The 62 2016 Class of Equal Justice Fellows come from 34 schools and will work in 19 issue areas. Fourteen schools had multiple awards: University of Minnesota Law School (4), Northeastern University School of Law (4), Georgetown University Law Center (4), University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (4), University of Texas School of Law (3), New York University School of Law (3), American University Washington College of Law (3), Harvard Law School (3), University of Washington School of Law (3), Columbia Law School (3), University of Houston Law Center (2), Yale Law School (2), University of Michigan Law School (2), and University of Chicago Law School (2).
The largest issue area is Immigrant Populations, with 12 projects based in organizations from Massachusetts and Minnesota to Texas and California. Children/Youth, Veterans, and Disability Rights were the next most commonly funded issue areas encompassing 19 projects. Funded projects are located primarily on the east and west coasts and Texas, with a few notable exceptions. Two immigrant populations projects will be housed at the National Immigrant Justice Center in Goshen, IN and the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN; a pro se and other legal representation systems project will be housed at the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services in Nashville, TN; and a health care/medical-legal partnership project will be housed at the Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. in Rockford, IL.
Funding for these fellowships comes from law firms, corporations, foundations, and anonymous donors. The most prevalent funding source is private law firms, with Greenberg Traurig, LLP contributing to all or a part of 8 fellowships.
By comparison, there were 53 Fellows in the Class of 2015, hailing from 31 schools. These projects addressed 17 issue areas, with housing being the most prevalent issue.
Congratulations to the 2016 Equal Justice Works Fellows! They will be doing outstanding work in their communities.
And the 2017 application is now open. Visit the Equal Justice Works Fellowship page to download the application guide, view sponsor preferences and sign up for an application webinar.