Cherry blossoms in front of Columbia University's Low Library

Social Justice Initiatives

Letter from Dean Erica Smock

Social Justice Initiatives (SJI) provides career services and programming for students and graduates interested in public interest, international human rights, public service/government, and legal volunteer work. SJI also implements and oversees Columbia Law School's Pro Bono Program, which connects students with attorney-supervised projects in the public good, as well as the Law School's Guaranteed Summer Funding Program.
Fellowships
Summer Funding
Pro Bono
LL.M. Resources

News from SJI

New Initiatives for Public Interest Law Students

Columbia Law School is expanding Loan Repayment Assistance and Guaranteed Summer Funding and launching a Public Interest Fellows Program.

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Up Close With Brenda Toineeta Pipestem ’99: A Leader in Tribal Law

Pipestem, a recipient of the Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman LLP Fellowship for Public Interest Law, is an associate justice on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Supreme Court.

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Hannah Rosner ’21, Caitlin Lowell ’21 Named Greene Public Service Scholars

These full-tuition scholarships are made possible thanks to a generous gift from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.

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Student Voices

Patricia Okonta '18 on Joining Columbia Law's Cohort of Leaders
Patricia Okonta ’18 on Joining Columbia Law’s Cohort of Leaders
Jacob Bogart ’18 on his Human Rights Work at Columbia Law
Jacob Bogart ’18 on His Human Rights Work at Columbia Law
Yasmin Theodros Dagne ’18, on Studying Human Rights, Public Interest Law
Yasmin Theodros Dagne ’18 on Studying Human Rights, Public Interest Law

Upcoming Events

Deadline: Kirkland & Ellis New York City Public Service Fellowship

Funds a J.D. graduate to work as a staff attorney or carry out a project at a nonprofit in the U.S.

Deadline: Morrison & Foerster Public Interest in Japan Summer Fellowship

Funds a position in public interest in Japan over 2L or 3L summer (or, in exceptional circumstances, over the summer following …

Deadline: Excelsior Service Fellowship

This fellowship funds J.D. graduates to work in the New York State government for two years.

Deadline: Mark Haas Public Interest Fellowship

Open to graduating J.D. or LL.M. students from China, this fellowship funds three to six months of public interest legal work …

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