPIA's Fellowship Director, Judy Murciano. Judy has been advising on fellowships for more than 16 years. She has been incredibly successful at helping HLS students land wonderful public service and traveling fellowships. She has also been able to assist our graduates become social entrepreneurs by helping them obtain seed money for independent projects and new non profits. In 2008-2009, HLS led all other law schools in garnering Skadden Fellowships, with six. Dozens of other public interest fellowships were awarded to students and recent graduates last year. For further information on these fellowships, as well as valuable contact information, be sure to consult our Insider's Guide.  Judy, along with other OPIA staffers, is available to work with HLS students and alumni throughout all phases of the fellowship application process, from helping to identify the right fellowships to pursue to fund a particular type of work to reviewing your application essays and conducting mock interviews to prepare for the real fellowship interview. You may schedule an appointment with Judy using the OPIA Advising Scheduler.

There are also additional sources of funding for summer public service jobs from outside HLS. Information about these funding sources can be found in Chapter 8 of Serving the Public: A Job Search Guide; copies are available for review in the OPIA office.