Public Interest
Class of 2026
Class of 2026
The opportunities on this page are primarily for your POSTGRADUATE job search. Some opportunities during the 2025-2026 school year may also be included.
Postings include non-profit organizations and private law firms with an expressed public interest focus within their primary practice areas (firms are not included on the basis of pro bono work alone). Government opportunities to work in the public sector are posted on our Government tab.
The most important step you can take to prepare an application for a project-based fellowship (or any fellowship) is to consult early on with an advisor in the Office of Public Interest Counseling and, if possible, alumni of the fellowship programs you are interested in. For example, Skadden and EJW fellowship applications are due in early fall semester (mid-Sept 2025), and students will want to network, prepare applications, and line up a host organization far in advance of the deadline.
Be sure you contact the Office of Public Interest Counseling and ask to be signed up for their jobs digest for additional public interest opportunities.
PSJD is a wonderful source of public interest jobs nation wide. They also have a deadline calendar: PSJD | Fellowship Calendar
Deadline: September 15, 2025
Relman Colfax PLLC - 2026-2028 Civil Rights Fellowship (Washington, DC) More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 9.4.25)
Deadline: September 18, 2025
Equal Justice Works - Design-Your-Own Fellowship Class of 2026 (Nationwide). Through the Design-Your-Own Fellowship program, Equal Justice Works seeks to create opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. Applicants forge their own path by working with a Host Organization to design a project that addresses an issue and community they care passionately about serving. Learn more here. (Posted 6.12.25)(Posting still active 7.16.25)
Deadline: Preference given if apply by September 30, 2025 (then becomes Rolling Deadline):
NRDC - 2026 - 2028 Litigation Fellows - Litigation Team (Chicago, IL; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Santa Monica, CA; Washington, DC). Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) NRDC is seeking two Litigation Fellows to work with the Litigation Team in one of our U.S. offices: Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; or Washington, D.C. The term for this fellowship is Fall 2026 through Fall 2028, with the possibility of extension through Fall 2029. A full job description (including salary range and application instructions) is available at https://careers-nrdc.icims.com/jobs/5803/litigation-fellow/job (Posted 9.2.25)
Deadline: October 30, 2025
FAIR - 2026 -2028 Fellowship (Remote/CA). The FAIR Fellowship is a unique 18-month, post-graduate fellowship that enables a new attorney to work full-time for two consecutive terms: 12 months at Legal Aid at Work (remotely) and six months at a plaintiff-side employment law firm affiliated with the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), an organization of more than 1,200 workers’ rights advocates throughout California. The salary for this fellowship was recently increased to $$97,344 annual equivalent, plus a $10,000 bar stipend. Learn more here. (Posted 9.5.25)
Deadline: February 27, 2026
CRLA - One- and two-year Fellowships (CA). We are proud to have hosted or sponsored Equal Justice Works and Berkeley Law Foundation fellows, among others. CRLA seeks applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to working with rural Californians and addressing the primary issues that affect their lives. Please note: some fellowship program application deadlines are as early as mid-September. If chosen, CRLA will work closely with law students during their fellowship application process to secure funding. Fellows who successfully complete their fellowship program will be strongly considered for longer term employment with CRLA. The deadline to apply is Monday, July 21st, 2025. Contact Person: Jose Alvarez Torres | Pro Bono Coordinator, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., jalvareztorres@crla.org, (559) 441-8721, 3747 E. Shields Avenue, Fresno, CA 93726 More Info and Apply (Posted 7.10.25)(Posting still active 7.16.25)
Rolling Deadlines:
ACLU - Fall 2026 West Michigan Legal Fellow (Michigan). This two-year, internally-funded position in the ACLU’s western regional office in Grand Rapids starts in fall 2026 and is designed to provide emerging social justice leaders with excellent training and experience in impact litigation and integrated advocacy. Learn more here. (Posted 9.5.5)
AFSCME - Law Fellow (Washington, DC ) More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 9.4.25)
American Oversight - Fall 2026 Legal Fellowship Placement Opportunities (CA, DC, DE, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, VA, or WI). American Oversight (AO) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 8.11.25)
