Providing Experience and Mentorship to Tomorrow’s Lawyers
The BBA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Summer Fellowship Program provides law students with paid summer internship opportunities in public interest settings. The program aims to ensure that law students from all backgrounds can gain meaningful experience in public interest law. Students placed in summer fellowships also gain practical experience in developing legal research and writing skills, expanding professional networks, and access to programming at the BBA. Fellows are also paired with a mentor from the BBA’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Section.
Applying for the Program
The program accepts applications from students at ABA-accredited Massachusetts law schools who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing DEI in the legal profession, and who will have completed their 1L or 2L year by the summer in which they will participate in the program. Fellowships offer an opportunity for substantive work in a public interest law office, including supervision, skills development, and building one’s professional network. In addition to gaining work experience, Fellows attend professional development programming created by the BBA and receive a mentor through the BBA’s DEI Section. Participating fellows are expected to work full-time for 10 weeks, and receive a $6,000 stipend for the summer made possible by law firm sponsorships and generous donations to the Boston Bar Foundation (BBF).
The Boston Bar Association (BBA) is now accepting applications for its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Summer Fellowship Program for a summer 2023 paid internship position with the City of Boston (COB) Law Department. Through this program, the selected law student will participate in the Law Department’s Summer Legal Internship Program. The Boston Bar Association and its DEI Section, in partnership with the Law Department, and with the support of the Boston Bar Foundation (BBF), aim to foster diversity, equity and inclusion within the bar and invite law student candidates demonstrating a commitment to advancing these values within the legal profession to apply for this Fellowship.
The deadline to apply for this position is 11:00 AM on Friday, April 7, 2023.
Through this program, the Fellow will intern in Judge Janet E. Bostwick’s chambers and will attend in-person trials and events at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston (depending on public health concerns and the status of court operations at that time). As part of this unique Fellowship, the selected law student will be provided with the opportunity to work directly with Judge Bostwick, observe courtroom proceedings, become familiar with bankruptcy and commercial law, and enhance their legal research and writing skills.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Charles P. Normandin Fund of the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services
The Fellow will work alongside a team of CPCS attorneys and a social service advocate. Students qualified to appear in court under SJC Rule 3:03 will represent clients in Juvenile Court at arraignments, bail appeals, and pretrial motions, all under the close supervision of experienced attorneys. Out-of-court work includes legal research and writing, case investigation, client meetings, and assisting attorneys with the preparation of trials. Students are also encouraged to attend court as often as they would like to observe motions and trials. During summer 2023, the internship will be held in-person at the office in Nubian Square.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation Beacon Fund for Diversity & Inclusion.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
The AGO’s Summer Legal Internship Program is a 10-week full-time program for students completing their 1L or 2L years of law school. The Summer Legal Internship Program is a structured program of trainings, events, and presentations and will run from Tuesday, May 30, 2023 through Friday, August 4, 2023. Taking into account students’ areas of interest, interns are assigned to a particular division within the office. We anticipate that students will be working remotely with the option of some in-office time.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Through this program, the Fellow will intern at the MCAD in the General Counsel’s Office and will have the opportunity to assist with evaluating legal strategy, prepare discovery requests and responses, interview witnesses, conduct legal research, and draft legal documents. The MCAD internship program gives students firsthand experience working at the state agency charged with protecting the people of Massachusetts from discriminatory treatment through the investigation and adjudication of discrimination complaints as well as discrimination prevention education, outreach, and training.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Department of Children & Families
DCF strives to protect children from abuse and neglect and, in partnership with families and communities, ensure children are able to grow and thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. DCF’s Office of the General Counsel provides advice and representation to the agency in appeals of care and protection and termination of parental rights cases, employment matters, tort claims and administrative reviews in Superior court. It is anticipated that the Fellow will work remotely with some in-person opportunities.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
