The two-year Impact Litigation Fellowship is a cornerstone of SJLF’s work. Our fellows are recent graduates eager to build litigation skills for public good.
In their first year, fellows are engaged in all aspects of pre-trial civil litigation including conducting investigations, drafting complaints, planning for and issuing discovery, drafting motions to compel and dispositive motions, second chairing depositions, and ultimately first chairing depositions. In their second year, our fellows routinely do the work of mid-level law firm associates, including managing client communications, leading meet-and-confer calls, arguing discovery motions, working with experts, and defending depositions. Fellows reach this stage through a challenging and intentional model that combines formal training, iterative review and feedback, and hands-on experience with clients, co-counsel and courts.
Fellows will learn to write and think like trial lawyers by engaging in a mix of investigation, discovery, trial preparation, and trial work directed at tackling some of the biggest issues in our nation today.
Applications Are Now Open for SJLF’s 2026 – 2028 Impact Litigation Fellowship!
Apply here before September 15, 2025. Apply early if you can: applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews will begin before September.
For more information about the fellowship, join one of our upcoming virtual information sessions:
Lars Odland, Columbia Law School
Fall 2023 Fellowship Cohort
Staff Attorney at A Better Childhood
“As a Fellow at the Social Justice Legal Foundation, I had the opportunity to work on nearly every stage of the litigation process in California and federal courts. By the end of my time at SJLF, I had meaningfully contributed to a wider variety of substantive legal tasks than any of my peers I know from my graduating class of law school.
I drafted complaints and oppositions to Rule 12 motions, discovery requests and responses and objections, and motions to compel. I’ve led the meet and confers and worked with expert witnesses, second-chaired multiple offensive and defensive depositions, including 30(b)(6) depositions, and first-chaired fact-witness depositions. I worked closely with our clients, preparing them for their depositions and their responses to discovery requests. I have also participated in mediations and settlement conferences that resulted in favorable outcomes for our clients.”
Emily Olivencia-Audet, UCLA Law School
Fall 2021 Fellowship Cohort
Associate at Gilbert & Sackman
“The fellowship gave me great opportunities to work a case from the ground up, providing me with training and experience in many aspects of litigation. Because of the fellowship I was able to jump into my next legal job with confidence.”
Ameila Piazza, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Fall 2021 Fellowship Cohort
Staff Attorney at Public Counsel
“For me, the best part of the fellowship was working and learning alongside other recent law school graduates who were committed to public interest lawyering. We were always there to support each other, and I made some wonderful friends.”