The Dean’s Summer Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Fellowship Program at OCU Law offers a limited number of pro bono fellowship awards to financially assist first- and second-year students interested in volunteering with public interest/public sector organizations that provide legal services to underrepresented members of society. A modest stipend to help with summer bills, travel expenses, out-of-state temporary housing, etc., can make the difference between accepting and declining an invaluable experiential opportunity.
Past summer fellowship host sites include:
- American Civil Liberties Union
- Appellate Courts
- Attorneys General Offices
- Catholic Charities – Immigration Legal Services
- Child Support Services, a Division of Oklahoma Department of Human Services
- Circuit Courts
- City Attorney Offices
- Conservation Law Foundation
- Council on American-Islamic Relations
- County Attorney Offices
- Cross-Cultural Solutions
- Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program
- District Courts
- District Courts – Juvenile Docket
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Federal Bar Association Pro Bono Panel
- Federal Public Defender Offices
- Fordham Ghana Summer Law Program
- International Anti-Corruption Academy
- Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
- Legal Assistance Offices
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women
- National Stonewall Democrats
- Oglala Lakota Tribal Court
- Oklahoma Bar Association
- Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
- Oklahoma Child Support Services
- Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office
- Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office
- Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office – Juvenile Division
- Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
- Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
- Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry
- Oklahoma Department of Corrections
- Oklahoma Department of Public Safety
- Oklahoma Indian Legal Services
- Oklahoma Indigent Defense System
- Oklahoma Lawyers for Children
- Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General
- Oklahoma Public Employees Relations Board
- Oklahoma State School Boards Association
- Oklahoma Supreme Court
- Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court of Existing Claims
- One Love Worldwide
- Palomar Family Justice Center
- Prosecuting Attorney Offices
- Public Defender Offices
- Senior Law Resource Center
- Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
- State’s Attorney Offices
- State Bar Associations
- State Courts
- The Demand Project
- The Equality Network
- The Salvation Army
- The Sedona Conference
- Tulsa Lawyers for Children
- US Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps
- US Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps
- US Attorney Offices
- US Department of Homeland Security
- US Department of the Interior
- US Department of Justice
- US District Courts
- US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- World Neighbors
In order to apply for a fellowship, students must first secure a position with a qualifying organization. Interested students are encouraged to attend our annual OKC Law Works Career Fair in the spring, where they can meet with representatives from numerous government, pro bono, and public sector entities that are seeking volunteer summer interns.
Please Note: summer externships for academic credit cannot be supplemented with fellowship funding.
How to Apply: the 2022 Dean’s Summer Fellowship Application forms are now available for download from D2L:
Student Services D2L Content: Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Program
Module: Dean’s Summer Pro Bono & Public Interest Law Fellowship Program
Sub-module: Fellowship Application Process
Fellowship questions may be directed to Tia Ebarb Matt, Director of Experiential Learning.