Arthur Liman Public Interest Law Fellowship

Eligibility Requirements:

• The Fellowship is open to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. (Note: off-cycle seniors who are returning in the fall are eligible.)
  • Students currently on leave but planning to re-enroll in Fall 2026, may participate with approval. If you plan to apply, reach out to your Resident Dean as soon as possible to request to be approved to return from leave. You must be approved to return from leave by the Ad Board before accepting our offer to participate. Students graduating in May 2026 are not eligible to apply.
• Students from all concentrations are welcome to apply.
• In general, applicants are not required to have a fellowship placement finalized before applying. However, preference will be given to individuals who have taken steps to secure a position with an eligible organization.

 Application Process:

Interested students should apply via the Liman Law Fellowships application in CARAT. Applications are due Sunday January 11, 2026 by 11:59pm ET. 

To apply, applicants must submit:

1. A 1-page resume noting your skills, previous employment, extracurricular activities, and relevant volunteer experiences. 

   For help writing a cover letter or resume, check out these resources from the Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS). 

2. A 750-word statement outlining the fellowship project and how it supports public interest law or advocacy work. Please also include how this experience fits into your public service pathway and what you hope to gain by being part of the Liman Law Fellowship network.  

   *Note: If you have not yet identified a fellowship project, please explain the cause you hope to address through this Fellowship and what outreach you have conducted thus far to secure a fellowship placement.

3. A copy of your unofficial student record (found at my.harvard.edu)

4. A letter of sponsorship (or any correspondence you've had so far) from your fellowship organization. Your letter of sponsorship confirms the viability and feasibility of your project. Please ask your partner organization to highlight your project’s anticipated outcomes, time duration (number of weeks and hourly work commitment), and supervisor contact information.

   *Note: If your placement is not confirmed by the time you submit your application, please upload a document with a brief note explaining where you are in the process (i.e., you've applied for a role, you've interviewed for the role, etc.) instead.

    

Key Dates and Timeline:

Harvard Summer Funding Policy:

Harvard College prioritizes the wide distribution of Summer funding to ensure that as many undergraduate students as possible can have a meaningful summer experience. For funded Summer 2026 experiences, students may only apply Harvard University funding to one Summer experience. If recipients of this fellowship receive any other sources of Harvard summer funding, they must report this to our office immediately to remain in compliance with Harvard's Summer Funding Policy. 

Placements can be identified through recommendations from former recipients, House pre-law tutors, counselors at MCS, and staff of The Center for Public Service & Engaged Scholarship, among others. A list of organizations that have hosted previous Liman Law Fellowship recipients is available here. 

Additionally, the Pathways to Funding & Organization Directory provides a comprehensive list of resources. The directory includes search engines for nonprofit positions and a list of over 400 potential host organizations for summer internships, including legal organizations that have hosted Harvard students in the past. 

When talking to a potential placement site, we recommend ensuring that:

1. There will be compelling and substantive work for you to do; your role should be more than information gathering or general office administrator duties.
2. You will report to a supervisor who will provide you with guidance and support
3. You will have significant learning outcomes throughout the course of the summer.  By the end of the experience, you should have gained significant exposure to issues of law, greater analytical thinking and research skills, and a greater understanding of how the legal system works.

Sample Causes Include: 

• Youth rights
• Immigrants rights
• Workers rights
• Prison conditions
• Human rights
• Voting rights
• Consumers rights
• Low income housing
• Civil rights
• Educational adequacy
• Juvenile justice

Sample Responsibilities: 

• Client-oriented, direct service case work and litigation, both civil and criminal
• Enforcement work and other litigation for governmental agencies
• Alternative dispute resolution, such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration
• Policy-making legislative and regulatory reform
• Policy-oriented class action and impact legislation