Summer Public Service Fellowship

The University of Arkansas School of Law Summer Public Service Fellowship Program provides paid public service fellowships to promising law students interested in public service careers. It offers meaningful employment opportunities and provides legal services to non-profit, non-governmental, and governmental entities that cannot otherwise afford summer interns.

For details on this summer’s program, see the 2024 Summer Public Service Fellowship Program

Fellowships

School of Law Fellowships

Each year, the School of Law awards 8 to 10 summer public service fellowships to first- and second-year law students who have obtained positions with public service employers. Some fellowships support any public service work while others are specifically focused on certain geographic areas or types of public service employers. Fellows receive a $5,500 scholarship ($500 of which is applied to tuition costs) and a course credit.

Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellowships

Since 2005, the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation has awarded fellowships to exceptional first- and second-year students at select law schools who demonstrate a steadfast commitment to public service and a developed interest in public policy. Fellows receive $5,000 in wages and participate in summer programs.

Every year, the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation awards one School of Law student a Public Policy Fellowship to advance public policy issues through work at a non-profit institution, government agency, or domestic or international organization. The foundation has also established fellowships at designated organizations for students to work on issues of racial justice, veterans’ justice, and human rights.

More information about the SPBF fellowships is available on the foundation’s website.

Potential Work Areas

Offices and organizations where students can gain substantive public service legal experience include, but are not limited to:

  • Public Defender
  • Public Prosecutor
  • City Government
  • City Attorney
  • University Counsel
  • Public Utilities
  • Child Protection and Family Support
  • Legislators (tribal, state, or federal)
  • Legislative Committees (tribal, state, or federal)
  • Government Agencies (tribal, state, or federal)
  • Trial Judges
  • Labor Unions
  • Foundations
  • Advocacy Groups
  • Nonprofit Organizations

Past Summer Fellows

2024 Fellows

  • Joshua Cauto, Raffaelli-Lineberger Public Service Fellow, will work for the Social Security Administration.
  • Johanna Day, Whetstone Public Service Fellow, will work in the Office of the Public Defender for the Augusta, Georgia, Judicial Circuit.
  • Riley Giberson, Public Interest Litigation Fellow, will work for the Honorable Holly Meyer, Circuit Judge for the 16th Judicial District in Heber Springs, Arkansas.
  • Averee Hutson, Public Interest Litigation Fellow, will work for the Honorable Johnnie A. Copeland, Circuit Judge for the 14th Judicial District in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
  • C. Kalua Kahana, Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Public Policy Fellow, will work for the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission.
  • Nancy-Darling Kwetchou, Gearhart Family Endowed Diversity Fellow, will work for Arkansas Immigration Defense.
  • Ethan Lee, Public Interest Litigation Fellow, will work for Legal Aid of Arkansas.
  • C. Joy Copu McCray, Ben J. Altheimer Public Service Fellow, will work in the Jefferson County Court Offices.
  • Emma Parr, Whetstone Public Service Fellow, will work in the Dallas County Public Defender's Office in Dallas, Texas.
  • Emily Pearson, Public Interest Litigation Fellow, will work in the Office of the Chief Counsel of the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
  • Zariya Williams, Whetstone Public Service Fellow, will work in the Sebastian County Prosecutor's Office.
  • Justyce Yuille, Raffaelli-Lineberger Public Service Fellow, will work with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in Washington, D.C.

2023 Fellows

  • Dell Barnes, Public Interest and Rural Community Sustainability Fund, Cherokee Nation District Court (Tahlequah, OK)
  • Chris Barnes, Ben J. Altheimer Public Service Fellowship, Center for Arkansas Legal Services
  • Sadie Baumann, Public Interest Litigation Fellowship, DHS Office of Chief Counsel
  • Ben Cameron, David Boling Public Service Fellowship, Legal Aid of Arkansas
  • Willie Chapple, Jr., Gearhart Family Endowed Diversity Support Fellowship, University of Arkansas General Counsel
  • Caleb Henry, Public Interest Litigation Fellowship, Hon. Kristine G. Baker, United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
  • Lindsay Mast, Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Fellowship, Midwest Innocence Project
  • Marcos Perez, Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Fellowship, Hon. Rebecca Rutherford, United States District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • Connie Stephany Quintero, Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Public Policy Fellowship, Kids in Need of Defense

