The Defender Services Program Diversity Fellowship Program
About the Diversity Fellowship Program
The Fellowship Program will seek to enhance the quality of representation provided under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) by creating a pipeline of diverse attorneys qualified to join federal defender offices, CJA panels, or federal capital trial teams.
The Fellowship Program will place 12 fellows in trial positions with participating Federal Defender host offices across the country for two years, and fellows will matriculate as a class. Each class will have a number of opportunities for joint training, mentorship, and other group activities.
About Federal Defender Offices
Skilled collaboration, strategic litigation, compassionate representation, and unique approaches to the issues affecting our clients are among the values we aim to foster in Federal Defender Organizations. Because no single person can do this work alone, you will work with experienced lawyers, mitigation specialists, paralegals, and administrative support staff.
Applicants
The Diversity Fellowship Program is open to current 3L students and recent law school graduates. A successful Fellow must be a talented advocate and legal writer, possess research skills, be team oriented, and be committed to public defense or related public interest law work.
Application Opens Sept. 2021
Fellows begin Sept. 2022