Law school life
Fellowship and Public Interest: The Hidden Gems of A Law Student ' s Summer
Honey L. Shaw 2L, Georgia State University College of Law hshaw10 @ student. gsu. edu
William P. Robertson 2L, Georgia State University College of Law wrobertson1 @ student. gsu. edu
Many law students aspire to gain a summer associate position at a big law firm, but the competitiveness often leaves students without crucial practical experience. Additionally, the need to fund their summers without adding to their overall debt, means students must seek paid opportunities even in non-legal fields. However, many students fail to consider the many fellowship opportunities or when they seek unpaid public interest opportunities, do not seek funding through public interest scholarships programs( PIIP).
Lyn Knapp, Senior Director for the Center for Professional Development and Career Strategies at Georgia State University’ s College of Law, urges students to use their summers to gain experience but recognizes the funding needed by many students. Many opportunities are listed for students on the center’ s portal such as the Peggy Browning Fund Fellowships, the Access to Justice Tech Fellowships, and the Equal Justice America Legal Services Fellowships. Also mentioned by Ms. Knapp, were the many non-paid public inter-
20 March 2018