How to Apply

Peggy Browning Fellowship Program

Quick jump to: The Application Process & Application Requirements

Our core program is our Peggy Browning Fellowship Program, which provides stipends to law students who dedicate their summer to advancing the cause of workers’ rights by working for labor unions, worker centers, labor-related not-for-profit organizations, union-side law firms and other nonprofit organizations. It is a ten-week summer fellowship and is available to current 1L, 2L & 3E law students. Starting with a class of 10 Fellows, the PBF Fellowship Program had a record 118 Fellows for our 2024 cycle.

We recruit interested students and work closely with our mentor organizations to ensure that each fellow will experience unique and challenging work assignments.   Our strong relationships with leading national labor leaders, labor attorneys and labor law professors make our fellowship program the preeminent one of its kind.

Peggy Browning Fellows gain the practical skills required to represent workers.  They enjoy opportunities to network with their peers and leaders in the field of public interest labor law.  The mentor organizations and their clients benefit from the services provided by this talented and commited group.

Since our beginning in 1997, we have placed law students in over 1,500 highly competitive fellowship positions with unions, union-side law firms, worker centers, and other labor-friendly organizations.  Peggy Browning Fellows have advocated for thousands of workers and their families nationwide.  At least 70% of  Peggy Browning Alumni are currently working in workers' rights labor law or public interest law (not counting our alumni who are still in law school).

Learn more about our Fellowships by clicking the quick links below.

PBF Fellowships

Fellowship Application Form

Become a NLSWRC Sponsor

Mentor Information

Information for Law Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

The 2025 PBF Fellowship Program opened on November 8, 2024.  Offers will be starting on a rolling basis on Saturday, December 7th. Applications for the 2025 cycle closed Friday, January 17th, 2025.

To learn which Mentor Organizations are participating for 2025 - click here.

The Application Process

Students apply through the PBF Fellowship Application Form and a copy goes to both PBF and the mentor organizations selected. Mentor Organizations decide individually when they want to start interviewing – that could be right when they get your application, closer to the deadline, or even after.

Once the Mentor Organization makes a decision on who they want to hire, they are instructed to inform PBF Staff. PBF Staff will make the official offer to students as we explain the other benefits of the program and are able to give the applicants information about any other mentor organizations they're interested in. PBF staff will be totally transparent about what other organizations have been filled, pending, interviewing, etc. so applicants can make the best decision for themselves. Once applicants receive the fellowship offer from PBF staff, you'll have up to 3 business days to make your decision but can also accept on the spot.

If you have any questions about applications, contact info@peggybrowningfund.org.

Application Requirements

2025 Summer Fellowship Program  & 2025-2026 Chicago School-Year Fellowship Program

I.  Introduction

The mission of the Peggy Browning Fund (PBF) is to educate law students about the rights and needs of workers.  Since our first Summer Fellowship Program in 1998, the prestige of a Peggy Browning Fellowship has become widely recognized.  

Students have been consistently enthusiastic about the invaluable experience they gained.  Many law firms, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations serving workers  have reported that, because of our reputation and their experience with our Fellows, they consider a Peggy Browning Fellowship as an especially important credential. 

Our core program is our Summer Fellowship Progam, which provides funded ten-week summer fellowships to law students across the United States. In addition, we offer a funded, part-time school-year fellowship (at the Chicago News Guild). Peggy Browning Fellows work in a wide variety of social justice organizations, including unions, non-profit organizations such as worker centers, and union-side law firms.

 

II.  Eligibility

A. 2025 Summer Fellowships

  1. Applicant must be a first-year or second-year student or third-year evening student (pro-rated for evening students) in good standing at a law school.

  2. See the fellowship descriptions for each respective Mentor Organization for any additional eligibility requirements, which may vary from one organization to another.  Some require one or more of the following: specific language skills, a labor law course, or having completed two years of law school. 

B. 2025-2026 Chicago School-Year Fellowship

  1. Applicant must be a first-year or second-year student or third-year evening student (pro-rated for evening students) in good standing at a participating law school in proximity to the fellowship location and must remain so throughout the fellowship. Students who will graduate by December 2024 are not eligible.

