Law firm diversity fellowships: what they pay and who can apply now

Some large firms once limited their fellowships to students from underrepresented groups. That changed after August 2023, when the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Morrison & Foerster and Perkins Coie over their fellowships. Gibson Dunn, for one, rewrote its $50,000 award for "students who have demonstrated resilience and excellence on their path toward a career in law". Foley and Cleary say plainly that their 2028 programs are open to all: Foley takes applications from all Class of 2029 students regardless of race, gender or other protected characteristics, and Cleary's summer program uses the same open wording.

The fellowships that remain are tied to the 2L summer and paid in two parts. Simpson Thacher's Leadership Fellowship pays $50,000, half when the 2028 summer program starts and half when you join as an associate. Paul, Weiss's 2L Pauli Murray Fellowship pays $25,000 when you accept the 2L offer and $25,000 when you accept the full-time offer. Foley pays $20,000 after its 2028 summer program and $30,000 within 30 days of joining.

At the same time, several firms now pay a $50,000 bonus to every student who accepts a summer offer: Kirkland on a 2L 2028 offer, Latham as a signing bonus and Skadden on its own terms. Davis Polk took a different line for its 2027 summer class, offering $25,000 to students who spent their 2026 1L summer in an approved public interest internship.

Work in the 1L summer itself has become a route to the 2L job. In the cycle for summer 2026, 94.2% of 1L summer associates got an offer to return for the 2L summer, and 10% of offices with a 1L program made a "jumbo" offer covering both summers at once. Of those offices, 87% offered a bonus to secure the 2L half.

The word "diversity" often stays in the name while the rules change. Since 2023 some firms have rewritten eligibility to reach every applicant, and some 2028 programs say so plainly: Foley is open to all Class of 2029 students, and Cleary's application process is open to all law students.

These awards work like signing money with conditions. Each pays in two parts linked to the summer and the full-time job, and Foley's second part is repayable if you leave within six months. Read the terms before you plan around the money.

The gap between a fellowship and a regular offer has narrowed at some firms. Kirkland, Latham and Skadden pay $50,000 to every student who accepts a summer offer, so a fellowship elsewhere may not add more money than a plain offer would.