Social Justice Post-Graduate Fellowships

Since 2009, Seattle University School of Law has offered Social Justice Post-Graduate Fellowships to SU law graduates, providing opportunities for new lawyers to work shoulder-to-shoulder with underserved and disadvantaged populations, or in other endeavors that promote social justice. This is an important way for the law school to demonstrate our commitment to develop lawyers who are leading toward a more just and humane world. Seattle University School of Law continues to be the only law school in the Northwest to offer a post-graduate fellowship program.   

2013 Leadership for Justice Fellowship

Seattle University School of Law is pleased to award this year's Leadership for Justice post-graduate fellowship to Diego Rondón Ichikawa ('13), who will undertake a "Wage Justice Project" in partnership with the National Employment Law Project (NELP). The Wage Justice Project, which will be based out of NELP's West Coast Office in Seattle, will assist workers in Washington State and around the country by combatting wage theft, the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, and the ill effects of the growing practice of subcontracting of low-wage jobs through coalition and capacity-building, community education, strategic litigation, and policy and legislative advocacy. For more information about Diego and the Wage Justice Project, please visit this website.

The Leadership for Justice Fellowship currently provides up to $55,000 for the year to a qualified social justice legal host organization to cover salary, benefits and other costs to the host associated with funding a full-time fellow. Fellows are graduating Seattle University law students who design a project in collaboration with a host organization to help meet the needs of underserved or marginalized individuals or groups or work to advance social justice issues that are not adequately addressed by some existing aspect of the legal system.

The application deadline for the 2013 Leadership for Justice Fellowship has passed; please check back for future information. Application materials are typically posted in October or early November and due by early February.

Meet Past and Current Seattle University Justice Fellows:

• Elizabeth Hendren, 2012
• Andra Kranzler, 2011
• Anupa Iyer, 2011
• Bette Fleishman, 2010
• Kristi Cruz, 2009

What other post-graduate fellowship opportunities and resources are available?

In addition to the Leadership for Justice Fellowship, the law school is committed to supporting the public interest careers of all students. Several other public interest fellowships, jobs, and funding sources are available to graduating students and the following resources can provide more information:  

• Center for Professional Development: Public Interest Funding (summer and post-graduate resources, including a database of hundreds of available fellowships)
• Student Financial Services: Loan Assistance (including details regarding the Loan Repayment Assistance Program and the College Cost Reduction and Access Act)
• ATJI Blog: Post-Graduate Fellowships Section
• Advocate Resource Center: Information for Law Students on local Post-Graduate Fellowship sponsors and procedures.

Who do I contact for more information?

If you have any questions about the SU Leadership for Justice Fellowship program, please contact Jennifer Werdell, Associate Director of the Access to Justice Institute, at werdellj@seattleu.edu or 206.398.4455.