Postgraduate fellowships, and similar government-funded programs, provide an excellent opportunity for law school graduates to gain valuable skills and work experience in public interest. Most postgraduate fellowships last from one to two years depending on the program requirements. In addition to a regular salary, some fellowships provide loan repayment assistance to recipients.

Postgraduate fellowships are highly competitive. To be awarded a fellowship is a prestigious accomplishment. Fellows often become leaders in the profession.

There are three basic types of fellowships: (1) non-law school organizations that underwrite two-year public service projects proposed by recent graduates (e.g., Skadden, Echoing Green, Equal Justice Works, New Voices, Ashoka); (2) nonprofit organizations that offer one- or two-year positions to entry-level lawyers to work at their organizations (e.g., ACLU, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Natural Resources Defense Council); and (3) law schools that offer paid postgraduate fellowships for new lawyers to do public service work (search The E-Guide for these schools).

The fellowship application process requires hard work, particularly for those in the first category, which requires a comprehensive project description. Applicants may want to ask prospective law schools how many of the school’s graduates have gone on to postgraduate fellowships and what kind of assistance is provided to students applying for postgraduate fellowships. Some schools offer presentations on how to write a fellowship application and provide feedback on applications.

There are other one- or two-year positions in public service that can serve as great launch pads to a public service career or to private practice. These include judicial clerkships, government honors programs and an AmeriCorps program.

Most federal and some state court judges offer one- or two-year clerkships in which new lawyers get a first-hand look at the inner workings of the justice system, including judicial decision-making. Law clerks assist the judges both in the courtroom and in chambers where decisions are made and opinions are drafted. These positions are very competitive and are sought by law students on a variety of career tracts.

Some federal, state and local government agencies have "honors programs" that hire recent graduates as staff attorneys for a defined period of time. Several agencies of the United States government have these programs. The best known is probably the Department of Justice Attorney General’s Honors Program. These programs are often the only portals through which graduating law students can obtain a job with the government.

The Corporation for National and Community Service funds national and state AmeriCorps programs, including some that employ attorneys. Equal Justice Works administers the only national AmeriCorps program, the Pro Bono Legal Corps. In this program, Equal Justice Works/AmeriCorps Attorneys collaborate with community legal aid providers, law students and law schools to develop quality pro bono opportunities that expand legal resources in low-income and underserved communities.

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