For Attorneys
Request and Host a Law Student Volunteer
Public interest and pro bono attorneys working with low-income and underrepresented clients may request the assistance of law students through MJF.
Law students can work on a weekly basis throughout the semester or can help you with one-time clinics or research projects. Many law students can volunteer up to about 4-5 hours per week and can make commitments for a semester at a time. Volunteering can include:
- Client intake and interviewing
- Community legal education
- Courtroom representation
- Fact investigation, legal research and writing
Ready to get a law student on board? MJF accepts volunteer requests from attorneys year-round. To get started, simply click the button below to access our request form.
Following receipt of your request, an MJF staff person will contact you. We look forward to working with you!
Please plan to invest time in supervising and mentoring your volunteers. Not only will they get more out of the experience, you will receive a better work product.
Apply to be a MJF Summer Fellowship Host
MJF Summer Fellowship Program information for prospective host organizations:
Host organizations commit to the following:
- Cooperating with MJF’s student interview process, which includes interviewing at least eight students on appointed dates, including at least one student from each of the three law schools in Minnesota and at least one first-year student;
- Providing a law-related summer fellowship opportunity for 10 weeks of full-time work, with ongoing, regular direction and feedback from the fellow’s supervising attorney(s), who must be licensed to practice in Minnesota;
- Treating the fellow as an employee of the agency, which includes withholding appropriate taxes and paying the employer’s portion of the taxes, as well as providing malpractice insurance coverage unless not applicable (in the case of the public defender’s office or other immune entities, for example);
- Calculating the base hourly rate for the fellow’s pay by dividing the stipend amount by the number of hours in 10 weeks of full-time employment as defined by the organization. The host organization may supplement the student’s pay to a higher rate with their own funds; and
- Completing an evaluation of the program at the end of the summer. A completed evaluation is required in order to apply for the following summer.
Timeline for the MJF Summer Fellowship Program:
September-October
Application window is open for organizations.
November
MJF selects the host organizations and promotes the program to law students.
January
MJF posts fellowship job descriptions on the three Minnesota law schools’ job boards and opens the student application window.
February
MJF sends student application materials to host organizations. Organizations select which students to interview. MJF coordinates the scheduling of interviews, which are held remotely.
March
After the interviews, the host organizations rank their candidates and MJF issues the offers.
April
The fellows and their supervising attorneys connect to discuss scheduling and answer questions students may have. The fellowship should be scheduled to start after the spring semester exam period and to conclude before fall semester begins.
May
MJF issues contracts and stipend checks to the host organizations. MJF conducts a brief orientation session for the fellows.
May – August
Each MJF fellow works the equivalent of 10 full-time weeks over the course of the summer.
August
Each MJF fellow is responsible for submitting a data sheet and reflection at the end of their fellowship. Each host agency is responsible for conducting a final evaluation of the program and for returning any remaining funds from the stipend to MJF.
Volunteer for Street Law
To volunteer with MJF’s Street Law program, click here or email stthomas@mnjustice.org.