William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law – Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowship Program

“That they may truly and impartially administer justice”

Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships

Photo of Judicial Interns at the Texas Supreme Court

Bill Whitehurst, '70, (center) with 2013 Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellows,(l-r) Mackenzie Meador, '14; Cassandra McCrae, '14; Stephanie Trinh, '14; Mary Chisolm Rios, '14; Daniel Smith, '14; and Sofia Meissner, '15

In the summer of 2013, the Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships Program will provide funding for students between their second and third years of law school. Preference will be given to students who intend to pursue careers in public interest law. The program addresses these students’ particular need to work in public interest positions during the summer before their third year of school in order to be viable candidates for public interest fellowships and jobs following graduation.

The program will provide stipends for up to six students for public interest work with qualified sponsoring organizations. A sponsoring organization must be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit providing legal services and/or advocacy to underrepresented individuals or communities. Government agencies, labor unions, and legislative offices do not qualify as a sponsoring organization.

The summer 2013 stipend will be $4,250 for at least 10 weeks (and a minimum of 400 hours) of work. Given the shortage of resources, students who will split the summer between working for a sponsoring organization and working elsewhere for substantial compensation are discouraged from applying.

These fellowships are supported by a generous five-year gift from Stephanie Whitehurst and Bill Whitehurst, ‘70. Each summer, the Whitehursts name the fellowships for lawyers they admire in hopes that the recipients will be inspired by the honorees’ work in the public interest. In the program’s inaugural summer, the Whitehursts named the fellowships in honor of lawyers Chip Brees, Michelle Cheng, Tom Harkness, Eden Harrington, Mack Kidd, and Scott Ozmun.

The application period is now closed. For sample application information, see:
Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships Program Description and Application Information Spring 2013.

Fellowship Recipients: