The University of Baltimore offers a range of public-service funding options to help support students pursuing unpaid experiences in public service positions. Some offer academic-year funding for credited externships during the academic year. Others are only offered in the summer.
UBalt Law Housing Justice Fellowships (Academic Year and Summer)
This fellowship program is funded by Maryland’s Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) program and pays students working at legal aid agencies representing tenants across Maryland. The program aims to inspire and train a pipeline of new attorneys interested in housing justice and the right to counsel in civil cases.
Housing Justice Fellows receive a $2,500 stipend and $500 travel budget during the academic year and must work 130 hours. Summer Housing Justice Fellows may work full-time (400 hours) and receive an $8,000 stipend and $1,000 travel budget, or work half-time (200 hours) and receive a $4,000 stipend and $500 travel budget. All funded work by HJF Fellows must be related to the Access to Counsel in Evictions program. (Agencies may supplement these funds for non-ACE related work.)
Students may earn externship credit for their placements but are not required to. There is no limit on how many Housing Justice Fellowships a student may receive; however, students may not pursue two fellowship opportunities at the same time.
Eligible agencies include: Maryland Legal Aid, Pro Bono Resource Center, Public Justice Center, Civil Justice, CASA, Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, Shore Legal Access, Homeless Persons Representation Project, and Disability Rights Maryland.
Students with an eligible placement offer should contact Liz Solar and Prof. Lall to complete the necessary paperwork.
UBalt NextGen Leaders for Public Service (Academic Year)
NextGen Leaders for Public Service program is a Schaefer Center for Public Policy initiative designed to inspire and prepare University of Baltimore students from all majors to explore careers in public service. Each semester, the Schaefer Center allocates a limited number of NextGen awards of $2,500 each to UBalt Law students completing unpaid externships for academic credit at Maryland nonprofits, local/state government agencies, or with state court judges. Awards are allocated on a first-come, first-served, basis to students who have received an offer from an eligible agency and have submitted a request for externship approval. Interested students should contact Liz Solar and Prof. Lall to complete the necessary paperwork. Funds are paid through UBalt payroll and are subject to student employment hours caps.
The Schaefer Center also coordinates NextGen placement opportunities with sites directly, and all UBalt students are eligible to apply for these placements here. Please note that these placements may not be substantively legal, and therefore may not be eligible for academic credit under ABA standards.
Maryland Legal Aid Fellowships: Public Interest Fellowship and Housing Justice Fellowship (Summer)
These fellowships provide a second-year day or third-year evening student with a full-time, paid summer experience with Maryland Legal Aid that is designed to lead to an offer of postgraduate employment. Upon successful completion of their summer experience, MLA provides an offer of postgraduate employment, and the law school waives the student’s tuition and fees for the student’s final year of law school.
- MLA Fellows receive a $6,000 stipend and $1,000 travel budget and must work full-time for 10 weeks.
- Application deadlines are generally in October. MLA conducts interviews and selects the fellows.
- One fellow will focus on housing issues as part of the Tenant Right to Counsel Project, which is part of Maryland’s Access to Counsel in Evictions program. The other fellow will work in MLA’s other practice areas.
UBalt Law Summer Fellowship Program (Summer)
The UBalt Law Summer Fellowship funds 1L, 2L, 2E and 3E law students working in unpaid full-time positions during the summer with eligible public-interest law organizations. Each fellow receives $6,000 plus a $1,000 travel stipend. Application deadlines are generally in March.
Fellowships are awarded based on committee review of student applications and personal statements. Neither financial need nor academic credentials are considered in making the financial awards.
These fellowships are funded by a mix of funding sources, some of which are restricted to MLSC-funded agencies. Demand generally exceeds supply, and students are encouraged to explore all sources of funding.