Legal Fellowships Directory: 2027-28 Deadlines and Pay Forum

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Legal Fellowships Directory: 2027-28 Deadlines and Pay

Post by TLS » Tue Oct 27, 2026 7:38 am

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Legal Fellowships Directory: 2027-28 Deadlines, Pay and Eligibility

Short answer: Postgraduate legal fellowships come in three kinds. Government fellowships (Bristow, Supreme Court Fellows) are one-year jobs you apply for directly. Project fellowships (Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, Liman) require you to find a host organization and design a project with it, usually in the fall of 3L or during a clerkship (Skadden Foundation) (Equal Justice Works). Organizational fellowships (Institute for Justice, Pacific Legal Foundation, federal defenders) are entry-level jobs that are called fellowships (Institute for Justice) (Defender Services). This directory lists deadlines, pay and eligibility, each linked to the official page. Where we could not verify a fact, it says n.a..

Fast facts
  • Highest-paying: Supreme Court Fellows, $120,579 (GS-13 step 1) (Supreme Court Fellows Program); Institute for Justice, $110,000 (IJ); Pacific Legal Foundation, $100,000 (PLF).
  • Largest classes: Equal Justice Works, 60+ Design-Your-Own Fellows a year (EJW); Skadden, 34 Fellows in the 2026 class (Skadden).
  • Hardest to get: Bristow and Supreme Court Fellows each take about four people a year (DOJ OSG) (Supreme Court Fellows Program).
  • Clerkship link: Bristow Fellows usually clerk first (DOJ OSG), and Skadden accepts applicants who are clerking (Skadden).
  • Paused: Soros Justice Fellowships (no 2025 call) (OSF).
Deadline calendar (as of Sept. 26, 2026)
  • Sept. 1-30, 2026: Justice Catalyst optional prospectus window (Justice Catalyst).
  • Sept. 22 to Oct. 13, 2026: Skadden interviews; finalists told by Oct. 16; trustees pick Fellows in November (Skadden Foundation).
  • Oct. 2, 2026: Gideon's Promise Law School Partnership Program applications close (Gideon's Promise FAQ).
  • Oct. 5, 2026: Equal Justice Works Financial Empowerment Project deadline (Equal Justice Works).
  • Oct. 19 to Dec. 1, 2026: Justice Catalyst full application window (Justice Catalyst).
  • Nov. 1: end of Pacific Legal Foundation's Fall 2027 litigation fellowship window (Aug. 14 to Nov. 1; the posting gives no year) (PLF posting).
  • Nov. 4, 2026: James Wilson Fellowship (Winter 2027 session) applications due (James Wilson Institute).
  • Nov. 15, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET: Supreme Court Fellows 2027-28 applications due (Supreme Court Fellows Program).
  • Dec. 1, 2026: Claremont John Marshall Fellowship 2027 application opens (Claremont Institute).
  • December: Institute for Justice begins Litigation Fellowship hiring (Institute for Justice).
  • January: Blackstone Legal Fellowship deadline (mainly 1Ls) (Blackstone).
  • Jan. 5 to Feb. 4, 2027: Liman Fellowships 2027-28 (Yale Law only) (Yale Liman Center).
  • July 15 to Sept. 1 each year: Bristow Fellowship window; materials postmarked or emailed by Sept. 1 (DOJ OSG).
  • Late May to mid-September: Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own window; the 2027 cycle closed Sept. 17, 2026 (Equal Justice Works).
  • Summer to Aug. 31: Skadden window; the 2026 deadline was Aug. 31, 2026, and the next form launches in summer 2027 (Skadden Foundation).
Program-by-program summary
  • Bristow (DOJ Solicitor General): usually 4 a year, 1 year, GS-12. Most fellows clerk first, usually on a federal court of appeals (DOJ OSG). Bristow guide.
  • Supreme Court Fellows: 4 a year, 1 year in D.C., GS-13 step 1 ($120,579 at the current rate) (Supreme Court Fellows Program). Supreme Court Fellows guide.
  • Skadden: 2 years at a civil legal aid 501(c)(3). Hosts must pay at least $68,000 a year for the class of 2027. The 2026 class has 34 Fellows from 20 law schools (Skadden Foundation) (Skadden Foundation). Skadden, EJW and project fellowships guide.
  • Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own: 2 years, 60+ new Fellows a year, up to $66,500 a year in salary support to the host, plus up to $5,000 in loan repayment (Equal Justice Works).
  • Justice Catalyst: 1 year, potentially renewable. Hosts can be nonprofits, unions, plaintiff-side firms or government (Justice Catalyst) (Justice Catalyst).
  • Liman (Yale): 1 year at about $60,000; Yale Law graduates and 3Ls only (Yale Liman Center).
  • Soros Justice: paused. Open Society-U.S. issued no call for 2025 Fellows (Open Society Foundations).
  • Federal Defender fellowships: Non-capital: 12 fellows a class for two years, paid at JSP grades 11 to 13. Capital: attorneys with three to five years' experience (Defender Services fellowship site). Public defender guide.
  • Gideon's Promise LSPP: your school funds up to one year, then the partner public defender office commits to hire you for at least three years (Gideon's Promise FAQ).
  • Institute for Justice Litigation Fellowship: 2 years for lawyers with 0 to 2 years of litigation experience, $110,000 (Institute for Justice). Ideological fellowships guide.
  • Pacific Legal Foundation: 1 year from Sept. 1, 2027, $100,000, two spots per practice area (PLF posting).
  • Constitutional Accountability Center (sponsored): CAC hosts externally funded fellows from fall 2027 and tops pay up to $80,000 (CAC).
  • Olin-Searle-Smith-Darling (Federalist Society): 1 to 2 years of full-time scholarship for aspiring law professors; $70,000 plus health benefits per a February 2025 Federalist Society post (Federalist Society blog, 2025).
Which fellowship fits you
How the project-fellowship cycle works
  1. Spring and summer before you apply, find a host. Hosts post sponsorship calls; for example, the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project set a June 18, 2026 priority deadline for Fall 2027 sponsored fellows (ACLU posting).
  2. Draft the project with the host: the problem, the clients, the theory of impact and how it lasts past the fellowship.
  3. Apply to several funders with one project. Liman asks you to list the other fellowships you are applying for (Yale Liman Center).
  4. Interview in the fall. Skadden interviews ran Sept. 22 to Oct. 13 in six cities, and the Foundation pays travel (Skadden).
  5. If you take another offer, tell the other funders. Justice Catalyst asks to be told immediately (Justice Catalyst).
Fellowships, big law and clerkships

