Law Student Positions

Summer Law Student Positions

The Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (LAF) will begin accepting applications for 2008 summer law student positions as of November 1, 2007.

LAF is one of the premier legal services programs in the nation, and provides excellent opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the civil legal problems of the poor. It has a staff of approximately 85 attorneys, many of whom have been engaged in poverty law practice for 10 to 20 years. Its offices are located in Chicago neighborhoods, downtown Chicago, and two suburban sites.

LAF represents clients in a variety of substantive areas of law including housing, immigration, children's rights, disabilities, utilities, public benefits, consumer, family, health, employment, and domestic violence. Law students perform a variety of duties at LAF depending on their experience level and the needs of a particular project or office. These duties include client interviews and case investigation, drafting of pleadings, memoranda and briefs, direct representation at administrative hearings, court representation under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711, and legal research. Because of funding and budgetary constraints, LAF gives first priority to applications for summer positions from law students who bring their own (law-school or student-group) funding. For some funding options click here .

Summer Law Student Application Procedure
If you are a 1L or 2L interested in applying to LAF and are able to make a minimum commitment of ten weeks of full-time work during the summer of 2008, please complete your application as outlined below: 

• Send a cover letter, resume, list of 2 references (at least one from law school, and with e-mail addresses), brief writing sample (3-5 pages), and law school transcript.   If you are a 1L and do not yet have law school grades, please indicate when you will be able to forward them.  (You can also state your expected grades if you know what they will be.)
  
• In your cover letter, please indicate which of the potential funding sources listed above (e.g., law-school or student-group funding, PILI, Equal Justice America) apply to your application.

Application materials and inquires can be sent by e-mail or regular mail to:

We will begin to process applications for the summer of 2008 as of November 1, 2007.  Applications will be processed and offers made on a rolling basis.  All application materials should be received by LAF no later than March 1, 2008, but it is possible that positions may be filled by that time.

Law Student Funding Options

Public Interest Fellowships.
LAF has consistently had a substantial number of law students who are funded either through law school-based public interest fellowships, or through independent fellowship programs. Each of these programs has different application procedures and deadlines. For some programs, the student must secure sponsorship from an organization as part of the application process. If you are applying for such an internship, or are able to arrange funding through such an internship program, LAF would be happy to consider sponsoring your application. Students should be aware of any deadlines such programs have, and should contact LAF in sufficient time for us to consider the application. Two independent sources of funding for internships are the Public Interest Law Initiative (at www.pili-law.org) and Equal Justice America (at www.equaljusticeamerica.org).  In addition, Equal Justice Works (at www.equaljusticeworks.org) shttp://www.napil.org) sponsors a stipend toward payment of law school tuition for students working as legal services summer interns.

Work Study.
If you are able to obtain partial funding through work study, LAF will consider up to a 50% matching grant towards a maximum of $10.50 per hour for students who have completed two years of law school; $9.50 per hour for other law students.

Volunteer or Class Credit.
LAF will also consider your application if you wish to volunteer your time, or seek class credit for working at LAF through a school externship or internship program.

Fall and Spring Externships, Work-Study, and Paid Positions
LAF accepts law students during both the fall and spring semesters to extern at our neighborhood offices or special projects. Students can work at LAF for class credit or through work-study programs. Additionally, when funding is received from the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), LAF is able to hire four paid interns during the spring semester. If you are interested in working at LAF during the school year for class credit or through work-study, contact Lisa Palumbo, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or at 312-347-8374. If you wish to apply for a PILI internship, contact PILI at www.pili-law.org.