2022 Fellows

  • Gunnar Bartlett, Public Interest Litigation Fellow (Razorback Athletics, University of Arkansas)
  • Joshua Clem, Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Sustained Impact Veterans’ Justice Fellow (Swords to Plowshares)
  • Maria Cueva, Gearhart Family Endowed Diversity Fellow (Arkansas Immigrant Defense)
  • Grace Faulkenberry, Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Fellow (Legal Aid of Arkansas-Housing Group)
  • MiKayla Jayroe, Rafaelli-Lineberger Public Service Fellow (Senator Tom Cotton’s Office)
  • Savannah Luna, Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Fellow (Shelby County Public Defender)
  • Marcus Montgomery, Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Sustained Impact Racial Justice Fellow (Lone Star Justice Alliance)
  • Kristina Ranney, Public Interest Litigation Fellow (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office)
  • Lexi Robertson, Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Public Policy Fellow (Legal Aid of Arkansas-Domestic Justice Group)
  • Addison Tucker, Public Interest Litigation Fellow (Cherokee County Attorney’s Office)

2021 Fellows

  • Abigail Meharg (Legal Aid of Arkansas – Pro Bono Program)
  • Brandi Green, Gearhart Family Endowed Diversity Fellow (Criminal District Court Dallas County)
  • Brittany Hawkins (Lone Star Justice Alliance)
  • Crystal Smith (Federal Public Defender’s Office)
  • Elise Baroni, Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Fellow (Shelby County Public Defender)
  • Imogen Ryan, Raffaelli-Lineberger Public Service Fellow (Benton County Circuit Court – Judge Green)
  • Kristina Ranney (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office)
  • Mason Gates, Rose Law Firm 200th Anniversary Public Service Fellow (Mississippi Center for Justice)
  • Rafael Quimbo, Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Public Interest Fellow (Buffalo River Watershed Alliance)
  • Samantha Doss (Legal Aid of Arkansas Economic Justice Work Group)

2020 Fellows

  • Madison Miller, Squire Patton Boggs Summer Policy Fellow (Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, Washington DC)
  • Ciera Runner, Public Interest Litigation Fellow (Federal Public Defender)
  • Zachary Joseph Rivera (Oklahoma Innocence Project)
  • Kara Butler, Public Interest and Rural Community Sustainability Fellow (Arkansas Access to Justice)
  • Taylor Carpenter, Public Interest Litigation Fellow (Washington County Public Defender)
  • Jessica Kloss, Raffaelli-Lineberger Summer Public Service Fellow (Securities and Exchange Commission)
  • Dana McGee, Public Interest Litigation Fellow (Shelby County Public Defenders)
  • Marcus Clouse (U.S. Magistrate Judge David Rush)
  • Marion Humphrey, Gearhart Family Diversity Fellow (Arch City Defenders)
  • Martha-Kay Mettler, Delta Fellow (University of Arkansas School of Law)

2019 Fellows

  • Marion Humphrey, Squire Patton Boggs Summer Policy Fellow (1L) (Campaign for Youth Justice)
  • Alexis Acello (1L) (Center for Arkansas Legal Services)
  • Badria Mryyan (1L) (YWCA Tulsa)
  • Clinton Summers (1L) (U.S. Magistrate Judge David Rush)
  • Derick Dillard (1L) (Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Arkansas)
  • Mitchell Dowden, Tyson Summer Public Service Fellow (2L) (Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic)
  • Nicholas Linn, Raffaelli-Lineberger Summer Public Service Fellow (2L) (U.S. Department of Justice)
  • Maria Baez de Hicks (2L) (Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families)

Other Public Service
Summer Opportunities

Students interested in a paid placement in the public service sector may contact Emily Juarez, Director of Office of Career Services, or go to the School of Law’s online career services platform to search for and apply to jobs, research employers and funding opportunities, schedule career advising appointments and more.

Public Service Externships

Students interested in earning academic credit while participating in public service legal opportunities should consider the Externship program. Applications for summer externships are generally available in February each year. Contact Ashley Menendez, Director of Externships, for more details.

Public Service and Pro Bono

Volunteering through pro bono is another way to advance a career in the public service sector. The Public Service and Pro Bono program offers opportunities for service and recognizes students who engage in substantive pro bono work. Pro bono opportunities are available on GivePulse or contact Professor Will Foster.

2023 Fellows