  2. If the COVID-19 pandemic continues to prevent reopening of this mentor organization's offices, the Guild will accept applications from students attending law schools outside of the Chicago metro area, and the Peggy Browning Fellow will work and attend proceedings remotely.

  3. Applicant must have completed at least one year of law school before the start of the fellowship. 

 

III. Application Requirements

A. 2025 Summer Fellowships

  1. The application package must include at least a cover letter, completed application form, and resume. 
     
  2. See the fellowship descriptions on our website for each respective Mentor Organization for any additional requirements, which may vary from one organization to another.  Some require one or more of the following: an additional writing sample, specific language skills, a labor law course, or having completed two years of law school. 
     
  3. Applications should be submitted via PBF's website. The application package will be sent  simultaneously to PBF and to the selected mentor organizations. We strongly encourage students to apply as soon as possible once the application period has commenced.
     
  4. Deadline:  Applications for Summer Fellowships must be received by PBF no later than Friday, January 17, 2025.  We strongly encourage students to apply as soon as  possible rather than waiting until the deadline.
     
  5. Applicants may include up to 7 organizations per application; for additional fellowships, a new application form must be completed.

B. School-Year Fellowship

  1. The application package must include a cover letter, completed application forms, and resume. 
     
  2. Applications should be submitted via PBF's website. The application package will be sent simultaneously to PBF and to the Chicago Newspaper Guild.  
     
  3. Deadline: Applications for the 2025-2026 School-Year Fellowship will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position has been filled.  We strongly encourage students to apply as soon as possible once the application period has commenced. 

 

IV.  Stipends

  1. The total stipend payment for the ten-week Summer Fellowship is $7,000 (unless otherwise indicated).  In many cases Mentor Organizations supplement the stipend.  Refer to each respective fellowship description for details. 
     
  2. The maximum stipend for the 2025-2026  Chicago School-Year Fellowship is $7,000.  This is based on a Fellow working 200 hours each semester.  The work schedule will be flexible, based on the needs of the Mentor Organization and the Fellow.
     
  3. In most cases, Peggy Browning Fund Fellows  will receive stipend payments directly from the Mentor Organizations.  In a few other cases, students will receive stipend payments in installments directly from PBF.
     
  4. Fellows are responsible for paying applicable taxes on the stipends they receive.
     

V.  Roles and Expectations

A. The Role of the Peggy Browning Fund    

  1. Establish fellowships with Mentor Organizations. 
     
  2. Establish and maintain liaison with participating law schools.
     
  3. Coordinate the fellowship application process (e.g., establish application processes; produce website pages, forms and related materials; publicize the program among law schools,  on website and via other means;  consult with students about their applications, consult with Mentor Organizations regarding applicants; award fellowships). Fellowship awards will be made only by PBF, not by mentor organizations.
     
  4. Provide stipends for selected fellowships.
     
  5. Provide networking opportunities to Fellows, through such means as networking/fundraising events, alumni connections, introductions to labor leaders and labor lawyers, etc.
     
  6. Coordinate and/or conduct teleconferences, webinars and/or zoom meetings for fellows on relevant topics.
     
  7. Consult with Fellows and with mentor organizations regarding any problems that may arise during the fellowship. 
     
  8. Coordinate and lead Fellows' Wrap-Up Workshop, a networking and program evaluation session held each fall after fellowships have been completed.

 

B. What Does PBF Expect from Mentor Organizations?   

  1. Mission:  The mentor organization's mission must include the protection of workers' rights.  Only organizations that represent workers, labor organizations, or their interests will be accepted into the program.  Examples include:  labor organizations; not-for-profit, public interest organizations that represent workers and/or advocate for their rights; law firms that represent labor organizations and/or workers and that practice in areas of traditional labor and/or employment law.
     
  2. Equal Opportunity:  Our Fellows have a right to work in an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination in all forms. In compliance with the standards of the Association of American Law Schools, PBF will place Fellows only with mentor organizations that agree to observe the principle of equal opportunity in employment, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender (including identity and expression), sexual orientation, age or disability.
     
