We are deeply involved in developing public interest careers through funding summer fellowships for law students who wish to accept unpaid positions working with nonprofit organizations. On average, we are able to fund ten public interest projects that serve disadvantaged communities per summer. Click here to see our past Summer Fellows. These summer grants have supported students doing projects related to a variety of issues, including child advocacy, women’s rights, HIV/AIDS issues, and affordable housing. In light of Boalt’s limited financial means in comparison to other top schools, these grants provide an invaluable resource for law students who wish to explore and develop careers in public interest law.

Only students who have volunteered at least 25 hours for BLF-related activities and events are eligible for BLF summer grants. If you are unsure if you qualify, please contact us at <a href=”mailto:berkeleylawfoundation@gmail.com”>berkeleylawfoundation@gmail.com</a>.

SPRING PLEDGE DRIVE

The source of our funds is our annual Spring Pledge Drive.  Every March, the Spring Pledge Drive solicits one day of pay from Boalt students who have accepted paid positions for the upcoming summer. Very often, their employers will match or triple the day of pay donated by the student. The faculty members here at Boalt are always very strong supporters of the Spring Pledge Drive, and individual faculty members will often sponsor a day of the drive during which they will match any donations.

We take deep pride in our Spring Pledge Drive. Because of the generosity of their fellow students, many public interest scholars are able to serve underprivileged communities directly over the summer. We feel that that matching contributions of money and time from our student body demonstrates the shared recognition of our personal and professional obligation as lawyers to society. Each year the Spring Pledge Drive makes us all proud to be a member of BLF and a student at Boalt Hall.