Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships

Photo of 2019 Whitehurst Summer Fellows — 2019 Whitehurst Summer Fellows (l-r) Natalie Neill ’20, Elizabeth Jones ’20, Ashley Berry ’20, Savannah Kumar ’20, Brendan Van Winkle ’20, and Meredith Luneack ’20

The Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships Program provides summer funding for students between their second and third years of law school. Preference is given to students who intend to pursue careers in public interest law. The program addresses these students’ particular need to work in public interest positions during the summer before their third year of school in order to be viable candidates for public interest fellowships and jobs following graduation.

In summer 2021, the program will provide a stipend of $4,500 for up to 6 students for at least 10 weeks (and a minimum of 400 hours) of work under the supervision of an attorney at a qualified sponsoring organization. A sponsoring organization must be 1) a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit providing legal services and/or advocacy to underrepresented individuals or communities or 2) a government office providing indigent defense. Government agencies (except offices providing indigent defense), labor unions, and legislative offices do not qualify as a sponsoring organization.

These fellowships are supported by a generous multi-year gift from Stephanie Whitehurst and Bill Whitehurst, ‘70. Each summer, the Whitehursts name the fellowships for lawyers and others they admire in hopes that the recipients will be inspired by the honorees’ work in the public interest. In the summer of 2021, the Whitehursts named the fellowships in honor of Pablo J. Almaguer, Richard and Suzanne Burbidge, Lia Sifuentes Davis, Jeff Edwards, Lamont A. Jefferson, and Jo Ann Merica.

For more information, please email: justicecenter@law.utexas.edu

Application Information

Application information for summer 2022 will be posted in late fall 2021.

Apply using the online form for Justice Center Public Interest Summer Fellowships. Please refer to the relevant webpage for the requirements for each fellowship, including requirements for the sponsoring organization and the nature and duration of the position. In particular, please note that a public defender office will not qualify for the Baron & Budd Public Interest Summer Fellowship unless the office is organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit. Given the shortage of resources, students who will split the summer between working for a sponsoring organization and working elsewhere for substantial compensation are discouraged from applying for these fellowships.

Fellows will be selected based on their credentials, their commitment to public service, and the sponsoring organization. A strong preference will be given to 2Ls for Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships, but 1Ls may apply. A student may not receive academic credit and a fellowship simultaneously, nor can a student receive a fellowship from both TLF and this program for the same position. (This limitation does not preclude a fellow from receiving a living expense stipend or a stipend or scholarship for educational expenses.)

Questions should be directed to the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, justicecenter@law.utexas.edu.