  3. Management and Supervision:  All mentor organizations will be expected to do the following:

    a.  Provide PBF with a suitable fellowship description. 

    b.  Interview applicants and select fellowship candidates in a timely manner, in accordance with guidelines and schedules set by PBF.  All fellowship awards are to be made by PBF, not by the mentor organization.  Target Date for selection:  February 4, 2024.  We recognize that extenuating circumstances may necessitate an extension, but we expect each organization to make every effort to reach this target, for the benefit of the students as well as other mentor organizations.

    c. Provide appropriate orientation, work assignments, professional supervision by an attorney and regular feedback to the PBF Fellow throughout the fellowship.

    d. Give PBF a Mentor's Feedback Report by August 2025.
     

  4. Work Experience:  PBF's mission is to educate law students on the rights and needs of workers, to inspire them to become the next generation of advocates for workplace justice.  To that end, PBF expects all mentor organizations to provide Peggy Browning Fellows with varied work assignments that expose them to as wide a variety of legal and advocacy work as possible, consistent with the mission of the Mentor Organization. 

    PBF will assess the mentor organization's fellowship description and will monitor the actual experience of the PBF Fellow, to determine if the Mentor Organization is offering and providing the Fellow with a diverse and challenging educational experience in the area of workers' rights.  PBF suggests that the mentor organization should provide the Fellow with a variety of legal work which includes, to the extent possible within the mission of the organization, the following:

    a.  Work on actual pleadings and litigation documents, in addition to memoranda on legal issues;
    b. Attendance at and participation in administrative and legal proceedings, if possible;
    c. Contact with workers and clients;
    d. Participation in public events organized and sponsored by the mentor organization;
    e. Opportunities for networking with other members of the legal and workers' rights communities, including seminars and workshops.

  5. Fellowship Stipend:

    a. Fellows must be paid at least the minimum stipend amount set by PBF ($7,000 in 2024); see Section IV above).

    b. Fellows must be paid on a timely basis.

    c. Some mentor organizations cover the full stipend or supplement the amount provided by PBF.  In such cases, the stipend must match what the mentor organization pays other students for doing comparable work, as long as the stipend is at least $7,000. 

    d. The mentor organization agrees to provide stipend or matching funds, if applicable, to PBF as agreed upon date as laid out in the Responsibilities & Expectations document agreed to as part of the PBF Fellowship Program participation and mentor onboaring or to the Fellow during the fellowship.
     
  6. Program Fees:  The Program Fee partially offsets administrative costs of running the Peggy Browning Fellowship Program and the National Law Students Workers’ Rights Conference (NLSWRC), which aids the labor community at large. Applicable Mentor Organizations are responsible for their per Fellow Program Fee, as laid out in the Responsibilities & Expectations document agreed to as part of the PBF Fellowship Program participation and mentor onboaring. Program Fees, where applicable, are due to PBF no later than August 1, 2025.

  D.  What Does PBF Expect from PBF Fellows?

  1. Perform work assigned by mentor organization. 
     
  2. Inform PBF staff promptly of any fellowship-related issues.
     
  3. Participate actively in the supervision process.
     
  4. Complete the entire fellowship.  The stipend will be reduced pro-rata for any portion of a fellowship not completed. Students are responsible for paying any applicable taxes which may be owed on the stipend.
     
  5. Complete a Final Fellowship Report (a brief form and essay summarizing the fellowship experience). 
     
  6. Attend a one-day Wrap-up Workshop (a networking and program evaluation session) during the first day of PBF's National Law Students Workers' Rights Conference and attend PBF's National Law Students Workers’ Rights Conference (held mid-October the year following their Fellowship) either in person (expenses paid) or via a virtual event, as circumstances warrant.
     
  7. Help publicize PBF programs among their peers at school and in the labor movement.

 

Want to learn more? Take a look at our 2025 Summer Fellowship Positions. 

View the 2025 PBF Fellowship Application Form.