Liman Summer Fellowships for Yale Undergraduates
For information about Liman Summer Fellowships for undergraduates at Barnard, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Morehouse, Princeton, Spelman, and Stanford click here.
Liman Summer Fellows do useful work in organizations that need their help. The Fellowships provide undergraduates opportunities to work full-time for 8–10 weeks in publicly funded or non-profit social services, cultural entities, or state and local government organizations. Work may include direct services, such as helping people who cannot afford attorneys, and public policy reform.
As a Fellow, you will take part in the Liman Colloquium, held every spring at Yale Law School, where students, scholars, and advocates from around the country gather to discuss issues; topics vary from year to year. For example, in the last three years, the Colloquium has addressed Incarceration and Public Health; Budgeting for Justice: Fiscal Policy and Monetary Sanctions; and An Intergenerational Community Committed to Public Service Education and Lawyering.
Through this fellowship, we hope you will connect with your peers and participate in a nationwide network of people committed to lessening the harms of unfair economic and social structures.
Toward the end of the summer, all Fellows must submit a report describing their experiences. Fellows are also expected to participate in the Liman Center’s programs to share their internship experiences with other students.
Eligibility:
The Liman Summer Fellowship is open to all students who are entering their second, third, or fourth year of college. Students should be interested in public service and social justice. Applicants are welcome from all majors and concentrations and may or may not have an interest in attending law school. Everyone is eligible, whether receiving financial aid or not.
Qualifying Host Organizations:
Students are responsible for obtaining an internship with a qualifying host organization. Students do not have to secure a placement before applying. The Liman Center provides resources to help students identify potential placements.
Organizations must be publicly funded or federally designated nonprofits - those with 501(c)(3) status. For-profit institutions do not qualify. Alternatively, Fellows may intern with state or local government agencies. Generally, host organizations are not academic institutions and should be based in the United States.
Host organizations serve the public good in a variety of ways. Many provide lawyers for people who cannot afford them. Some work on behalf of underserved communities. Others shape public policy. Applicants are encouraged to look for host organizations that have resource needs and serve underrepresented communities. Placements are not limited to particular substantive areas. Prior Fellows have worked on issues such as immigration, housing, labor and workers’ rights, indigent criminal defense, death penalty representation, disability rights, children and family services, environmental policy, and mental health advocacy.
Ideally, Fellows join the organization in person rather than remotely.
Designated Fellowships for Yale Undergraduates:
The Liman Center annually designates one fellowship each for the Legal Action Center (New York or Washington, D.C.) and All Our Kin (New Haven or New York). Indicate on the application your interest in being considered for one of these fellowships.
How to Apply for a Liman Summer Fellowship:
Yale students apply through the Yale Grants Database. Applications open January 3, 2025, and are due January 20, 2025. Awardees will be notified by the end of February.
A complete application for Yale undergraduates must include:
- Your resume (no more than two pages). It should include academic and work experiences such as volunteer and public service projects.
- An essay not to exceed 1,000 words about yourself, so that the Selection Committee can learn more about you. Please do not repeat your resume, and feel free to write about topics, ideas, or projects that engage you and help us understand your commitments.
- Two letters of recommendation from Yale faculty. The recommendations should come from individuals who know your work. Request letters from ladder faculty or faculty who have visited at Yale and now teach at another institution; do not submit references from teaching assistants or graduate students.
- Transcript (unofficial copy suffices).
- Summer host organization. You need not have secured an internship when you apply for the Liman Summer Fellowship. Do be aware that some summer internship application deadlines will pass before the Summer Fellows are selected. We recommend that, if possible, you reach out to organizations in areas of interest to you to learn whether they can offer you a position and explain that you have pending applications for support. Once selections are made, you can return to those organizations that you have contacted.