William & Mary School of Law offers a variety of summer fellowships which provide funding for students who work in government or public interest internships.  Eligible employers include civil legal services organizations; public defenders; prosecutors; federal, state, and local government agencies; and private, nonprofit public interest groups.  Partisan political work is ineligible for funding.  Internships with judges and courts are eligible for funding from some sources, but it is unusual for those positions to be funded.  Except as noted below, all programs support internships involving any area of law throughout the world.

The fellowship programs include:

• Bell Public Service Fellowships:  Funded by a Law School endowment.
• Christopher Wren Association Fellowships:  Funded by an association in the Williamsburg, Virginia, area.
• Dean’s Fellowships:  Funded by money allocated by the Dean of the Law School.
• Pinter Fellowships:  Funded by a William & Mary law graduate for work assisting gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender clients and/or for projects dealing with sexual orientation or AIDS/HIV issues.
• Virginia Law Foundation Fund for Justice and Education Public Service Internships:  Funded by a grant from the Virginia Law Foundation for Virginia-based positions with legal aid offices, public defenders, or other organizations involved with poverty law, civil rights law, or public interest law.
• Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section Fellowships:  Funded by a grant from the Virginia State Bar’s Criminal Law Section for Virginia-based positions involving criminal law/criminal justice.
• Walter Williams, Jr. Public Service Fellowships:  Funded by the Law School in memory of Professor Williams, for positions involving international human rights, international civil rights, or international poverty/public interest law; immigration; or asylum/refugee rights.  Positions involving international trade, business, or finance also will be considered but have a lower priority than other positions.
• William & Mary Public Service Fund Fellowships:  Funded from money raised by the student-run William and Mary Public Service Fund.  

Please note the following important details about these programs:

1.  Employers interested in hiring William & Mary law students via our summer fellowship programs are encouraged to send a position description to the Office of Career Services by using our on-line form or via email, fax, or postal mail.

2.  A student must have a written offer of employment in order to apply for funding.  Employers should provide all documentation directly to the student, not to the Office of Career Services.

3.  Each program provides maximum fellowships of $3,600, based on 400 hours of work – typically, 10 weeks at 40 hours per week at $9.00 per hour.  If an employer has partial funding, that funding will be taken into account in determining the fellowship amount awarded to the student.  Fellowships are subject to tax and FICA withholdings.  Pro rata fellowships are available for positions entailing fewer than 40 hours per week or fewer than 10 weeks. 

4.  The application process is very competitive.  Each year, the demand for funds exceeds the supply; the Law School cannot fund everyone who applies. In order to fund as many students as possible, successful applicants may receive funding less than the maximum and/or from more than one source. 

5. There are two application deadlines: in late November of each year for second-year students seeking “early decision” funding; and in late March for first- and second-year students seeking funds under the “regular decision” allocation process.

Thank you for your interest in William & Mary law students.  Please contact the Office of Career Services if you have questions or need additional information.