Public Interest Law Fellowship Summer 2024
Through the Public Interest Law Fellowship, a Cardinal Quarter opportunity, students have the opportunity to spend a quarter working full time in the field of public interest law with a supervisor/mentor in a community organization of their choice. Fellows must work in the United States. For opportunities during the Fall, Winter, or Spring quarters, please see the Jane Stanford Fellowship. For international opportunities, please see the International Service Fellowship.
Public Interest Law fellows spend the summer working in public interest (nonprofit or governmental) organizations within the United States addressing a number of social issues. Four Public Interest Law fellows will be designated as Liman Fellows. The Liman Summer Fellowship is coordinated by the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School, and offers students an opportunity to participate in public interest law projects. Liman Fellows have worked on issues such as immigrants’ rights, workers’ rights, prison conditions, educational adequacy, and juvenile justice. Liman Fellows are required to attend the annual Liman Public Interest Colloquium at Yale Law School (expenses paid), and will be incorporated into a cohort of fellows from Barnard, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Princeton, Spelman, and Yale. The Liman Colloquium will take place from April 4, 2024 to April 6, 2024. The Colloquium theme is "Incarceration and Public Health: The Many Harms and Costs."
Applicants propose their own placements with organizations which they have corresponded before the application deadline and effectively demonstrate that their intended partner organizations have the need, interest, and capacity to work with a fellow and to support the proposed project/work plans. Students can submit an application after they have received and accepted an offer from a host organization, and the host organization must then complete the Community Partner Questionnaire (via the fellowship application) by the application deadline. The Haas Center has many Resources for Fellowship Applicants, including our list of Cardinal Quarter Connections of host organizations seeking to work with Stanford undergraduate students, and our Meet the Undergraduate Fellows page with information on previous fellows' community partners and projects.
Please review the program policies in their entirety before applying. The application deadline is February 13, 2024. There will not be a second round deadline for this fellowship opportunity.
Each Public Interest Law Fellow receives a base stipend of $6,500 to support travel and living expenses during the fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding are available to students who qualify.
Are you working on a “project” this summer? Would your “project” benefit from additional funding? A Cardinal Quarter “project” is defined as 1) student designed in consultation with a community partner, 2) student implemented, 3) provides a tangible deliverable to the community, and 4) is sustainable beyond the summer. Students working on projects may be awarded up to an additional $1000 for project-related expenses. Click here for more information about projects and here to see a list of project-related expenses that may be covered. Please check the relevant box on the fellowship application if you will be applying for project-based funding.
This fellowship is made possible by Haas Center donors as part of the Cardinal Quarter program.
Eligibility
Eligibility
For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.
Undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities. Graduating seniors may have lower priority. Students who have begun their coterm programs (i.e., students who are paying for graduate tuition) are not eligible to apply.
Requirements
Selected Public Interest Law Fellows are expected to begin their fellowship following the completion of spring quarter classes and no later than July 8, 2024. All fellows are required to work with their community partners 35-40 hours/week for nine consecutive weeks. Fellows are expected to work on-site at their host organizations at least on a hybrid schedule, but some fully virtual experiences may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Fellows must have a designated full-time professional staff member on-site as their supervisor/mentor. Please review the complete program policies for additional requirements. Other commitments include the following:
Spring Quarter
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet.
- Identify and meet with an academic mentor at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with the site supervisor and academic mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
Summer Quarter
- Submit a brief preliminary report.
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Fall Quarter
- Meet with an academic mentor at least once.
- For project-based fellows, apply to present at the Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Public Service (SURPS).
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process
For those who are seeking assistance, advising is available through the Haas Center to help students develop their applications and/or to identify potential partner organizations. Please reach out to a Cardinal Quarter Peer Advisor or email cardinalquarter@stanford.edu for an advising appointment with program staff.
Students are strongly encouraged to discuss ideas for placements with program staff well before the application deadline to identify appropriate/relevant opportunities and prepare effective application materials. Developing a suitable fellowship placement takes time, so it is important to start the application process early and consult with professors, advisors, and community partners regularly.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrates:
- an integration of the fellowship experience with the applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant's skills and interests and an work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to deepen a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by a committee with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
