Equal Justice Works

Legal fellowships in the public interest:equal Justice Works directs the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the nation, placing lawyers in two-year assignments at legal services organizations. The Equal Justice Works fellowship program creates partnerships with these host organizations, public interest lawyers, law firm and corporate sponsors, and other donors to increase access to the Justice system for underrepresented populations.the organization offers two structures of fellowships: one in which the fellow designs their own project alongside a host organization (legal service organization) and one in which fellows apply and join a program designed and directed by Equal Justice Works and focused on a particular issue.one hundred sixty-three (163) Equal Justice Works fellows designed their own innovative legal service projects and worked at 140 host organizations in 56 different cities around the country to address a wide range of legal issues, including veterans benefits, racial Justice, access to education, immigration and asylum, community economic development, and voting rights. Thirty-six (36) Equal Justice Works fellows participated in three unique fellowship programs focused on civil legal issues affecting underserved communities including elder crime victims, disaster survivors, and those facing housing instability. These fellows worked at 26 legal services providers across the country. These fellowship programs aim to serve individuals while also creating broader impact through capacity building. As one example, the disaster resilience program helps fulfill the need for critical legal assistance before, during, and after disasters, including responding to legal issues arising from the covid-19 pandemic. Eighteen (18) fellows delivered critical legal assistance to disaster-affected communities in Florida, Texas and expanded to regions in California and Louisiana. Fellows improved access to Justice in low-income communities and increased the capacity of legal services organizations to serve disaster survivors. In just two years, the fellows provided legal information to over 24,000 individuals, legal assistance to more than 6,000 individuals, and over $3.25 million in economic benefits.

Law school engagement and advocacy:equal Justice Works also offers programs to increase the number of law students and lawyers dedicating all or part of their careers to public service by engaging and collaborating with law schools, students, and attorneys. Equal Justice Works maintains a robust law school membership, which includes over 90% of aba-accredited law schools, and helps ensure those members know of and participate in the programs offered by Equal Justice Works, including fellowships described above as well as the following programming for law students.the organization provides short-term summer student fellowships programs. The rural summer legal corps (rslc) program is a joint partnership of the legal services corporation (lsc) and Equal Justice Works. The rslc program connects public interest law students with civil legal aid organizations to address pressing legal issues facing rural communities. Despite the challenges presented by the global pandemic, the 2021 rslc program provided 35 students with the opportunity to serve rural communities across 24 states. Student fellows in the 2021 class collectively served 1,296 individuals, assisted in 795 legal cases, and helped achieve 416 positive outcomes for their clients. The disaster resilience program places law students at legal services organizations where they gain exposure to legal disaster preparedness and recovery work. In 2021, 6 law students spent eight to ten weeks working alongside Equal Justice Works fellows in the disaster resilience program, helping to provide legal aid, engage in community outreach and education in disaster resilience. During their summer of service, student fellows in the disaster resilience program collectively contributed 1,589 hours that included 741 hours on research and developing resources, 423 hours on client cases, client intake, and legal clinics and 115 hours on outreach and educational activities. The Equal Justice Works career fair is the largest national public interest legal career fair, bringing together more than 200 public interest employers to conduct interviews for full-time positions and internships. More than 3,000 law students from over 150 law schools attended the 2021 event. Equal Justice Works is committed to ensuring that no law student or lawyer is deterred from a public interest legal career by the burden of student debt. The organization provides comprehensive information to synthesize and simplify the complex array of repayment plans, financing options and loan forgiveness programs available to aspiring and current public interest lawyers through our student advocacy, in person presentations, and webinars. In addition, Equal Justice Works leads the pslf coalition which consists of over 90 organizations committed to supporting public service loan forgiveness (pslf). We believe it is of vital importance for the wellbeing of communities across our country. Pslf allows public service professionals to pursue their passion for service professionally even if they have student debt. The organization is assisted by a national advisory committee, a 16-person group of law students and professionals from member schools that provides guidance and feedback on expanding public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers. The organization also supports student representatives, a group of 55 students across the country, to serve as ambassadors for Equal Justice Works on their law school campuses.