All About a Legal Fellow
A legal fellow is a fairly standard position within a non-profit organization, particularly in the legal field. The web page of Yale Law School’s Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights defines the legal fellow position like this: "The Center sends recent J.D. graduates on one- to two-year global human rights field missions. The Center’s staff partners with these fellows to provide pro bono advocacy, education, and legal representation to victims of gross human rights abuses, including torture, summary executions, war crimes, and crimes against humanity."
In seeking to describe what legal fellows do, Yale offered an example of a recent legal fellow’s work "in Tunisia with the Association of Tunisian Judges, providing legal support and advice to the movement for an independent judiciary." The Orville H . Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights went on to describe the mixed work environment of legal fellows.
"Legal fellows work interdependently with Center staff to identify and assess new cases as they arise, develop strategies and identify counsel where necessary, and carry out mission projects. On any mission, fellows can expect to do traditional legal work: legal research, drafting legal memoranda and court papers, preparing witness statements, legal filings and letters of inquiry, and legal advising and counseling. In addition, fellows in the field are expected to engage with local bar associations, court systems, government ministries, and local civil society groups."
Summarizing the work legal fellows do somewhat more broadly, they do the work of lawyers but under the guidance and supervision of lawyers with more experience.
Duties of a Legal Fellow
A legal fellow is usually a licensed attorney that has recently graduated from law school and is seeking provisional employment, such as a two or three year position at either a government agency or nonprofit public interest and advocacy agency. Due to the nature of their job and time constraints of full-time employment, a legal fellow may not have a large caseload. They can spend more time reviewing briefs and working with other attorneys in the firm. Their duties and responsibilities can depend on the organization that they work for. Some of the tasks that a legal fellow may be expected to perform include the following: -aiding in the prosecution or defense of cases -researching case laws -routine motion work and drafting memorandums -conducting client interviews -conducting fact discovery -lawyer assistance for outreach or specialty clinics -mentoring and training clerks (such as at law schools, paralegal programs, or graduate students). One of the most important roles of a legal fellow is gathering information to help support a case, and building or establishing a sufficient argument, which they will have to present later.
Skills and Qualifications for a Legal Fellow
A legal fellow typically holds a JD or LLB degree from an accredited law school. The reference librarian candidate might also have a Master of Librarianship degree or comparable graduate-level library/information science coursework. Recent graduates with other advanced degrees in relevant fields may also be considered. A minimum of one year of research training is generally required to be considered for the position of legal fellow. Because the role is primarily research-based, most positions require experience working with various forms of legal information including, but not limited to, primary and secondary legal materials such as court records, legislative histories, administrative codes, official publications, statutes and scholarly articles. Applicants are expected to have strong communication skills, a keen attention to detail, a desire to assist others, the ability to work well independently as well as in teams and, depending on the specific position, a legal degree in a particular area such as intellectual property or immigration law.
Advantages of Becoming a Legal Fellow
If you are hired for the position, what benefits do you actually get from doing this job? Really, among other things, you will get an opportunity to have your resume and your experiences stand out when it comes time to consider applying to law schools or if you are a law school student, when it comes time to apply to practice areas or jobs once you graduate. The legal fellowship your employer has offered you will stand out as an experience, you will have had the opportunity to have gained hands on experience with drafting contracts, preparing for correspondence, or developing your writing skills, or researching for high-profile cases or transactions, you will see exactly how important preparation is, and how mistakes, even small mistakes can be costly for clients. You will essentially be forming a resume piece that you can put down to show employers that you have worked for someone who is respected in the field, that you worked on projects that were relevant and important, and you will also be able to build a professional network that you might not have been otherwise afforded today.
And with that, you might also be gaining an opportunity to work with clients that are high-profile. The chance to network is always readily available. You might not find that this is necessarily a good thing for you, and you might leave, but you never know where your experience may take you in all honesty. With a better pool and more options for experience, your chances of getting hired are as I mentioned earlier, much higher, and you may find yourself receiving more interviews in the future, as you have formed a resume piece that can’t be replaced. Also, if you have worked with a respected attorney in good standing, you might get a letter of recommendation, and a chance to get mentored by them. The more you know, the more you have to offer, and the better equipped you are to knowing what an employer or law school is looking for in a candidate. It doesn’t matter how long you are a legal fellow for, you will be able to take away something from every experience that offers you the opportunity to grow.
Getting a Legal Fellowship
Legal fellowships are coveted by many but available to few. Preparing to apply for a legal fellowship is a marathon, not a sprint. You’re going to need endurance. Fellowships are competitive. The hiring process is one that can consume you for years if you let it.
Fellowships are awarded to top candidates from leading law schools. Many of these candidates have Supreme Court clerkships, work experience from prestigious New York firms or sophisticated Federal Clerkships. You must be at the top of your A-game to get one. In fact, many fellowship recipients do not even seek them out but land them through their superior networking and work product.
I am now working for a non-profit in Washington, D.C. as part of my legal fellowship. Here’s how I had applied, interviewed and won the job.
1. Prepare
You need to have fellowship applications completed before the start of your last year of school, if not earlier. Summer associate positions will be underway by the time applicants are still scrambling to finish their applications.
2. Application
A fellowship application is similar to any other job application. It typically starts with a cover letter and résumé. The cover letter is a mechanism to explain why you’re interested in applying and what benefits you bring to the position.
The résumé includes your law school and undergraduate GPA; your LSAT scores; your work experience and any publications. Any special accolades should be included. If you are active in any other organizations or charities (such as mentoring) , include that information too. Once you’ve completed your application, be sure to walk away for a day or two before reviewing it again for typos or areas of improvement.
3. Submit
Submit your application online in compliance with the directions. For example, if the application requests that you submit it via email, do so. If they request that you submit it by Federal Express, do so. If you do not follow the application directions, an applicant will be immediately eliminated from the hiring pool. Where appropriate, submit additional materials in support of your candidacy.
4. Interview
Here’s where knowing the employer and being prepared for your interview matters most. Also, the applicant should be aware and prepared for tough interview questions. The most popular of these questions is "Why do you want to work here?" You must have a high level answer that is specific to the firm because it will show that you did your due diligence in knowing the employer.
There may also be law professor interviews. The goal of the law professor interviews is to assess your personality and willingness to learn.
Legal Fellowship vs Other Legal Careers
Legal fellows are yet another breed of legal professional to join the ranks of attorneys, paralegals, and other legal specialists. Distinguished from other legal professionals, legal fellows offer their organizations a unique array of skills that fit a particular niche. One of the interesting distinctions between a legal fellow and other legal professionals is that they are only temporary employees. Legal fellows typically only work for a pre-determined period of time, such as one year. Alternatively, other legal professionals earn their positions as either regular or permanent employees. In addition, legal fellows typically earn less than both attorneys and paralegals. However, this lower pay is compensated in other ways, such as graduate school fellowships that waive some tuition and high salaries once the fellows attain full time, permanent positions in the legal profession.
Famous Legal Fellowships
In addition to these programs, there are a myriad of other legal fellowships sponsored by various organizations. A few notable examples include the Skadden Arps Public Interest Fellowship: The Skadden Fellowships were created in 1988 as a result of a $5 million dollar donation from the law firm Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and have been sponsored by the firm ever since. The Fellowships exist to "support graduating law students and 1998 or 1999 law school graduates with judicial clerkships, to pursue careers in public service" including "a wide variety of legal work, ranging from criminal defense and civil legal services to work on issues of environmental preservation and international human rights." The fellowships provide "two years of support to attorneys who are committed to working in the public interest." In addition, the Fellowships provide stipends of $65,000 per year and up to $10,000 for each fellow’s benefits. The Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) Public Interest Fellowship: This Program is designed "to promote the practice of law for the public good by providing aspiring public interest practitioners with meaningful employment experience and financial assistance" to bridge the gap for graduates that want to work it public interest roles. EPIC also strives to "provide a career development opportunity for graduating Emory law students". Fellows receive $1,500 or more (depending on case need) to cover unpaid summer internships and 3rd year law students can apply for a one year grant of $25 , 000. The Independence Foundation’s Public Interest Fellowship Program: This fellowship program gives "funding and administrative support to talented recent law school graduates and young attorneys interested in undertaking Public Interest work." It is based out of New York and gives "fellowships to lawyers aiming to fill communities’ unmet needs for civil legal services and advocates for expanded funding and improved public policies for civil legal services for the poor." The National Women’s Law Center Class Action Project Fellowship: This fellowship is run by the National Women’s Law Center, a "non-profit organization that strives for fairness in education, employment, economic security, and many other vital areas for women" specifically focused on "impact litigation". This fellowship is offered at numerous law schools across the country and is given to "one recent or current law school graduate who will devote the year to work with NWLC attorneys on public interest litigation on a wide range of issues affecting women and their families (including health care, higher education, reproductive rights, civil rights, and economic justice) and appellate work in suits against the federal government." Fellows receive "$50,000 plus benefits" to "administer and supervise several high-impact, multi-plaintiff lawsuits, serve as liaison to plaintiff’s steering committee, develop and implement discovery, and oversee and participate in depositions and court conferences." The Skadden Fellowships provide "two years of funding to a recent law school graduate or graduating law student who will work on behalf of a non-profit organization in public interest law." This program is the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program, supporting many fellows each year with a stipend of $65,000 and $10,000 for each fellows benefits. Since 1988, Skadden has funded more than 880 fellowships to aspiring public interest lawyers. fellowships, including the Skadden Fellowship Program, are also Yale’s Postgraduate Research Fellowships, Harvard’s Armed Forces Fellowships, and Yale’s Orville H. Schell, Jr. Fellowships.