Equal Justice Works details 'Design Your Own' fellowship eligibility, timeline and support
April 17, 2024 | Legal Services Corporation, Independent Federal Agency, Executive, Federal
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Lila Seligberry, senior program manager on the fellowships team at Equal Justice Works, led an April 15 webinar explaining the nonprofit’s Design Your Own (DYO) fellowship, the application process and what host organizations and sponsors must provide.
The DYO fellowship places selected fellows in two‑year projects at U.S.-based nonprofits. "For a project to be eligible, it needs to serve an underserved population and or address an unmet or underaddressed legal issue," Seligberry said, adding that projects should be innovative, discrete and guided by SMART goals designed to be accomplished in a 24‑month period. The fellowships for the class of 2025 are slated to begin in September 2025 and conclude in September 2027.
Why it matters: Equal Justice Works is the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the country, Seligberry said, with more than 200 active fellows and an alumni network of over 2,500. The program aims to launch lawyers into long‑term public‑interest careers; staff cited a retention figure of about 85% of alumni remaining in public service.
Who can apply and host: Applicants must graduate from an EJW member law school and have completed their JD or LLM by September 2025. Seligberry said applicants should not have held a full‑time permanent public‑interest attorney position that would make them ineligible; however, prior clerkships or AmeriCorps legal fellowships generally do not disqualify candidates. Host organizations must be U.S. nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities or fiscally sponsored nonprofits), provide benefits comparable to other employees, and have an attorney on staff to supervise the fellow.
Compensation and supports: Equal Justice Works provides salary support for fellows in the class of 2025 of up to $63,500 per year; host organizations set fellows’ salaries and pay any amount above the EJW maximum. Fellows also have access to up to $5,000 annually through a student loan repayment assistance program, Seligberry said. Benefits such as health insurance are the responsibility of the host organization.
Application and selection process: The application opened April 10 and closes Sept. 10, 2024; submissions must be made via the Submittable platform. The application includes a one‑sentence project description, a statement of need, SMART project goals, a project timeline, a community collaboration section, the candidate’s background and a resume. Applicants must upload contact information for one reference and two letters of recommendation through Submittable; EJW does not accept emailed materials.
Seligberry said alumni reviewers score applications using criteria that mirror the application prompts, with scoring completed in October. Interviews take place November 2024 through April 2025, and sponsors select interviewees on a rolling basis. The fellowship class of 2025 will be announced in May 2025.
Bar requirement and legal details: In response to questions, Seligberry said fellows are expected to sit for the bar before beginning the fellowship; details on timing and obligations are described in the EJW Fellow Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which is available via the certification form in the application resources. She advised attendees to consult the MOA for precise legal language rather than rely on verbal summaries.
Tips and examples: Seligberry urged applicants to work closely with host organizations when designing projects, to be specific and concise in the one‑sentence project description and to present SMART goals. She provided examples of past fellows’ projects, including a transgender‑specific medical‑legal partnership and an online tool and hotline developed at the Legal Aid Society of New York City to help identify and serve survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
Next steps: Equal Justice Works will add more application resources and a redacted sample application over the summer and will post office hours where applicants can book time with staff. Questions can be directed to fellowships@equaljusticeworks.org. The organization advised applicants to prepare early, assemble reviewers to proof applications, and to consider sponsor preferences when tailoring their proposals.
The DYO fellowship places selected fellows in two‑year projects at U.S.-based nonprofits. "For a project to be eligible, it needs to serve an underserved population and or address an unmet or underaddressed legal issue," Seligberry said, adding that projects should be innovative, discrete and guided by SMART goals designed to be accomplished in a 24‑month period. The fellowships for the class of 2025 are slated to begin in September 2025 and conclude in September 2027.
Why it matters: Equal Justice Works is the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the country, Seligberry said, with more than 200 active fellows and an alumni network of over 2,500. The program aims to launch lawyers into long‑term public‑interest careers; staff cited a retention figure of about 85% of alumni remaining in public service.
Who can apply and host: Applicants must graduate from an EJW member law school and have completed their JD or LLM by September 2025. Seligberry said applicants should not have held a full‑time permanent public‑interest attorney position that would make them ineligible; however, prior clerkships or AmeriCorps legal fellowships generally do not disqualify candidates. Host organizations must be U.S. nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities or fiscally sponsored nonprofits), provide benefits comparable to other employees, and have an attorney on staff to supervise the fellow.
Compensation and supports: Equal Justice Works provides salary support for fellows in the class of 2025 of up to $63,500 per year; host organizations set fellows’ salaries and pay any amount above the EJW maximum. Fellows also have access to up to $5,000 annually through a student loan repayment assistance program, Seligberry said. Benefits such as health insurance are the responsibility of the host organization.
Application and selection process: The application opened April 10 and closes Sept. 10, 2024; submissions must be made via the Submittable platform. The application includes a one‑sentence project description, a statement of need, SMART project goals, a project timeline, a community collaboration section, the candidate’s background and a resume. Applicants must upload contact information for one reference and two letters of recommendation through Submittable; EJW does not accept emailed materials.
Seligberry said alumni reviewers score applications using criteria that mirror the application prompts, with scoring completed in October. Interviews take place November 2024 through April 2025, and sponsors select interviewees on a rolling basis. The fellowship class of 2025 will be announced in May 2025.
Bar requirement and legal details: In response to questions, Seligberry said fellows are expected to sit for the bar before beginning the fellowship; details on timing and obligations are described in the EJW Fellow Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which is available via the certification form in the application resources. She advised attendees to consult the MOA for precise legal language rather than rely on verbal summaries.
Tips and examples: Seligberry urged applicants to work closely with host organizations when designing projects, to be specific and concise in the one‑sentence project description and to present SMART goals. She provided examples of past fellows’ projects, including a transgender‑specific medical‑legal partnership and an online tool and hotline developed at the Legal Aid Society of New York City to help identify and serve survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
Next steps: Equal Justice Works will add more application resources and a redacted sample application over the summer and will post office hours where applicants can book time with staff. Questions can be directed to fellowships@equaljusticeworks.org. The organization advised applicants to prepare early, assemble reviewers to proof applications, and to consider sponsor preferences when tailoring their proposals.
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