The national Reed Smith Fellowship will provide six awards of $10,000 each toward tuition for the second year of law school, as well as a paid summer associate position after completion of the second year in any one of nine U.S. Reed Smith offices participating in the program. The fellowship is open to first-year students who have demonstrated excellent scholarship while overcoming economic or social adversity. Students can select to be summer associates in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., or in Richmond or Falls Church, Virginia.
“Reed Smith is very excited to launch this national initiative to enhance opportunities for students with varied life experiences,” said Tyree P. Jones, Reed Smith’s Director of Global Diversity. “Our previous fellowships were geographically focused, but this new initiative opens the program up for individuals coast to coast as a part of our ongoing efforts to recruit diverse talent and promote an inclusive workplace.”
First-year students in good standing at any law school in the United States have until May 15 to submit an application. The information and materials required include a completed fellowship application, a resume, first semester law school grades, a writing sample, and an undergraduate transcript. In addition, fellowship applicants must complete two personal statements – one describing any significant adversity they have faced, how this adversity was overcome, and how it affected them, and the other detailing their community and extracurricular involvement.
Download the Reed Smith Fellowship application below. Completed application packets should be sent to Dana B. Levin, U.S. Director of Legal Recruiting, c/o Reed Smith Fellowship, Reed Smith LLP, 1650 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.