IJA SUMMER FELLOWSHIP 2025
The Institute of Judicial Administration (IJA) provides judicial education and a forum for non-partisan thinking and discussion about the administration of justice. IJA is the Law School’s principal liaison with judges and provides attractive opportunities for students interested in clerkships or just exposure to judging, as well as interest in legal research and opinion writing.
To apply: Open to 1Ls, though 2Ls may be considered. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Please send cover letter, law school transcript, and resume to: ija.admin@nyu.edu. Writing samples welcome.
Dates of Fellowship: Last week of May (typically after writing competition) through August [4], 2025.
Payment: This fellowship offers $7,250 as follows: Public Interest Law Center (PILC) $5,750 stipend for work for IJA such as the Appellate Judges Seminar and IJA Oral History Project. PILC information and process available here. Please sign up with PILC if you have not already. Up to an additional $1,500 from IJA.
Full Time: 35/hours a week. You must be in the U.S. with authorization to work in the U.S. for the period engaged. Although much of the work can be done remotely, you are expected to prioritize and be fully committed to the fellowship. You must attend a weekly in-person fellows meeting and be available and in-person as requested, particularly during the week before and of the New Appellate Judges Seminar (AJS) in July. We are looking for strong students who can bring initiative, thoughtful scholarship, timely task completion, and regular communication. Your work will be distributed to judges attending the Seminar.
Job Description:
(1) Primary role is legal research & writing, under guidance of IJA Faculty Director Prof. Samuel Estreicher, IJA Staff and faculty judges, to support IJA’s week-long New Appellate Judges Seminar (AJS). Work to be allocated among 2-3 fellows include preparation of bench memorandum for a moot court of a pending US Supreme Court case, memos on issues in state constitutional law, judicial ethics, administrative law, and other support of the Seminar faculty.
AJS is the longest running judicial education program in the country, for support of federal and state judges with up to four years’ experience on their appellate bench. Over 35% of sitting U.S. courts of appeals judges and over 40% of state appellate judges are alumni of our AJS.
(2) Note: submit ideas for an original note topic, conduct research to develop the abstract and foundation for such Note to start writing it with guidance from the IJA faculty director. IJA fellows are expected to make substantial progress toward their notes.
(3) Subject to available time after AJS and needs of IJA and its Faculty Director:
• Research assistance for Professor Estreicher
• Assistance for other IJA Projects as needed, such as IJA’s Oral History of Distinguished American Judges project and new initiatives.
* IJA Fellow alums are also invited to special IJA events throughout the year such as the private dinner honoring justices who deliver the IJA Brennan Lecture on State Courts and Social Justice. IJA Summer Fellow alumni have gone on to clerk for judges on the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts and State Supreme Courts as well as to work at law firms. At least six former Fellows are members of major law school faculties.