This fellowship provides students with an opportunity to experience the practice of law, receive mentorship from alumni in law, gain understanding of the U.S. legal system, and engage in vocational discernment. Each fellow will receive a $6,000 stipend.

The application deadline is January 31, 2025 (Friday).

In addition to this application, you will need a faculty recommendation. Please have the faculty member use this JotForm to fill one out for you: https://form.jotform.com/210824357866968.

Students will intern for 8-10 weeks at one of multiple potential locations. All placements are with organizations addressing the legal needs of traditionally under-served communities in Chicago. Representative placements include the following. (NB: This list is tentative.)

Greater Chicago Legal Clinic (GCLC) - A non-profit legal aid organization that provides a variety of legal and support services to the poor outside of criminal defense. Their legal services address issues of housing, such as homelessness, eviction, foreclosure, residential home transactions, family law, immigration, Social Security, consumer law, and environmental law. Drew Curle, a Wheaton alumnus, supervises the criminal records program, which primarily involves expunging or sealing criminal records in Cook County since a criminal record can be a hurdle to getting a job or housing. 

Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) - A non-profit legal aid organization that focuses on providing legal and other support services to low and moderate income renters in Chicago’s private housing market. They work on cases involving evictions, building foreclosures, housing discrimination, unsafe conditions, utility shutoffs, and security deposits.  

Lawndale Christian Legal Center (LCLC) - Started as a ministry of the Lawndale Community Church, this non-profit legal aid organization provides criminal defense services to juveniles and young adults in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. They also have other programs, such as the Restorative Justice Community Court, a collaborative effort with other organizations, including the Circuit Court of Cook County, to create a forum that helps emerging adults find ways to resolve disputes, take accountability for their actions, and repair the harm they have done to people and the community.

The MetroAlliance, Inc. - A social venture focused on neighborhood transformation, primarily on the South Side of Chicago. They make investments in neighborhoods using a mix of for-profit strategies and nonprofit initiatives that include startup advisory services, legal services, and structuring investments. Daniel Leadbetter, a managing director and Wheaton alumnus, started with the organization via the Fellowship in Public Interest Law program.  

Students receiving scholarship funds will be required to: 

• Commit to an internship of at least 8 weeks during the summer. (Start and end dates will be determined by the student and the host organization.)
• Fulfill the duties assigned by the host organization for the entirety of the internship time.
• Attend an orientation meeting prior to the summer about professional expectations. 
• Participate during the summer in three one-on-one meetings with a mentor.
• Participate during the summer in additional networking events with alumni in law.
• Complete during the summer a series of written reflections related to the legal fellowship.
• Abide by the Wheaton College Community Covenant.
• Thank donors and help promote the opportunity for future scholarship recipients.
• Be listed as an awardee at the Wheaton College Honors Convocation ceremony during a spring chapel time.

   

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