The Office of General Counsel (OCG) encourages interns to attend as many OGC events as possible. These include prehearing conferences, adjudicatory hearings, public hearings, mediation sessions, settlement negotiations, legal practice group sessions (discussions among attorneys focused on a particular area of law), and/or meeting with the program staff. MassDEP seeks intern input as to what projects they find interesting, and MassDEP attempts to accommodate interns’ requests to the extent possible. The MassDEP office utilizes a hybrid schedule, with one day per week required in-office. The fellow may be asked to work in-person at the office additional days based on schedule and need.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Through this program, the Fellow will work in the Litigation Bureau of the DOR and work on cases involving state tax law, including principles of administrative law, constitutional law, federal tax law and other disciplines as relevant. The student will act under the direction of litigators and will be assigned research, writing, fact investigations, and other activities that are legal in nature. The Fellow may apply to become certified law students under SJC Rule 3:03 and appear before a court or administrative tribunal.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Massachusetts Port Authority
Through this program, the selected law student will participate in Massport’s Legal Internship Program. Massport exists in service of progress and opportunity, connecting Massachusetts and New England to the world, and dedicated to the vibrant neighborhoods around us. The Legal Department advises the Authority in every aspect of the Authority’s operations, including litigation, employment, security, real estate, finance, construction, contracts, environmental and other matters. The Fellow will perform research and other legal assignments in these various areas, gaining valuable experience applicable to both the public and private sector.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Office of the Inspector General
Through this program, the selected law student will participate in the OIG’s Summer Legal Internship Program. The Legal Intern works under the direction of the Office’s Legal Division. Legal Interns will have the opportunity to draft legal research memoranda in various areas of law related to fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds and the administration of the Office. Legal Interns may also have the opportunity to work with the Office’s Policy and Government Division, including analyzing legislative matters and attending hearings at the State House. Legal Interns may also have the opportunity to draft document requests and participate in the Office’s investigations into fraud, waste and abuse of public funds.
This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
Through this program, the selected law student will participate in the SCDAO’s Summer Legal Internship Program. As part of this unique opportunity, the selected law student will receive substantive work; supervision and skills development, particularly in legal research and writing; and invaluable mentorship and networking in an office committed to serving the people of Suffolk County and to making the criminal legal system more equitable, transparent, and responsive.
The intern will receive a $6,000 stipend for the summer through the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summer Fellowship Program. This program is organized by the Boston Bar Association and funding is made possible by the Boston Bar Foundation Beacon Fund for Diversity & Inclusion.
The deadline to apply for this position has passed.
Leaving the Office and the relationships I developed is difficult, but I am leaving with quite a bit: a greater sense of confidence in myself; a group of mentors who were instrumental in my success this summer and who I will continue to reach out to throughout my career; contacts in numerous government organizations, including the SJC, and friends within the legal community who I am excited to watch do great things.
Hear from our Program Alumni
Throughout these two months, I worked on six different cases ranging in topics including retirement law, health law, and family law. I wrote memos on questions of statutory construction, drafted motions, participated as a judge in a moot court, and assisted with a multi-state amicus brief. In addition to these meaningful work experiences, I received mentorship, guidance, and teaching from some of the brightest people I’ve ever met.
Hear from our Program Alumni
Frankly, there aren’t enough lawyers who look like me. One thing I learned is that in the court of law, optics matter. Appearances are paramount in the theater of litigation. Every time I was in the courtroom, I saw the difference my presence made to those defendants especially the ones who looked at me. I saw how their loneliness shifted with a head nod or a grin. I made sure to always see them as fellow members of my community. Not just because that’s what I was taught in class or because we share similar traits, but because as a prosecutor we represent the community and every defendant is included in that representation. In the interest of justice, they matter too.
Hear from our Program Alumni
I believe that this program does an excellent job of creating lifelong connections that I can rely on in my career.
Hear from our Program Alumni
To advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession requires a similar charge to expand the profession with varied insights and voices. This requires acknowledging the concerns that hinder Black and Brown Law students from accessing certain legal spaces. Moreover, providing the resources for them to thrive when put in these spaces. The opportunity provided by the DEI Summer Fellowship is pivotal because of the access and the mentors.
2023 Beacon Awards
Proceeds from the Beacon Awards support this program as well as the other diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives of the BBA.
