Richmond Law’s Summer Public Service Fellowship Reaches 103 Students

When the academic year comes to an end, many Richmond Law students continue their learning during the summer months outside the classroom through internships and other real-world job opportunities. Thanks to the Summer Public Service Fellowship, every rising second- and third-year law student has the option to explore a career in the public or not-profit sector.

“There are many wonderful, skill-building summer experiences for which public sector employers do not compensate students,” said Janet Hutchinson, associate dean for career development. “Our summer funding ensures that those opportunities are feasible for everyone, not just those who can afford to volunteer.”

“For many of our students, these opportunities create a gateway to post-graduate positions,” she continued.

So far this year, 103 students have received fellowships totaling $375,000.

While Richmond Law has a long history of providing financial support to students interested in public service careers, in 2013 the school created a guarantee that every law student would receive funding for at least one summer of unpaid legal work in the public sector.

Now, just a decade later, more than $4.6 million in funding has been awarded to nearly 1,500 students through the program.

Fellowships support student work in a wide range of public sector organizations, from non-profits like the Virginia Poverty Law Center and Legal Aid Society of San Diego to government offices like the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Virginia Supreme Court. 

Here’s what some of our students are doing this summer:

Student: Bailey Ellicott, L'24
Hometown: Manasquan, NJ
Employer: Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania-Capital Habeas Unit
 
What will you be doing?
The Capital Habeas Unit represents inmates sentenced to death in post-conviction proceedings. I will be assisting attorneys this summer as they meet with clients on death row and prepare challenges to their death sentences.

What are you most looking forward to learning in this position? I am looking forward to learning about a completely new area of criminal defense work that occurs after trial, and working directly with death-penalty litigation which is something I am very interested in.

Student: Alyssa Harrison, L’25
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Employer: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia

What will you be doing? I’ll be working in USAO-DC's Superior Court Division, which is responsible for prosecuting most local (non-federal) crimes occurring within the District of Columbia. Specifically, I will be doing litigation preparation for various trial and appellate hearings over the summer for all four sections (General Crimes, Homicide, Major Crimes, and Sex Offense and Domestic Violence).

What are you most looking forward to learning in this position? Before coming to Richmond, I worked mostly in civil litigation, and I wanted to spend some time in my first summer learning about and working in criminal law. I am interested in working for the federal government during my legal career, and I'm excited to see and learn from some of the country's best attorneys over the coming months in the courtroom and in the office. Additionally, I'm excited to be back in our nation's capital and to continue building my professional network in the city I love.

Student: Anthony Moran, L’25
Hometown: Johnstown, PA
Employer: Hanover County Circuit Court

What you will be doing? Serving as a clerk to assist the judges during trials and hearings. This includes filing a clerk worksheet, filing and organizing evidence, entering trials and hearings into the docket, and drafting record of proceedings. Other jobs include providing the office with docket summaries for each day of the week, divorce decree checklists, name change checklists, and ensuring civil and criminal documents are presented to the judges for signature.

What are you most looking forward to learning?: Seeing what procedurally happens in court and the many different situations confronted in a circuit court. I hope to learn all I can from the judges concerning how they make rationales and get a better idea of what is going on outside of the court.