Equal Justice Works Public Defender Corps

Across the country, public defender offices are underfunded and understaffed, drowning in untenable caseloads. With too few public defenders handling too many cases, those who cannot afford representation are being denied their fundamental right to counsel, and many are languishing in jail at taxpayers’ expense.

Equal Justice Works and the Southern Public Defender Training Center have partnered to develop a solution to this growing crisis and improve the quality of representation for adults and juveniles nationwide. Public Defender Corps is a three-year fellowship program aimed at addressing the ongoing national crisis of providing quality representation to accused persons who cannot afford counsel.

We are currently accepting applications for this public defense pilot project. Approximately 20 fellowships will be selected, with terms commencing in the Fall of 2011. The application is open to all law students from Equal Justice Works member law schools and lawyers with less than three years of practice.

For for more information and for application instructions, please visit the Corps website. Application and supporting documents are due by 5 p.m. EST on Friday, December 17, 2010.