The funds PILF raises each year are used to support Moritz students who take low-paying or volunteer summer positions in the public interest field. Fellowship Awards range from $1,750 to $3,500 and help students accept unpaid positions. These fellowships are designed to encourage our classmates to seek out rewarding positions that serve the underrepresented and underprivileged populations that are least likely to have access to legal services.
With the support of the Moritz and the Columbus legal community, in the Summer of 2021, PILF funded 27 Summer Fellows. Students worked for organizations such as the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, and the Federal Public Defender’s Office. The fellows’ accomplishments are important to local and national goals of equal justice.
Given the high interest of Moritz students in taking summer public interest positions, the application process continues to be competitive each year. Therefore it is important for students interested in seeking PILF Fellowships to be aware of the criteria and the selective nature of the process, and that there are alternative funding sources available.