Goodwin Procter LLP, a national AmLaw 50 firm, today announced its 2014 Public Interest Fellowships for Law Students of Color program, which provides awards of $7,500 to law students of color who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, leadership skills and a commitment to community service. The fellowships are designed to help support students who plan to work in public interest law positions in the summer following their first year of law school. This year, four fellowships will be awarded. Application guidelines and forms are available online; the application deadline is March 14, 2014.
Launched in 2005, Goodwin’s fellowship program was created to contribute to the firm’s goal of increasing diversity in the legal profession. To date, 31 fellowships have been awarded to students from law schools including Georgetown, Harvard, Stanford, Boston College and the University of Virginia. Past recipients have worked for a variety of public interest organizations across the country, including the American Civil Liberties Union's Criminal Law Reform Project, Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in Woburn, Mass., Legal Advocates for Children and Youth in San Jose, Calif., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia. Read more about the 2013 recipients.
In addition, the firm is partnering with client Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) for the 7th year to offer one of this year’s Fellows the MassMutual/Goodwin Procter Public Interest Fellowship for Law Students of Color. This joint fellowship awards $7,500 to a first-year law student of color to help cover expenses while he or she works in a public interest law position during the summer.
“Goodwin has long been committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession, and we are proud to offer the Public Interest Fellowship program for the ninth consecutive year,” said Regina M. Pisa, chairman of Goodwin Procter. “The caliber of those participating in the program has always been outstanding, and we look forward to selecting and mentoring the 2014 Fellows.”
To apply, candidates must complete a Goodwin Procter Fellowship application and submit it, with a resume and a current law school transcript, to Goodwin Procter by March 14, 2014. Completed applications should be submitted online. Questions should be directed to Fellowships@goodwinlaw.com.
Candidates must be full-time, currently enrolled, first-year students of color pursuing a J.D. at an accredited law school. Candidates may not be the recipient of a similar scholarship award from another law firm for the summer of 2014. Students who are immediate family members of a Goodwin Procter or MassMutual employee, and/or are a Goodwin Procter client or employee of a Goodwin Procter client, are also not eligible.
About Goodwin Procter
Goodwin Procter LLP is a leading Global 100 law firm, with offices in Boston, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The firm provides corporate law and litigation services, with a focus on matters involving real estate, REITs and real estate capital markets; private equity; technology and life sciences companies; financial institutions; intellectual property; products liability and mass torts; and securities litigation and white collar defense. Information may be found at www.goodwinprocter.com. Follow us on Twitter @goodwinprocter.
About MassMutual’s Law Programs
Founded in 1851, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. The MassMutual/Goodwin Procter Public Interest Fellowship award is part of a broader effort by MassMutual to provide wide exposure to the practice of law to a diverse array of students as they pursue their law degrees. Included is the company’s 1L Diversity Clerkship Program which offers a dynamic paid summer Clerkship Program that provides talented, diverse, first-year law students from top national law schools with an exceptional opportunity to gain experience and exposure to the in-house practice of law across a broad range of practice areas. To learn more about MassMutual’s first year clerkship program visit www.massmutual.com.