Legal Aid Summer Fellowship Program

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2019 Summer Fellows

An essential component of The Florida Bar Foundation’s mission is to promote service to the public by members of the legal profession by making public service an integral component of the law school experience. The Legal Aid Summer Fellowship Program offers approximately 10 Florida law students the opportunity to gain valuable legal service experience at a Florida non-profit legal service organization for an 11-week full-time paid summer fellowship. Fellowship stipends are paid to the host organization and distributed to the fellow according to regular employment practices. The organization and the summer fellow are matched using the preferences outlined by each in their application.

The purpose of this fellowship is:

• To involve fellowship recipients in the provision of high-quality, significant civil legal assistance to low-income Floridians, the indigent, and the working poor in critical areas of need.
• To provide an in-depth educational experience in representing low-income Floridians and working with individual clients and client groups in civil matters.
• To increase law student interest in and awareness of the legal problems of low-income Floridians, and the challenges and satisfaction of representing those who need it most.
• To promote commitment to pro bono representation of low-income Floridians.

Grant Amount

Monetary stipends for students who have finished their first year of law school (rising 2Ls) are $6,500 and stipends for students who have finished their 2nd year of law school (rising 3Ls) are $8,250.

Grant Cycle

Host applications are available in early January. Student applications are available in early February. Fellowships are awarded in mid-March. The fellowship begins in early May with a mandatory orientation and ends in early August.

Grant Eligibility

Host applications are available in early January. Student applications are available in early February. Fellowships are awarded in mid-March. The fellowship begins in early May with a mandatory orientation and ends in early August. 

Prospective student summer fellows must: 

• Be a rising second- or third-year law student at an accredited Florida law school; 
• Have a competitive GPA and resume;  
• Have a strong interest in public service work; and 
• Be available to participate in-person in the mandatory orientation.  

Prospective host organizations must: 

• Be a non-profit entity, tax-exempt and qualified to receive charitable donations within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code; 
• Operate within the state of Florida; 
• Have a primary purpose of providing legal services to low-income Floridians; 
• Offer opportunities for the summer fellow to gain practical legal experience such as having client contact, drafting legal documents, attending court or administrative hearings, and conducting community education; and
• Have the ability to host a summer fellow from May to August and provide supervision, a work space, technology, and other resources necessary for a student to be successful. 

Grant Funding

There is no 2022-23 funding allocated for this program. 

This grant is funded by the Foundation on an annual basis in accordance with the Foundation’s grant allocation for the corresponding year which may be culled from all available sources including existing reserves, restricted donations, Endowment contributions, unspent or returned funds, past investment earnings and other funds which may become available.

Grants Awarded

Comments from Past Summer Fellows