Student Fellowships


The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) provides necessary funding for Columbia Law School’s Public Service Fellowships.  These fellowships provide students with the opportunity to perform meaningful, public interest legal work during the summer.   Students can use their fellowships to work for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and in some cases, public interest law firms.  

It is the goal of Columbia Law School’s public interest community to provide all students who want to work in the public interest for the summer with the opportunity to do so.  We are steadily reaching the point where we can say that all students who apply are receiving summer funding in some form, as the summer of 2006 was the first summer where no one needing summer funding was turned away.  Without these fellowships, that would not be possible.  

Public Service Fellowships are providing students at Columbia Law School exposure to the public interest legal community which they otherwise might not have.  Students work with law and policy in dealing with matters of true social importance.  Some students have a background or prior interest in the work they choose, while others may want to try something they view as new and engaging.  Regardless, students who receive Public Service Fellowships typically have great summers and are very satisfied with their experiences.      

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