Pipeline for Students with Disabilities

The Coelho Center recognizes the need for people with disabilities to occupy spaces where decisions are being made. We aim to increase the number of students and professionals with disabilities in power by creating and connecting members of the community with resources to solve the barriers that exist for people with disabilities. 

College Students 

Apply to The Coelho Center's Law Fellows Program.

Our program offers:

  • a one-week summer intensive course at Loyola Law School;
  • an academic-year-long virtual course; 
  • a mentoring program between the fellows and law students and attorneys with disabilities;
  • academic planning and support through the law school application process; and,
  • a $1,000 stipend to be used for school supplies

NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship

Thanks to a generous contribution from NBCUniversal, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is proud to offer the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship. The cycle for 2019 has closed now. 

 

Law Students

Internship Programs for Law Students with Disabilities

ABA Commission on Disability Rights Internship

The ABA Commission on Disability Rights is seeking talented law and undergraduate interns to work on various Commission initiatives, activities, and programs aimed at advancing disability civil rights and fostering the inclusion of law students and lawyers with disabilities in the legal profession.

ABA-Prudential Summer Internship

The summer internship program will provide interns the opportunity to work with attorneys who support the broad reach of Prudential’s businesses.

ABA-Travelers Summer Internship

The intern will work directly with experienced lawyers, conducting research, drafting briefs and motions, and observing court proceedings. The goal of the program is to develop high potential candidates into attorney positions at Travelers.

ABA-Microsoft Summer Internship

The legal intern will have a broad range of responsibilities from across the department, which may include researching legal issues impacting business strategy, drafting transactional documents, attending client meetings and product reviews, and collaborating with internal teams on cross-group projects. Get ready to overcome challenges, forge solutions, and provide direct counsel to the cutting edge of the world’s most dynamic industry.

ABA-Accenture Summer Internship

The summer law intern program will be held at Accenture’s downtown Chicago offices. The program will provide interns the opportunity to work with attorneys who support the broad reach of Accenture’s businesses.

1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Scholars Program

Interns, 1L law students, attend the Scholars Summit and work directly with attorneys from LCLD Member organizations.

American Association of Persons with Disabilities DC Summer Internship Program

Ten (10) week (35 hours/week), paid summer internships in a variety of offices. The AAPD provides a stipend, transportation to and from DC, and fully-accessible housing.

Bazelon Center Internship

Unpaid summer and academic year ten-week internships. 2Ls and 3Ls preferred, but outstanding 1Ls will be considered.  Summer applications open from September 1st to October 1st, and school year internship applications are due June 1st for the fall and December 1st for the spring. 

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Summer Honors Program

Unpaid summer honors program gives students substantive practical experience investigating, medicating, and litigating civil rights cases.

King & Spalding 1L Summer Associate Diversity Scholar

Nine-week summer associate program in Atlanta and DC for second-year law students. 

Knobbe Martens 1L Diversity Scholarship Program

A 1L summer internship program in intellectual property law, with a grant of $5,000 and a potential path to a 2L summer associateship.

Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP 1L Diversity Summer Program

8-10 week, summer associate positions in San Francisco paid $3,654/week with a split-summer opportunity to also work at a nonprofit.

Washington Lawyer's Committee Spring and Summer Civil Rights Legal Internship Openings

Ten-week, unpaid internships in employment, housing, disability rights, immigration, and prisoners’ rights in Washington, D.C.

ABA-Prudential Summer Internship for Law Students with Disabilities

Description
10-week, paid (about $10,000 stipend) summer internship at Prudential’s New Jersey offices. Work with attorneys who support the broad reach of Prudential’s businesses.

ABA-Travelers Summer Internship for Law Students with Disabilities

Description
internship begins on June 5, 2018 and runs through August 2018 with flexibility on the intern’s end date. Interns in this program are paid $25 per hour, with an intended 40 hour work week.

Fellowships

1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Scholars Program

ABA Business Law Section Fellows Program

BakerHostetler Diversity Fellowship Program

Disability Rights Advocates Sidney M. Wolinsky Fellowship

Fish & Richardson 1L Diversity Fellowship Program

Latham & Watkins 1L Fellowship Program

Morrison & Foerster’s 1L Diversity Fellowship Program

McAndrews Diversity in Patent Law Fellowship Program

Perkins Coie 1L Diversity Student Fellowship

Clerkships

ABA Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship

 

ABA Mentorship Program for Students and Law Graduates with Disabilities

The American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights established the National Mentor Program for:

  • law students with disabilities
  • prospective law students with disabilities, and
  • recent law school graduates with disabilities

The Program’s purpose is to provide mentees the opportunity to gain insight into the legal profession from an experienced attorney who practices in an area of interest, and/or who shares similar personal experiences with the mentee, such as a disability.  However, mentors do not have to have a disability in order to participate, and just have to have a willingness to mentor a prospective or current law student or recent law graduate with a disability. Learn more.

Pathways to the Bench 

In the video series Pathways to the Bench, individual judges talk about the personal, character-building challenges they have faced that prepared them to serve on the bench. View here.

A.B.A Pledge for Change

In furthering its commitment to diversity in the legal profession, the ABA Commission on Disability Rights is promoting “Disability Diversity in the Legal Profession: A Pledge for Change,” a one-page pledge for legal employers to sign. The Pledge affirms the signatory’s commitment to diversity, specifically disability diversity, and recognizes that diversity is in the best interest of the profession, those the profession serves, as well as the organization making the commitment. The Pledge also announces that the signatory will encourage others in the legal industry to make this commitment. Learn more about and sign the Pledge for Change.

News

New Law Blocks State Bar's Access to Applicants' Mental Health Records