Dave Kennedy Fellow - Summer 2027

Applications are considered on a rolling basis. All applications are due by Friday, February 5th but we will begin interviews and will hire students on a rolling basis beginning in mid-December.

The Institute for Justice’s Dave Kennedy Fellowship summer program provides an unparalleled opportunity for select law students to substantively contribute to IJ’s cutting-edge civil-rights litigation. Fellows conduct legal research; help develop litigation strategies for active and potential cases; and help draft discovery requests, motions, and briefs filed in both state and federal court.

Fellows have been involved in projects as diverse as: 

• Developing and helping to launch a case against abusive zoning enforcement, including traveling to participate in a press conference for the case launch.
• Researching and drafting a section of a federal appellate brief on a First Amendment challenge to a vague statute restricting political campaigning.
• Presenting a proposal memo to IJ’s litigation team on a potential new area of litigation.
• Drafting portions of an appellate reply brief in an ongoing property rights case.
• Traveling with IJ attorneys to meet with potential clients and assess facts for a possible new lawsuit.
• Researching appellate court treatment of FTCA actions to support Supreme Court merits briefing in a police brutality case.
• Reviewing body camera footage from traffic stops and other law enforcement encounters to develop evidence for ongoing litigation.
• Participating in moots for dispositive-motion hearings and oral arguments.
• Developing litigation strategies for potential challenges to licensing requirements in several states across the country. 

• Arlington, VA (Headquarters)
• Miami, FL
• Austin, TX 
• Seattle, WA 

To be considered, please complete the application and submit a resume, cover letter, and writing sample. Please indicate which office you'd like to apply to. If you're applying to multiple offices, please rank then in order of preference.