Volunteer Opportunities for Law Students

Law students, if you're still putting together a plan for the coming summer, please keep in mind that many local legal service organizations utilize law student volunteers. Contact the following non-profits about summer opportunities:

Benefits Law Center

Eastside Legal Assistance Program

Housing Justice Project

Kitsap County Legal Services

King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinics (Clinic Assistants and Intake Referral Interns)

Northwest Consumer Law Project

QLaw Foundation

Tacomaprobono

Unemployment Law Project

The Access to Justice Institute can also help you identify pro bono opportunities. And remember to take the Pro Bono Pledge!

Huneke Fellowship

The Huneke Fellowship is an annual program administered by the Washington State Bar Association’s International Practice Section (IPS). The Fellowship is designed to provide real-world experience, networking opportunities, and modest financial assistance to a law student interested in the international practice of law. The Huneke Fellow will also have the opportunity to work directly with practitioners in the field of international law on IPS events and logistics. 

Each year the IPS awards one Huneke Fellowship, which includes a $1,000 stipend, to a current 1L or 2L student.

Each Huneke Fellow agrees to serve as the official student liaison of the IPS for the subsequent school year and is expected to:

• Act as the chief point of contact between the IPS and the law schools;
• Assist with the planning and execution of IPS initiatives such as the Mentor-Mentee Program, the Spring CLE event, and the Annual General Meeting;
• Publicize each IPS event at all three Washington state law schools; and
• Encourage interested law students to become IPS members and apply for the following year’s Fellowship.

Any current 1L or 2L attending law school in Washington State is eligible for the Huneke Fellowship.

The Huneke Fellowship was created to honor the memory of Rob Huneke, a dedicated and highly regarded international attorney who served for many years on the Executive Committee of the International Practice Section before passing away at a young age. Rob volunteered countless hours to improve the International Practice Section and the services it provided to section members, and was highly supportive of young lawyers trying to develop an international practice. More information regarding Rob Huneke and the history of the Fellowship is available on the following IPS webpage (please scroll down to “Huneke Fellowship”).

To apply for the Huneke Fellowship, please send a (i) cover letter (maximum 500 words), (ii) resume, (iii) law school transcript, and (iv) short writing sample (3-5 pages) to Elly Baxter by April 30, 2023.

Defenders Rising Virtual Meet-ups

The Washington Defender Association (WDA) Defenders Rising Initiative is hosting two upcoming Public Defender Panels. These panels are virtual meet-ups offered to law students who are interested in learning about internship opportunities and life and work in public defense careers in Washington state. 

The same content will be offered on two dates/times to give students flexibility. This year the dates and times are:

Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 12:00 - 1:15 PM

Wednesday April 19, 2023, 4:00 - 5:15 PM

Bring your questions and join the Zoom! (The same link and meeting ID will be used for both sessions.)

Meeting ID: 825 6224 4244

Passcode: 133179

You will hear first-hand from public defenders from across the state of Washington as they share 

• Experiences working in public defense in different locations, 

• What they love about the work of public defense

• How different defender offices vary in size, type, and culture

• Opportunities and life outside of work in the communities where defenders live and work

Plus, you can learn about possible internship and externship opportunities along with hiring practices and tips for standing out in the application process. 

Learn more about Defenders Rising here. The goal of Defenders Rising is threefold: to cultivate the next generation of public defenders while they are still in law school; to increase diversity in the indigent defense bar; and to foster relationships between future defenders and defender offices across the state.   

Washington State Associate for Justice Networking Event

What: Networking with civil plaintiff-side attorneys

When: Wednesday, April 12, 4-6pm

Where: The Chieftain, 908 12th Ave @ Marion

RSVP to raphaela@washingtonjustice.org