Fellowship Overview
An essential component of FFLA’s mission is to promote service to the public by members of the legal profession by making public service an integral component of the law school experience. The Civil Legal Aid Summer Fellowship Program is designed to provide students a unique opportunity to gain meaningful legal experience while also helping low-income Floridians meet their civil legal needs. Students work at a Florida non-profit legal aid organization for a 10-week full-time paid summer fellowship. The organization and the summer fellow are matched using the preferences in their applications.
FFLA, formerly The Florida Bar Foundation, is Florida's IOTA administrator and the largest funder of Florida's network of 35+ legal aid organizations.
Fellowship Purposes
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To involve fellowship recipients in the provision of high-quality, significant civil legal assistance to low-income Floridians, the indigent, and the working poor in critical areas of need.
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To provide in-depth "on the job" experience in representing low-income Floridians and practical legal skills including: client interaction (conducting interviews, preparing clients for hearings and trial) gathering supporting documents, legal drafting, preparing motions, discovery requests, trial preparation and more.
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To increase law students' interest in and awareness of the legal problems of low-income Floridians, and the challenges and satisfaction of representing those who need legal representation but cannot otherwise afford it.
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To promote commitment to pro bono representation of low-income Floridians.
Fellowship Details
The FFLA Civil Legal Aid Summer Fellowship Program is seeking rising second- and third-year law students for placement at non-profit legal service programs throughout Florida during the 2026 summer semester.
- This Fellowship runs for a period of 10 weeks.
- This is a full-time, in-person position for the summer.
- Some host organizations may offer partial remote work, noted in project descriptions in yellow.
- Up to 30 Summer 2026 fellowships will be offered.
- The monetary stipend for each student is $9,000.
- A cost-of-living adjustment may be provided to eligible students.
- The application process will close on November 7, 2025, at 11:45 p.m. EST.
- Students will be informed of application decisions on a rolling basis December 12 through mid-January.
- Funding and placement decisions are made by FFLA. Please do not contact the host organizations.
- View the list of legal service organizations and their projects here: List of Host Organizations & Projects
- View the Fellow Guidelines.
Fellowship Term
- The Fellowship commences with a mandatory orientation for students in mid-May. Fellowships run Tuesday, May 26, 2026, through Friday, July 31, 2026.
- Exceptions may be made for students whose academic calendars run early or late if their host organization approves a fellowship date change.
Student Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Rising second-year and third-year law students (current 1L and 2Ls who have completed at least two semesters of law school by the end of May 2026) attending an accredited law school are eligible to apply provided they are in good standing with their law school. Among the factors to be considered in selection are desire to work with the low-income community, academic achievement, writing skills, and commitment/interest in public service work.
Questions
Contact FFLA Communications Director Jessica Brown at jbrown@fundingfla.org.