For career services
One page you can hand a student in an advising session.
Everything below prints as a clean handout. Fellowship dates are sample data until LAAC verifies each current cycle against the sponsor's official site.
Handout
Sample fellowship deadline tracker
Prototype dates only. Confirm each current deadline on the fellowship sponsor's official site before relying on it.
| Fellowship | Type | Lift | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skadden FellowshipSkadden Foundation | Project-based | High | Sample date:Sample deadline: September 14, 2026 |
| Equal Justice Works FellowshipEqual Justice Works | Project-based | High | Sample date:Sample deadline: September 22, 2026 |
| Immigrant Justice CorpsImmigrant Justice Corps | Organization-based | Medium | Sample date:Sample deadline: October 2, 2026 |
| Justice Catalyst FellowshipJustice Catalyst | Project-based | Medium | Sample date:Sample deadline: October 16, 2026 |
| Borchard Foundation Law & Aging FellowshipBorchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging | Project-based | Medium | Sample date:Sample deadline: November 6, 2026 |
| ChangeLawyers Public Interest FellowshipCalifornia ChangeLawyers | Bridge | Moderate | Sample date:Sample deadline: February 12, 2027 |
If a fellowship is not the answer
Direct staff attorney hire
Apply in the spring of 3L year
Many California legal aid organizations hire graduates straight into staff attorney roles with a start date before bar results.
Bridge role between graduation and admission
Confirm by winter of 3L year
A short-term paid position that carries you through the bar-results gap and often converts to a staff role.
Immigration court accreditation
Any time after graduation
Accredited representative status lets non-attorneys appear in immigration matters, which some organizations use for pre-bar graduates.
Public interest incubator
Apply the spring after graduation
Incubators support new lawyers building modest-means or hybrid public interest practices with training, mentorship, and shared infrastructure.
Public defender and government offices
Hiring cycles vary widely by county
Defender offices, county counsel, and state agencies hire new graduates on their own timelines and often qualify for loan repayment programs.
Advising materials
Legal aid pathways one-pager
A printable handout summarizing fellowship and non-fellowship paths for advising sessions.
- Print-friendly
- Updated deadlines
- Links back to the full directory
Advising script: the 2L fall conversation
The conversation that most changes outcomes, and the questions that open it up.
- Surface geographic flexibility early
- Translate clinic work into fellowship project ideas
- Flag the host org timeline before winter break