The Equal Justice Foundation, a student-run organization at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, encourages law students to pursue their aspirations of serving low-income, under-represented clients by providing financial support to students taking public interest jobs during the summer and upon graduation.
Justice isn’t free. Throughout our city, and our country, low-income people have serious legal needs that go unmet because they cannot afford lawyers. Every law school has students who would like to provide legal services to low-income people, but paid positions are scarce. Every city has non-profit organizations struggling to meet the legal needs of people who cannot afford to pay.
EJF awards summer grants to support work at non-profit organizations, providing students with valuable legal experience and the organizations with much-needed assistance. Student members raise the grant funds with the support of the Law School and Philadelphia business communities. As this support continues to grow, law students have the opportunity to provide a vital service to a segment of our society very much in need.
View details of the 2024 EJF Auction
Mailing Address
Equal Justice Foundation
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
equaljusticepennlaw@gmail.com
Learn more about EJF
The Equal Justice Foundation awards summer grants to 1Ls and 2Ls to support their public interest work at various non-profit organizations, providing students with the financial support they need to pursue their public interest goals and gain valuable legal experience, and providing public interest organizations with much-needed assistance. In addition, EJF awards summer bar fellowships to graduating 3Ls who are entering public interest work upon graduation.
1L/2L EJF Summer Fellows:
Sofia Aumann
Justin Chang
Cary Chapman
Emily Cooley
Laura Hannon
George Kunkel
Evelyn Mangold
Andra Metcalfe
Meagan Murray
Shayna Roble
Jesse Rubin
Ellie Schwab
Elizabeth Shackney
Megan Steinheimer
Mickaela Wolf-Sorokin
Ali Zane
Camilla Samuelson
3L EJF Graduate Fellows:
Andrew Bernstein
Maya Bradley
Anya Chen
Caitlin Conway
Alexander Geisel
Zachary Green
Colin Jones
Sage Lincoln
James Packs
Trevor Stankiewicz
Amy Stidham
Cade Underwood
Jessica Zalph
Student Testimonials
“I would not have been able to work at the New York Legal Assistance Group without the generosity of EJF, and I had an amazing experience advocating for the low-income LGBT community in New York City. In the face of most public interest and governmental organizations being unable to offer financial compensation for summer legal internship positions, the ability to secure funding from an external source, such as EJF, is crucial to be able to enjoy your 1L or 2L summer job.”
“I absolutely loved my experience working at Philadelphia Legal Assistance in the family law unit, helping low-income Philadelphians, including many survivors of domestic violence, with child custody, support, and protection from abuse matters. Although I will be working in big law next summer, this experience has reaffirmed my commitment to pro bono work in family law. I may return to public interest work full time in the near or long term future, depending on how my personal and professional goals evolve over the next couple of years. Regardless of what my future holds, I feel incredibly grateful for EJF’s support during my 1L summer, as I would not have been able to explore a career in legal aid without it.”
“This past summer, I interned at the Center for Reproductive Rights on the Judicial Strategy team. The Judicial Strategy team is a a small, dedicated group tasked with formulating comprehensive, forward-thinking legal strategies aimed at advancing reproductive rights, and we also collaborate with all of the other teams at the organization. At the Center, I had the opportunity to work on the draft of the Center’s amicus brief submitted in United States v. Rahimi. This brief shed light on the alarming intersection of partner abuse and gun violence, emphasizing their profound impact on reproductive and maternal health. During the Summer, I was living in Philadelphia but the Center’s office is in NYC. I commuted to the office in NYC twice a week. Thanks to the support of my EJF grant, I was able to cover the costs of my train tickets and travel, thus facilitating this hybrid work arrangement. This allowed me to actively participate in office work, attend social events, and nurture valuable relationships within the organization.”
“I am working in the DAO’s Federal Litigation Unit. Our unit is primarily responsible for responding to prisoners’ habeas corpus appeals, but unlike most prosecutors’ offices, we take each petition seriously, open our files to defense counsel, and make a determination whether we believe the conviction was fair (regardless of guilt, and regardless of the availability of procedural defenses). If we determine it was unfair, we concede our procedural defenses and write briefs on behalf of the petitioner advocating for a new trial. I chose this job because I believe in the mission of reforming the criminal justice system and believe the Philadelphia DAO has incredible power that can be used to make an impact. The EJF grant was enormously helpful in helping me stay afloat in the gap between graduation and the beginning of my new job. Thank you, EJF!”
