Texas Law Fellowship (“TLF”) updated its definition of public interest in December, 2020. Below is the operative definition TLF will use when deciding eligibility for receiving a TLF Fellowship for Summer 2021 applicants and beyond.
Eligibility is limited to internships at qualified public interest organizations where the applicant will complete at least 400 hours of substantive legal work over 10 weeks.
A “qualified public interest program” is a nonprofit or governmental organization which directly serves the public—particularly underserved communities with limited access to justice—through legal advocacy. This definition does not apply solely to organizations which serve marginalized communities, but excludes organizations that: advocate limiting the rights of any underprivileged or marginalized community; may harm such communities; or whose actions or policies show a disregard for the public interest or human rights.
Qualified public interest programs include, but are not limited to:
- 501(c)(3) nonprofits
- Governmental agencies (unless otherwise excluded)
- International organizations that, if domestic, would qualify for TLF funding
- Non-partisan legislative entities
- Federal and state court criminal justice work
Qualified public interest programs generally do NOT include:
- Lobbying organizations
- Direct advocacy internships (e.g. non-legal work designed to influence policy)
- Partisan legislative entities
- Non-prosecutorial law enforcement agencies
- Judicial internships
Organizations that do not clearly fit into these parameters will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Review Board and we will make every effort to include all organizations serving the public interest.