Law School Fellowship Program
The Law School Fellowship program provides training and support to law students passionate about serving their communities through a career in public defense.
About the Fellowship
One of BPDA Law School Engagement Committee’s central goals is to provide resources that ensure that law students are able to access and succeed in public defense as a profession that empowers marginalized communities. Each year, the Committee selects a number of promising law students to serve as BPDA Summer Fellows.
Each Fellow receives mentorship, intensive skills training, and financial support that enables them to successfully complete a paid summer internship at a public defender office and be well positioned for post-graduate employment. Each fellowship host site provides their students with a stipend up to $5,000.
2027 Fellowship Application is Now Open!
Key Dates
October 30 at 11:59 PM EST: Deadline for applications
November 2-13: Application review
November 2-30: Interviews and selections
December 5: Final fellow selections due
Meet the Host Sites
When: October 21 at 5 PM EST
Where: Virtual
Prospective applicants can meet representatives from participating public defender offices, learn about available fellowship placements, hear from former BPDA fellows, and ask questions about the fellowship experience.
Meet the Host Sites
2027
Meet Our Fellows
2026
UC Law San Francisco
Seton Hall Law School
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Howard University School of Law
Suffolk University of Law School
University of California, Davis School of Law
American University Washington College of Law
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
University of California, Berkeley
Seattle University School of Law
USC Gould School of Law
Southern University Law Center
North Carolina Central University
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Liberty University School of Law
Southern University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
The University of Toledo College of Law
Southern University Law Center
Liberty University School of Law
Columbia Law School
Temple Law School
UC Law San Francisco
Harvard Law School
Seton Hall Law School
LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Howard University School of Law
Suffolk University of Law School
University of California, Davis School of Law
American University Washington College of Law
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
University of California, Berkeley
USC Gould School of Law
Southern University Law Center
North Carolina Central University
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Liberty University School of Law
Southern University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
The University of Toledo College of Law
Southern University Law Center
Liberty University School of Law
Columbia Law School
University of California College of the Law
Suffolk University Law School
University of San Francisco Law School
Northeastern University School of Law
Suffolk University Law School
Southern University Law Center
New York University School of Law
LSU Law Center
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
University of Idaho Law School
Cleveland State University College of Law
Howard University School of Law
Southern Illinois Simmons Law School
University of Mississippi Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Howard University School of Law
Washington & Lee University School of Law
University of Virgina School of Law
American University Washington College of Law
Southern University Law Center
Northern Kentucky University Law School
Southern University Law Center
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
University of Maryland Law School
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
University of Dayton School of Law
Southern University Law Center
Roger Williams University School of Law
Howard University School of Law
Southern University Law Center
Vanderbilt Law School
Chase College of Law
Southern University Law Center
Howard University School of Law
Southern University Law Center
George Washington University Law School
Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law
University of Alabama School of Law
University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law
New York University Law School
University of Connecticut School of Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Emory University School of Law
University of Connecticut School of Law
University of Michigan Law School
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Howard University School of Law
University of Cincinnati College of Law
George Washington University Law School
Notre Dame Law School
Georgetown University Law Center
University of Arkansas School of Law
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law
Howard University School of Law
University of California, Irvine School of Law
Pace University, Elisabeth Haub School of Law
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility varies by host site. Please review the 2027 fellowship brochure to confirm the class-year and other requirements for each office.
Yes. BPDA welcomes applications from law students nationwide who are interested in careers in public defense.
Yes. Each host site provides compensation to its selected fellow. Host sites may provide a stipend of up to $5,000, hourly wages, or another payment arrangement. Please review each host site’s description for specific compensation information.Yes. Each host site provides compensation to its selected fellow. Host sites may provide a stipend of up to $5,000, hourly wages, or another payment arrangement. Please review each host site’s description for specific compensation information.
BPDA will not provide housing stipends for the 2027 fellowship cycle. Some host sites may offer housing assistance or additional financial support.
Applicants may select up to three different host sites in order of preference. The application includes separate questions for your first, second, and third choices.
Please do not select the same office more than once. You may also indicate that you are open to being considered by any host site.
No. Each host site reviews its applicants and decides whom to interview.
Some host sites require a separate application through their employment system. Please review the fellowship brochure for additional application requirements. If a separate application is required, you must complete both applications to receive full consideration.
Applicants must submit a resume and professional bio in PDF format, a high-resolution professional headshot in JPG or PNG format, and responses to the fellowship application questions.
After applications close, BPDA will provide participating offices with applications from students who selected their site. Host sites will contact applicants directly regarding interviews and selections.
Attendance is encouraged but is not required to apply. The session can help applicants learn more about participating offices before selecting their host-site preferences
The BPDA Law School Fellowship is offered annually and provides selected law students with summer placements at participating public defender offices.
The Law School Fellowship is designed for law students and focuses on legal training, trial advocacy, mentorship, and summer placements at public defender offices.
The Community Engagement Fellowship is designed for undergraduate students and focuses on community engagement, advocacy, and exposure to public defense. Recruitment for the 2027 Community Engagement Fellowship will begin in January 2027.
No. BPDA welcomes applications from all law students interested in careers in public defense. BPDA is committed to building a diverse public defense community and does not discriminate on the basis of race or any other protected characteristic.
