Fellowship
Programs.

The Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship programs provide valuable training, mentorship, and career opportunities for law students from underrepresented groups within the legal profession. These fellowships foster diversity and inclusion within specific legal practice areas and promote the work of the California Lawyers Association’s (CLA) various sections.

Fellows gain practical experience through hands-on legal work in areas through placements at governmental agencies or public interest organizations. They receive mentorship from experienced attorneys, develop professional networks through gatherings and events, and enhance their legal skills, including research, writing, and advocacy.

Funded through donations, the program provides selected law students stipends and, occasionally, free registration to a Section’s respective conferences. Each Fellowship program is open to law students interested in practicing law in California within the specific practice area. Applicants must be members of the relevant CLA section, with law students eligible for up to three free one-year memberships.

The program is open to law students from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds, including, but not limited to, diversity arising from race, color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, first-generation professional, and veteran status, as well as backgrounds that may have presented obstacles to accessing the legal profession, such as financial hardship, being the first in their family to attend college, or geographical limitations. Preference is given to 1st and 2nd year law students, but 3rd year students not taking the bar during the fellowship period will also be considered.

This program is co-sponsored by the California Lawyers Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.