APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 20, 2026

AWARD: $10,000 ($7,500 for the student and $2,500 for the organization)*

*See note below regarding additional payment by Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County.

FELLOWSHIP DETAILS:

The WLALA Foundation’s Fran Kandel Public Interest Fellowship Committee is accepting applications for two summer public interest law student fellowships. Each fellowship is available to one first or second year law student (full or part-time) for a 10-week summer externship.

The purpose of the Fran Kandel Public Interest Fellowship is to:

• Provide help to the disadvantaged by funding original projects that will directly benefit the under-represented in the greater Los Angeles area;
• Educate and expose law students to legal concerns affecting the disadvantaged; and
• Encourage the legal community’s involvement in public interest law by funding students who show the capability of and commitment to assisting those in need.

The 2026 Fran Kandel Public Interest Fellowships will fund the following social justice-oriented projects:

1. An externship with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County to create a disaster assistance guide for volunteers and legal service providers; and

2. An externship with the Survivor Justice Center to create a trauma-informed guide for survivors of intimate partner violence regarding interactions with the criminal justice system in Los Angeles County.

Representatives from the Fran Kandel Public Interest Fellowship Committee and the two organizations will conduct student interviews beginning in February 2026, and the fellowships will be awarded in March 2026.

THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR PROJECTSNeighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (www.nlsla.org)

Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) is a nonprofit, full-service law firm serving low-income families and individuals in Los Angeles County. Founded in 1965, NLSLA is now in its 60th year providing high quality legal services as one of California’s largest and most prominent legal services programs. With a 2025 operating budget of $35.6 million and around 215 staff including over 90 attorneys, NLSLA provides free legal assistance to approximately 175,000 low-income Los Angeles County residents each year in areas such as affordable housing and eviction defense, access to public benefits, support for domestic violence survivors, access to healthcare, re-entry work, disaster relief, education, consumer rights, and employment.

Under the supervision of the Director of Pro Bono and the Pro Bono Manager, the Fellow will develop an internal guide for volunteers and legal service providers to use when providing advice at Disaster Recovery Centers and legal clinics. The guide will focus on disaster legal issues, particularly issues that impact low-income community members, and will be used as a manual.

To produce the guide, the Fellow will research legal issues, summarize advice, and help gather helpful resources. Following a two-week training period, the Fellow will begin drafting the internal guide. The Fellow will also participate in NLSLA’s longstanding summer internship program training and cohort activities.

NLSLA will pay the Fellow an additional amount to ensure the Fellow will receive the same amount ($9,010) as NLALA’s other summer interns.

Survivor Justice Center (www.survivorjusticecenter.org)

The Survivor Justice Center (SJC) is a Los Angeles–based nonprofit legal services organization dedicated to supporting low-income survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through trauma-informed and culturally responsive advocacy. SJC’s holistic model integrates family law, immigration services, and community-care advocacy, ensuring survivors can pursue safety and long-term stability. Attorneys receive specialized training in holistic legal screening, enabling SJC to identify the full range of legal and social-service needs that shape a survivor’s safety and well-being.

Under the supervision of an SJC attorney, the Fellow will create a trauma-informed guide that will walk survivors through each stage of interacting with the criminal justice system in Los Angeles County—reporting violence to police, understanding that reporting does not automatically lead to charges, navigating the investigative process, following up with detectives, distinguishing the roles of the City Attorney and District Attorney, attending criminal court hearings, and understanding rights under California law, including Marsy’s Law. The Fellow will develop accurate content on Los Angeles–specific police and prosecutorial practices; draft survivor-centered materials; create visual tools; ensure accessibility; and engage survivors and partner agencies in usability testing. The final resource will be distributed through the SJC website and social media, shelters, self-help centers, and community organizations.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: To apply for one or both fellowships, please send an email by Friday, February 20, 2026 to wlalapublicinterestfellowship@gmail.com. Please include all of the following in the email:

1. a cover letter describing your background and experience and explaining why you are interested in public interest law and in working on the specific fellowship project(s);

2. a resume; and

3. contact information for up to three references.

Please include “NLSLA Fellowship,” “SJC Fellowship,” or both in the subject line of the email.

If you have any questions, please send an email to the Fran Kandel Public Interest Committee Co-Chairs at the email address above.