Justice John Paul Stevens Fellowship Program

About the Fellowships

Honoring Justice Stevens' lifelong dedication to improving the justice system, the John Paul Stevens Fellowship Foundation invests in the next generation of lawyers.  Through the Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship Program, the Foundation provide grants to students at participating law schools to work in public interest summer internships.  Each year two or three University of Virginia School of Law J.D. students will be selected for fellowships ranging from $5,000-$7,500 each.

Eligibility

All J.D. students enrolled as 1Ls or 2Ls working full-time, public interest legal internships with a governmental agency or a nonprofit organization for a minimum of eight (8) weeks during the summer of 2023 are eligible to apply. Stevens Fellowships shall not be awarded to students working as judicial externs. While students do not need to have secured their internship placement at the time of application, preference will be given to students who have.

Application

Students must apply for the fellowship via Symplicity, submitting the following documents and attaching them to the posting by Friday, March 24, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET:

  • A resume;
  • A one-page statement of interest describing the legal impact you hope to achieve through your internship this summer, as well as your background for pursuing this work;
  • An unofficial law school transcript; and
  • A letter from your summer employer confirming that you will work full-time for a minimum of 8 weeks during the summer of 2023 for the organization and providing a brief statement about the nature of the work you will perform. If you have difficulty obtaining an employer letter, please attach a description of your internship as indicated on the employer’s website or through email communications. (If you have not yet secured an internship placement, submit instead a one-page statement listing the employers with whom you have applied, your application status, and a brief description of the type of work you would perform during the internships.)

The application posting may be found on Symplicity, here.

Questions

Please contact the Public Service Center at @email.