2025 Carl L. McConnell Summer Fellowship

The mission of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County is to fight social injustice through civil legal advocacy for people living in poverty. We’re helping low-income people access the health coverage they need, stay in their homes, maintain critical safety net benefits like food stamps, get work authorization, succeed in school, and escape situations of domestic abuse.

The fellowship is named in memory of Carl L. McConnell, who had a special connection with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County throughout his career. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1968, Carl held a Reginald Heber Smith Community Law Fellowship at Legal Aid SMC for three years. He returned to Legal Aid SMC after two years on the east coast, serving as a Managing Attorney for seven years. During his years in private practice, Carl maintained close ties with Legal Aid SMC. He received Legal Aid’s Guardian of Justice Award in 2002.

This fellowship, generously funded in Carl’s memory by his friends and colleagues, reflects Carl’s commitment to legal services for those with limited resources, fundamental principles as an attorney—integrity, social justice, and fairness—and dedication to mentoring.

The 2025 Carl L. McConnell Summer Fellow will work with Legal Aid SMC attorneys in one of two program areas:

• Housing Rights—Legal Aid SMC’s Housing Rights team works to prevent homelessness through eviction defense, advocacy, and community education. Fellows assist with client intake at weekly housing clinics; prepare pleadings for self-represented tenants in eviction proceedings, including Answers, Motions to Vacate Default Judgments, and Ex Parte Stay Applications; advise self-represented litigants regarding court procedure and settlement negotiations; and assist staff attorneys with litigation of unlawful detainer cases, including drafting discovery, motions, and trial documents (court experience possible for certified law students).
• CARE Court/Elder Rights—Legal Aid SMC’s Elder Rights/CARE Court team protects the rights of older adults and adults with disabilities. The Fellow will work with attorneys representing persons with severe mental illness in CARE Court. This work can include court appearances in connection to the CARE Court proceedings, negotiating with opposing counsel and the County’s behavioral health agency about which services to include in a CARE Agreement between the agency and client, and working to connect CARE Court clients with adjacent services like SSI representation.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in law school (first-year and second-year students welcome to apply)
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law
• Excellent writing and research skills

Compensation:

• Fellows are expected to commit 35 hours per week for 10 weeks at $22/hour.

To Apply: Email your resume and a cover letter to fellowships@legalaidsmc.org.