What is Texas Law Fellowships?
Texas Law Fellowships (TLF) is a student-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that sponsors public interest fellowships for students at The University of Texas School of Law. Every year since 1988, TLF has raised money from the UT community, from Austin businesses, and from the legal field to fund public-interest fellowships for UT law students. We raise most of our funds from the Fall Auction and the Spring Pledge Drive. TLF also receives funding from law firms and private benefactors.
Normally, summer internships in public interest and government organizations are completely unpaid. For most students, public-interest internships would not be possible without fellowships to provide financial support.
We aim to fund every qualified applicant who applies to TLF for funding. Fellowships are $4,000, paid over the course of the summer, and require, among other things, fellows to work for 400 hours at a public interest organization or government agency over the summer.
Our Mission Statement
The TLF Mission Statement proclaims that no legal education is complete unless it instills in students an obligation to contribute to the public good in exchange for the privilege of practicing law. We strive to create an environment at the University of Texas School of Law in which students can fully, effectively and easily serve the public interest. This mandate has produced two distinct goals:
- The promotion of public interest through fundraising and providing fellowships to students who work in a public interest internship and would otherwise not receive adequate financial compensation.
- Working in conjunction with other public interest law groups both within the law school community as well as in the legal community at large to draw attention to public interest law issues and recognize the importance of public interest law to society.