YALE LAW SCHOOL  invites applications for its 2024 Summer Fellowship program at The Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization (LSO).

We will review Applications on a rolling basis. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible. LSO is the main organization at Yale Law School providing legal representation to individuals and organizations in need of legal assistance but unable to afford private attorneys.  During the academic year, law students work closely with clinical faculty members to represent clients in a wide range of litigation and non-litigation matters, helping to fill a critical need in legal services delivery for poor and marginalized communities in Connecticut.  LSO seeks to hire 15-20 Summer Fellows to work with clinical faculty to continue this client representation. These are paid, full-time positions, with a pay rate of $16.75 per hour for 40 hours of work per week. Students that work full-time for 12 weeks would receive a total of $8,040. The Fellowship program will run from May 21 to August 9, 2024, with some flexibility as to individual start and end dates.  Part-time work or full-time work for a portion of the Fellowship period may also be possible. The program is open to currently enrolled law school students who have completed at least two semesters of law school.  Students graduating from law school prior to the summer of 2024 are also eligible to apply, as are LLM students. Please note that this is not a course, but a program of summer employment. The program will be held in-person at Yale Law School in New Haven, CT.

Summer Fellows can expect to have a range of challenging and rewarding lawyering experiences during their time at LSO, including client interviewing and counseling; factual development of cases; researching and writing legal memoranda; drafting of contracts and other legal instruments; interacting with opposing counsel, government actors, and community stakeholders; and negotiation and alternative dispute resolution.  In several of our clinics, students will make court appearances to argue motions or present evidence.  Fellows will work under the direct supervision of clinical faculty members and supervising attorneys, and will have significant responsibility for each case or project on which they work.  In addition, faculty members will host a weekly series of presentations and discussions for the Fellows on the work of the clinics, public interest lawyering, and other topics of interest.

LSO clinics perform a wide range of exciting work, including litigation in state and federal court and before administrative agencies, transactional work on behalf of community organizations, and policy and legislative advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels.  For its 2024 program, LSO seeks Summer Fellows for the following clinics:

·         Challenging Mass Incarceration Clinic (CMIC)

·         Community and Economic Development Clinic (CED)

·         Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic (CJAC)

·         Housing Clinic (HC)

·         Mental Health Justice Clinic (MHJC)

·         Veterans Legal Services Clinic (VLSC)

·         Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC)

For more information about our clinics’ work, please visit www.law.yale.edu/lso.

Students who are eligible for summer funding from their own sources and who need an early decision on their LSO application to qualify for outside support are encouraged to advise LSO of their situation and to request expedited review of their candidacy. Interested international students are responsible for obtaining and maintaining the necessary immigration status with work authorization.

To apply, please complete the application survey at https://yalelaw.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b2Q7Xiavx7oPnpA, and submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, unofficial transcript, and contact information for two references therein. If an unofficial transcript is not immediately available, applicants may submit one by email to lso.fellowships@yale.edu after the completion of the application survey, but before the application submission deadline. Email questions to lso.fellowships@yale.edu. The application deadline is 5:00 pm on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. 

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or email ocr.boston@ed.gov. No inquiries regarding open Yale positions, please.