Apply for a Fellowship

Please note that the application deadlines for 2018 Fellowships are earlier than they have been in the past.  Applications are due September 18.  See below for more information on key dates.

The foundation will award two-year Fellowships for 2018 law school graduates and outgoing judicial law clerks who want to work in the public interest. Grants are made to organizations only, not to individuals. Therefore, before the application date of September 18, all applicants must identify a sponsoring public interest organization. The sponsor must be a 501(c)(3) organization that provides civil legal services to the poor, including the working poor, the elderly, the disabled or those deprived of their civil or human rights.

An Advisory Committee, comprised of a dozen partners from all of Skadden's U.S. offices, works closely with Susan Butler Plum, director of the Fellowship Program, to administer the program and select each year's Fellows. Selection is based on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the applicant (competency, academic performance, character and demonstrated commitment to the public interest), the demonstrated effectiveness of the sponsoring organization, the quality of the proposed project and the worthiness of the project's goals.

From the large number of applications, we identify approximately 100 semifinalists, each of whom will be invited for an in-person interview. From this group, 56 finalists are presented in mid-November to the Selection Trustees: seven individuals from outside the firm, Skadden's executive partner, two of counsel at the firm and one second-year Fellow. Those applicants receiving a Fellowship will be notified by November 17.

Finalists will be announced on October 18, 2017. After that date, if any finalist is presented with another opportunity or receives a Fellowship offer from another organization, we encourage you to contact us. The Skadden Foundation is committed to the complete transparency of the application process. Susan Butler Plum can be reached at 212-735-2956.

Skadden Fellows, once awarded a Fellowship, cannot receive any other fellowship funds or prize monies for the two-year duration of the Skadden Fellowship.