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.

During EJA’s onboarding sessions, Fellows discussed the work ahead of them and the people they would serve. This summer, EJA Fellows are assisting clients and organizations working on housing stability, immigration, domestic violence, veterans’ advocacy, disability rights, access to public benefits, workers’ rights and other pressing civil legal needs.

For the clients served by these organizations, the issues are not theoretical. They involve homes, livelihoods, personal safety, families and fundamental rights.

Legal aid organizations across the country face enormous demand with limited resources. Adding a law student Fellow can meaningfully expand an organization’s ability to conduct legal research, interview clients, prepare cases, draft pleadings and help attorneys serve more people who might otherwise face the legal system alone.

The Fellowship also represents an investment in the future.

EJA Fellows gain substantive experience early in their legal careers while working alongside attorneys who have dedicated themselves to public service. They also join a national EJA community that includes thousands of alumni, mentors, legal aid attorneys, law firms and supporters.

For more than three decades, this has been at the heart of Equal Justice America’s work: expanding access to legal services today while helping prepare the public interest lawyers who will carry that work forward.