Many fellows defer a firm offer or come straight from a clerkship. TLS members discuss the tradeoffs in Deferring big law offer for fellowship?, AIII clerkship before Skadden/EJW fellowship? and Is second clerkship worth it for public interest?. On exits after a fellowship, see Exit Options for EJW/JC/Skadden Fellows?. For firm or in-house moves after public interest work, talk to BCG Attorney Search.

Discuss on TLS
FAQ

Q: What are the most prestigious legal fellowships?
By selectivity, Bristow and Supreme Court Fellows (about four each a year) (DOJ OSG) (Supreme Court Fellows Program), then Skadden (34 in 2026) (Skadden). Prestige within public interest depends on your field; see Skadden Fellowship & other prestigious PI opportunities relevance ... and Prestigious PI?.

Q: When do I apply for Skadden and EJW?
In the fall of 3L or during a clerkship. Skadden's 2026 deadline was Aug. 31 (Skadden); EJW's was Sept. 17, 2026 (EJW).

Q: Can I apply while clerking?
Yes for Skadden (Skadden). Justice Catalyst takes graduates up to two years out (Justice Catalyst).

Q: Do fellowships count for PSLF?
Time counts only if your employer qualifies, such as a government agency or 501(c)(3) (Federal Student Aid). See the legal aid and PSLF guide.


Related guides
Last verified: September 26, 2026, against the official program, court and agency pages linked in this guide (older or secondary sources are labeled). Hiring status changes often, so confirm on the court or chambers page before you apply. Spot an error? Reply in the linked discussion thread or PM a moderator.
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