Public Interest Stipends

Track your hours here!

EJF is a student-run 501(c)(3) dedicated to encouraging work in public interest law. EJF raises money for law students with unpaid public interest work during law school summers, or who accept a post-grad public interest job but need financial assistance for bar prep.

  • EJF stipends are distinct from the stipend program run by the Public Interest and Public Service Law Center (PIPS).

  • EJF stipends vary each year based on fundraising revenue and the number of applicants. In recent years, EJF stipends have averaged $2,000.

  • EJF aspires to have enough funding to provide “full stipends,” which would be:

    • $5k for rising 2Ls

    • $6k for rising 3Ls

    • $3k for bar prep

  • EJF may not be able to award a stipend to every qualified applicant, or may have to award stipends of varying amounts based on the evaluation process.

  • EJF also aspires to distribute stipends before June 1st, 2025, but this may not be possible based on the law school’s timelines and financial procedures. Last cycle, EJF stipends were distributed on June 26th.

  • Applications that satisfy the minimum requirements are evaluated and ranked based on the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to public interest law, the internship/job secured, the number of EJF volunteer hours earned, and financial need.

  • Email ejfstipends@law.gwu.edu with any questions.

Earning a Stipend

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

  1. Be dedicated to, or genuinely considering, pursuing a career in public interest law.

  2. Earn 20+ EJF hours. 5+ hours may warrant a partial stipend, if EJF has sufficient funds. Hours earned beyond the minimum 20 will increase the likelihood of receiving a stipend and could increase the amount of the stipend.

    1. See below for details on how to earn and count hours.

  3. Track your hours as you earn them. Potential applicants should try to submit their hours via the Google Form within 7 days of earning them. The deadline to submit hours is 30 days after the event.

  4. Secure a full-time, 10-week, unpaid internship, clerkship, or other position that requires substantive legal work and is in the public interest.

    • Full-time: if you have two part-time positions, you can still get a full stipend. If you secure one part-time position, you can apply for a partial stipend. EJF defines full-time as at least 32 hours per week.

    • 10-week: if your internship is less than 10 weeks, you might receive a proportionally smaller stipend.

    • Unpaid: If your summer employer will give you a stipend, but you will still receive less than $5,000 (for 1Ls) or $6,000 (for 2Ls), you may still apply, but your stipend will be correspondingly smaller.

      • EJF will not decrease stipends due to employer-provided transportation stipends, or the Special Expenses stipend from PIPS.

      • This requirement doesn’t apply to 3Ls who are seeking a bar prep stipend.

    • Substantive legal work: EJF seeks to support legal training and professional development within public interest legal fields. The substantive and law-related aspects of your summer position should be fully explained in your employer commitment letter and/or your personal statements. The position must be solely for law students and not undergraduate interns. Eligible legal work includes judicial internships.

    • Public interest: Placements at non-profits and government entities qualify.

  5. Apply for a stipend from GW Law’s Public Interest and Public Service Law Center (PIPS), if you are eligible and able to apply based on their requirements and timeline. Their deadline is TBD, but last cycle it was April 1st, with decisions sent April 15th. EJF stipends cannot stack with PIPS stipends. KACIF stipends also cannot stack with EJF stipends, but Special Expenses Stipends can.

  6. If you don’t secure a PIPS or KACIF stipend, submit your completed EJF application before the final deadline. EJF’s application will be released in March, but the deadline will be after PIPS stipends are awarded.

Fulfilling the 20-Hour Requirement

EJF credit hours may be earned by volunteering and attending public interest events.

  1. You must track all of your hours as you earn them using this Form. Please submit your hours within 7 days of earning them. The deadline is 30 days after the event.

  2. Full credit is given for Volunteer Hours. If you volunteer for 5 hours for an EJF event, you earn 5 EJF credit hours, subject to the following rules.

    • Tabling: Volunteers will sit at a table in the lobby of the law school and solicit merch sales, selling tickets, and promoting other fundraising efforts.

      • No more than 5 hours of your minimum 20 can be earned by tabling. Once beyond 20 hours, there is no limit on earning additional tabling hours.

    • SBA Public Interest & Pro Bono Committee members may count up to 5 hours of the volunteering done to organize SBA public interest committee events.

    • Students who volunteer with the law school’s Public Interest and Public Service Law Center (PIPS) can count up to 5 of those volunteer hours.

    • Unless otherwise stated, no EJF credit is awarded for volunteering at non-EJF student org events.

    • At least 12 hours must be earned in the Volunteer Hours category. There is no cap on earning hours for volunteering at EJF-sponsored events.

  3. Half credit is given for attendance at EJF and PIPS events.

    • For example: If you attend PIP’s Public Interest Friday for 4 hours, you will receive 2 hours of credit. If you attend EJF’s Race for Equal Justice for 3 hours, you will receive 1.5 hours of credit.

    • There are no limits or caps on hours in this category.

  4. Half credit, up to half an hour per event, is given for attendance at non-EJF, non-PIPS educational events. You must attend at least 2 events during the academic year that fit in one of the two categories below. No more than 5 of these hours may count towards the minimum 20 hours. However, once you surpass 20 credit hours, there is no limit on earning additional hours.

    • Attending a substantive non-EJF, non-PIPS public interest event on campus.

      • Eligible events are those that the EJF executive board designates. Additionally, events on the Public Interest and Public Service Law Center’s (PIPS) calendar will count if the event is substantive. To confirm whether an event will be eligible, email ejfstipends@law.gwu.edu.

        • GBMs and primarily social events will not count in this category, but networking events with practitioners will. For example, a happy hour only for students organized by a public interest student org would not count, but attending a practitioner panel organized by a public interest student org would count.

    • Conducting a 20-minute informational interview with a current public interest practitioner. One such 20+ minute interview counts as 1 hour.