CLASS OF 2025 POST-GRADUATE PUBLIC INTEREST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellowship Program will support two (2) members of the Class of 2025, who are able to collaborate with and obtain a commitment from qualifying non-profit, legal organizations working in the public interest.

Fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis and will support full-time employment for up to one year, beginning in the Fall of 2025, with a $50,000 yearly salary plus benefits. Successful applicants will receive an award letter providing details of the payment process and requirements of the Fellowship.

Temple Law School’s Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellowship Program was created through philanthropic gifts to meet two institutional commitments: leadership in public-interest legal education and service and support for recent law school graduates as they enter the legal profession.

FAQs:

Q. Who is eligible to apply?

Any 2025 law school graduate who is committed to working in the public interest field within a qualifying non-profit host organization.

Q: What are qualifying non-profit legal organizations?

Host organizations must be independent 501(c)(3)s and cannot be a project or a clinic within a law school. The organization must currently employ at least two full-time attorneys on staff and anticipate maintaining at least these two attorney positions (not including the Fellow) during the yearlong fellowship term.

Q: Do applicants need to design a project with the host organization?

Fellowship applications will not require project-based proposals to be considered.

Q: Are there any limits on the type of work that will be funded?

Yes, fellowships will not be granted to fund either the prosecution or defense of criminal defendants.

Q. Who may I contact with questions?

Please address any questions about this process to the Temple Law School Office of Public Interest Programs at jorge.godoy@temple.edu.

APPLICATION DEADLINES & INSTRUCTIONS

Applications to the Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellowship Program are due on April 6, 2025, by 11:59 pm. Late applications will not be accepted.

Completed applications must be submitted via lcareer@temple.edu according to the following instructions.

Applications must consist of a single PDF file with the following items in the specified order:

1. Resume
2. Law School Transcript

• The Transcript may be official or unofficial provided it is legible.
• For joint degree applicants, transcripts from both programs must be submitted.

1. Host Organization information

• Commitment letter: the host organization must provide a written commitment letter that includes:

o the name of the host organization, location, type of legal work performed by the organization, and information about the organization and its clients;

o a commitment to host the fellowship applicant for a period of one year upon the granting of a fellowship, including providing adequate supervision and any resources necessary for the Fellow to travel for fellowship work;

o the name(s) of supervising attorney(s) who will work with the applicant;

o the organization’s, and the proposed supervisor’s, track record in meeting the needs of its clients and supervising beginning attorneys;

o the nature and scope of the work the Fellow will perform, and how it fits within the organization’s work;

o a signature from a staff attorney or managing attorney at said organization;

o confirmation that, if granted, the organization will be willing/able to add the Fellow to their payroll and be reimbursed by Temple University; and

o any additional insight regarding the applicant’s qualifications.

• Each host organization must also provide a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Status Qualifying Letter.

1. Two letters of recommendation

• One from a former supervisor and/or employer
• One from a law school professor

Note: confidential letters may be submitted by email to lcareer@temple.edu by the recommender. The applicant’s first and last name must be in the email subject line.

1. Personal Statement

• No more than three (3) double-spaced pages describing your relevant experience, interests, public interest career goals, and anything else you want the committee to know when considering you for this Fellowship.
• The personal statement should also discuss the proposed nature of the collaboration with the selected host organization – and specifically mention the shared goals of the work conducted by the Fellow in support of the host organization’s broader mission.

1. Optional: References

• Names and contact information (phone and email) of up to three additional references.

Temple University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer – and we encourage applications from individuals who are members of groups that historically have been underrepresented in the legal profession, as well as from those whose personal or professional experiences have yielded deep connections with or insights into the marginalized client communities they seek to serve