Human Rights First - Refugee Representation Legal Fellow (Los Angeles, CA or NY, NY or Washington, D.C./Remote). $65K/yr - $75K/yr. Human Rights First’s Refugee Representation team seeks to sponsor a law student or recent law school graduate as a legal fellow for a one- or two-year fellowship. We seek current law student applicants who intend to apply for external law foundation or law school fellowship programs. Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy and action organization committed to defending human rights. Our Refugee Representation team, which recruits and mentors lawyers to represent asylum seekers on a pro bono basis, is one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind in the country. The fellow will work full-time in our Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., or New York office. They will report to one of our Managing Attorneys, all of whom are committed to providing mentorship and guidance throughout the length of the fellowship. Previous legal fellows with Human Rights First have had the opportunity to, among other things, represent clients in immigration court and before the Asylum Office; engage in representation and advocacy on behalf of detained asylum seekers; conduct research and advocacy on border policies impacting asylum seekers; and draft press releases, policy recommendations, and reports to advocate for systemic change of the asylum system, many of which have been reported in media outlets such as The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Buzzfeed News. Human Rights First is primarily interested in projects that will support our efforts in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York to advance due process and address systemic impediments to access to counsel and fair proceedings in the legal representation and treatment of asylum-seekers during border processes, asylum office interviews, and immigration court hearings. We are also interested in projects relating to representation of particularly vulnerable populations, such as indigenous language speakers, survivors of gender-based violence, among others. We will also consider innovative, impactful asylum-related projects outside the delineated areas. Potential legal fellowship candidates who are interested in pursuing placement at Human Rights First may submit their cover letter, resume, and project description by going to www.humanrightsfirst.org/careerswww.humanrightsfirst.org/careers. In your cover letter, identify law foundation, law school, and any other postgraduate fellowships available to you. If you are considering law school fellowships, please outline the parameters governing this school-funded fellowship. Read more about Human Rights First’s Legal Fellowship Program here. If you are interesting in discussing your proposed project prior to submission, reach out to the Director of Refugee Representation, Farida Chehata, at chehataf@humanrightsfirst.org. If chosen, Human Rights First will work closely with you during your fellowship application process to secure funding. More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 7.14.25)(Posting still active 7.16.25)
Impact Fund - 2026 Law Fellowship (Berkeley, CA) [$77,000]. Impact Fund seeks to sponsor a rising third-year law student or recent law school graduate as a candidate for a 2026 public interest law fellowship. Impact Fund is interested in applicants with civil rights-focused project proposals who intend to apply for outside funding, including internally funded law school fellowships. Applicants should be prepared to describe one or more project ideas related to improving access to justice, public benefits, civil rights, or any social justice issue that has the potential to be addressed through impact litigation. Impact Fund will assist in developing the idea into a fellowship proposal and help prepare fellowship applications as needed. More Info and Apply (Posted 6.30.25)(Posting still active 7.16.25)
International Justice Mission - 2026 - 2027 Legal Fellowships (Field Office Deployment - Various). Legal Interns and Fellows assist IJM national lawyers and legal teams to defend our clients and seek justice on their behalf. Positions may be available in: Accra, Ghana; Bucharest, Romania; Lima, Peru; Guatemala City, Guatemala; San Salvador, El Salvador; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Manila, Philippines; Cebu, Philippines. More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 8.11.25)
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - Externally Funded Fellowship 2026 – 2027 – Digital Justice Initiatives (Washington DC) More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 9.4.25)
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - Externally Funded Fellowship 2026 – 2027 – Fair Housing and Community Development Project (Washington DC) More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 9.4.25)
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - Externally Funded Fellowship 2026 – 2027 – Voting Rights Project (Washington DC) More Info and Apply on LinkedIn (Posted 9.4.25)
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OCS does not specifically endorse the above opportunities, and students are encouraged to research positions prior to contacting and/or interviewing with potential employers.
Please note that this site includes a sampling of opportunities, and students are still encouraged to check Symplicity often for additional postings.
The opportunities re-posted on this site are collected from employer-posting sites with the assumption that the source sites are in compliance with all applicable pay transparency laws.