“I’ve just started working as a Legal Fellow at the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. I work in the Special Litigation Unit, where I litigate issues that impact the legal rights of the agency’s clients on a statewide or systemic basis. My unit brings cases involving the rights of incarcerated people, the rights of juveniles, parole, police misconduct, and many other issues collateral to the criminal justice system in New Jersey. Thanks again for all EJF has done to help get me where I am today!”
“This summer, I split my time between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Oregon Law Center. At the EEOC, I drafted decisions on behalf of the Office of Federal Operations. This work required applying federal anti-discrimination law to individual discrimination claims that had been file by federal employees. My cohort focused on grooming and appearance standards in the workplace, with an emphasis on the intersectional impact these policies have. In July, I moved across the country to begin my internship with the Oregon Law Center, a legal aid organization serving low-income communities. I assisted in health law cases enforcing patient rights under Medicaid, such as covering durable medical equipment and providing translation services. I also supported litigation efforts against statutes criminalizing homelessness and conducted legal and policy research to accelerate OLC’s work during next year’s legislative session. The EEOC provided ample opportunity to learn about the administrative side of creating and enforcing civil rights law, while the Oregon Law Center allowed me to strengthen my client-facing advocacy skills. Thank you EJF so much for your funding! It made splitting my summer so much more feasible.”
“I interned at the Alaska Public Defender Agency in Kodiak, Alaska. The agency represents both adults and juveniles who have been charged with crimes and cannot afford to hire an attorney. I handled my own misdemeanor caseload and assisted our two attorneys with their felony caseload. I represented clients at arraignments, calendar calls, evidentiary hearings, and even a trial on an Aleutian Island! The skills I build will be invaluable to my work as an entry-level attorney at the King County (Seattle) Department of Public Defense.”
“During my time with Advocates for Children, I was able to gain substantive education law experience while working directly with clients, learning from seasoned education law attorneys, and developing my professional Spanish fluency. I conducted legal research, drafted research memoranda for litigation, conducted intake calls, composed policy fact sheets, and prepared affidavits for special education and school discipline proceedings. This experience confirmed my passion for advocating for education equity through the law.”
Some Past Summer Employers
Advocates for Children of New York
Alliance for Justice (Washington, D.C.)
CAIR (Capital Area Immigrant Rights) Coalition (Washington D.C.)
Center for Constitutional Rights (New York City)
Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles
Clean Air Council (Pennsylvania)
Community Legal Services (Philadelphia)
Disability Rights Advocates (Berkeley, Calif.)
Health, Education, and Legal Assistance Project (Philadelphia area)
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (Arusha, Tanzania)
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Washington, D.C.)
Los Angeles County Public Defender
Louisiana Capital Assistance Center (New Orleans)
Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office (Miami, Florida)
National Center for Youth Law (Oakland, Calif.)
Natural Resources Defense Council (Washington, D.C.)
New Jersey Office of the Public Defender
New York Legal Assistance Group (New York City)
Open Society Justice Initiative (New York City)
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (Philadelphia)
Pennsylvania Innocence Project (Philadelphia)
Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (Philadelphia)
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program
Pine Tree Legal Assistance (Portland, Maine)
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Mental Health Division
School District of Philadelphia, General Counsel’s Office
Tahirih Justice Center (Falls Church, Va.)
The Legal Aid Society (New York City)
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor (Philadelphia)
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (Washington, D.C.)
How Can I Support EJF?
The Equal Justice Foundation would not exist without the generous support of our donors. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to EJF today.
1. Cash donations
Writing a check to EJF is the best way to make a cash donation, because online payment systems keep a percentage of every transaction. Please make checks payable to: “Equal Justice Foundation at Penn Law.”
Please mail checks to:
Equal Justice Foundation at Penn Carey Law
3501 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
2. Online donations
Although we strongly prefer check donations, because online payment systems keep a percentage of every transaction, we do accept online donations. See below for a link to our PayPal. We also accept donations on Venmo: @EJFPennLaw
3. Auction donations
The annual EJF auction is our largest fundraiser of the year. If you have any goods or services that you would like to donate for our live or silent auction, please email equaljusticepennlaw@gmail.com