This summer, Equal Justice America Fellows Zachary Solles and Kailey Crites, both students at West Virginia University College of Law, spent their summers with Legal Aid of West Virginia, helping provide civil legal assistance to people across the state.

What happens when a case a law student studies in the classroom becomes a case she helps litigate?

For 2026 Equal Justice America Summer Fellow Lauren Acevedo, that question became reality.

In May, Equal Justice America welcomed its 2026 class of Summer Fellows as law students prepared to begin work with legal aid and civil-rights organizations across the country.

The long-term impact of an Equal Justice America Fellowship is not always measured by whether an alumnus remains in traditional legal practice.

Sometimes the experience helps a young lawyer discover an entirely different way to create change.