Summer Internships

The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (HLAB) is the nations oldest student-run legal services organization, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the campus of Harvard Law School. HLAB works with hundreds of low-income clients to solve their legal problems in the areas of housing, domestic relations, government benefits, and fair wage law. As a student-run legal clinic at, HLAB has a strong history of dedication to allowing students to handle their own cases and litigate in Court, under the supervision of a clinical instructor.

During the summer, HLAB selects approximately 16 law students to serve as Summer Fellows, interacting directly with clients, opposing parties, witnesses, and government agencies; engaging in extensive factual and legal investigation; honing their research and writing abilities; and developing their litigation skills. Most Summer Fellows working at HLAB do so full-time, although we are more than willing to discuss alternative arrangements with students facing extenuating circumstances. Due to funding restrictions, HLAB is unable to pay its Summer Fellows.

HLAB Summer Fellows serve as the primary casehandlers on every matter assigned to them and manage client contact, drafting of pleadings and motions, communication with opposing counsel, and advocating in courtroom and administrative hearing settings. Their work is supervised by HLABs Clinical Instructors, practicing attorneys with years of trial and supervision experience, and students will be trained in all the relevant areas of the law.

HLAB Summer Fellows generally experience a broad range of litigation and legal experience in as many as four primary practice areas. In the Family Law practice, HLAB represents victims of domestic violence in restraining order hearings, divorces, paternity, visitation, child support, and custody disputes. In the Housing Law practice, HLAB represents individual clients who are being evicted from public, subsidized, and private housing, as well as works with Tenant Unions and other progressive organizations to ensure the availability of affordable housing in the Greater Boston area. In the Government Benefits practice, HLAB represents clients at hearings to obtain or retain their Social Security and Social Security Disability benefits, unemployment benefits, and welfare benefits. Finally, in the Fair Wage practice, HLAB allows students to work on affirmative lawsuits addressing violations of state and federal labor laws. We ask students to chose a primary concentration in the area of housing or family law.

Application Instructions: By January 26, 2008, please send (1) a resume, (2) a cover letter,  (3) a writing sample, (4) a law school transcript, and (5) two references to: