Fellowships at Mazzoni Center Legal Services

Fellowships at Mazzoni Center Legal Services

Please Note:  We accept applications for sponsorship for Independence Foundation, Skadden Foundation, and Equal Justice Works Fellowships on a rolling basis provided there is sufficient time in advance of the particular fellowship’s application deadline. If you are interested in applying to Mazzoni Center Legal Services for sponsorship for these foundation fellowships, a law school-funded fellowship, or other fellowship program, please contact Thomas W. Ude, Jr., Legal and Public Policy Director, at [email protected]

Mazzoni Center Legal Services sponsors law students and current judicial clerks for fellowships funded by the Independence Foundation, the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works, the Open Society Foundations, the Stoneleigh Foundation, the Borchard Fellowship in Law & Aging, and other fellowship programs (including fellowships offered directly by law schools). 

Fellows work closely with our experienced attorneys, and are directly supervised by our legal and public policy director. Fellows carry their own caseload and gain valuable experience in providing a wide range of services, from brief advice and counsel to representation at administrative hearings, judicial proceedings, and appeals. Often, fellows also contribute to our policy advocacy work. Past fellows have provided crucial advocacy for our clients, contributed greatly to our program’s development here and at its predecessor legal services organizations, and some continued on as long-term staff attorneys. 
 
Mazzoni Center welcomes applications from people of diverse backgrounds and experiences rooted in age, race, ethnicity, cultural identity, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, sexual identity, disabilities, socioeconomics, and languages other than English.

Applying to Become a Fellow

Mazzoni Center invites law students beginning their third year, recent law school graduates, and people with judicial clerkships to apply for sponsorship for a fellowship.
 
Interested applicants must submit the following:
  • Resume
  • Cover letter describing their interest and experience in public interest, LGBTQ legal issues, and poverty law and any ideas they have for a fellowship proposal.*  
  • Two brief legal writing samples
  • Law school transcript
  • Contact information for three (3) references

*Please note that it is not necessary to have a specific proposal at the application stage. We welcome information about how an applicant’s background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, vitality, and perspective of Mazzoni Center’s staff and legal services practice.

We encourage interested applicants to consult with us if they have an idea for a fellowship proposal. Mazzoni Center will interview potential fellowship applicants to assess whether their interests and background are a match for its program’s needs.  If you are selected, Mazzoni Center will work very closely with you to design the final fellowship proposal to match your interests and the needs of our program and with the fellowship funder’s requirements.

Email applications to Thomas Ude, Jr., Legal and Public Policy Director, at: [email protected]
 
Applications for fellowships are accepted year round, on a rolling basis.
 
Mazzoni Center does not provide fellowship funding; rather, we work with potential fellows to identify and secure funding from another source, such as a foundation or your law school's own programs.
 
Selection criteria that will be considered in evaluating applicants for sponsorship include:
  • A demonstrated passion for, interest in and, commitment to public interest, LGBTQ rights, and poverty law
  • A demonstrated commitment to providing quality legal services to individual clients
  • Excellent legal analysis and research, writing and oral advocacy skills
  • An interest in policy and advocacy work
  • Strong networking, relationship building and communications skills
  • Sound professional and legal judgment
  • A high level of commitment to racial justice and serving low-income communities and clients

Resources for Those Interested in Applying for Fellowships 

Boston College Law School: Public Interest Fellowships

Questions?

Candidates may email any questions about the fellowship application process to Thomas W. Ude, Jr.