School of Law Fellowships

As part of its commitment to furthering the public good, the School of Law is supporting 10 paid public service fellowships for the summer of 2023. For descriptions of the fellowships and the type of work they support, see the list of 2023 Summer Fellowship Opportunities.

Fellows will receive a $5,500 scholarship ($500 of which is applied to tuition costs) for 10 weeks of full-time work for a qualifying public service employer during the summer of 2023. Fellows will also receive a course credit. Upon approval by the School of Law, students may split their summer between the fellowship and another position and receive a partial fellowship. Fellows who split their summer must work full time for the qualifying public service employer for at least 6 weeks.

Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellowships

The Squire Patton Boggs Foundation (SPBF) will award a Public Policy Fellowship to a University of Arkansas School of Law student to advance public policy at a qualifying public service employer.

Students at the School of Law are also eligible to be nominated for several other SPBF fellowships. The SPBF offers three Sustained Impact Racial Justice Fellowships: (1) A fellowship to work on voters rights at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; (2) a fellowship to work on policing in Black communities at the Citizen Complaint Authority for the City of Cincinnati; and (3) a fellowship to work on juvenile justice in minority communities at the Lone Star Justice Alliance. In addition, the SPBF offers a Sustained Impact Veterans’ Justice Fellowship to work on veterans rights at Swords to Plowshares and a Human Rights Watch Fellowship to work for the organization’s Crisis and Conflicts Division on advancing the emerging right to data protection in humanitarian contexts.

The recipient of a SPBF fellowship is expected to work full time for at least 8 weeks and will be paid $5,000 in wages. The fellow will not receive a course credit unless the student chooses to enroll.

Qualifying Employers

Applicants for a School of Law or SPBF Public Policy fellowship are responsible for securing a public service employer willing to host and supervise them. You may contact Career Services or professor Sara Gosman, Director of Public Service and Pro Bono, if you would like guidance about how to do so. Due to COVID-19, positions may be in-person, remote, or a combination of the two.

Qualifying employers include governmental entities, non-profit organizations, and other non-governmental organizations that are not for profit. Applicants for a SPBF Public Policy Fellowship must also have secured a position that focuses on public policy. For-profit law firms that perform public interest work are qualifying employers for one fellowship: the Public Interest and Rural Community Sustainability Fellowship. See the list of 2023 Summer Fellowship Opportunities for more details on the qualifying firms.

Applicants for a SPBF Sustained Impact Racial Justice Fellowship, Sustained Impact Veterans’ Justice Fellowship, or Human Rights Watch Fellowship do not need to secure a position with a qualifying employer. If a student obtains one of these fellowships, the SPBF will place the student at the designated organization.

Eligibility and Criteria

Both first- and second-year law students are eligible for the fellowships. To receive a fellowship, students must be in good financial standing with the School of Law and may not transfer to another school for the 2023-24 school year.

Students must have an interest in public service. Preference is also given to the following students: students with a demonstrated commitment to public service; students in the first year of law school; students who have a financial need; students who will be working for organizations, including governmental entities, that cannot otherwise afford summer law clerks; and students who have not previously received a fellowship.

Military veterans are given a preference for SPBF fellowships. More information about the SPBF’s fellowships is found on their website, which students are encouraged to review before preparing their application.

A student who is nominated for a SPBF Sustained Impact Racial Justice Fellowship, Sustained Impact Veterans’ Justice Fellowship, or Human Rights Watch Fellowship and does not receive the fellowship is eligible to apply for the School of Law and SPBF Public Policy fellowships.

Application Process and Timeline

To apply for School of Law and SPBF Public Policy fellowships, see the 2023 Summer Fellowship Application Instructions and Form. Applications for these fellowships are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted by March 19, 2023.

To apply for SPBF Sustained Impact fellowships and the Human Rights Watch Fellowship, see the 2023 SPBF Summer Fellowship Nomination Instructions and Form. Students must submit their materials by January 22, 2023.

Decision and Acceptance Timeline

Decisions on School of Law and SPBF Public Policy fellowships will occur on a rolling basis and no later than April 2, 2023. Students who are selected by the School of Law for the SPBF Public Policy Fellowship must be approved by the foundation.

The SPBF will select the recipients of the Sustained Impact fellowships and the Human Rights Watch Fellowship by the second week of February 2023.

Students have three days to accept a fellowship offer.

Responsibilities

In addition to working full-time for 10 weeks and completing duties assigned by their host organization, the fellows will be expected to participate in an orientation, mid-summer meeting, and end of summer meeting and to submit a written summary of their experiences to the School of Law in August. They are also asked to assist with promotion of the program.

SPBF fellows must also submit a brief description of their summer activities to the foundation in early July, complete a survey, and write a full report at the end of the fellowship.

Supplemental Funding

To supplement a fellowship, a fellow may obtain external fellowships, awards, or salary of up to $2,500.

Questions?

Please contact Professor Sara Gosman, Director of the Public Service and Pro Bono Program, if you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of the Summer Public Service Fellowship Program.