Harvard Law School

Harvard Law Students Can Defer Their First Year With Fellowship

Harvard Law is partnering with the Weil Legal Innovators Program to allow students to defer their first year in lieu of a paid fellowship.

The Weil Legal Innovators Program, launched in 2019 by the law firm Weil, Gotshal, and Manges, gives students the opportunity to build professional skills and networks prior to attending law school. Accepted students in the program participate in social and legal initiatives on issues such as racial justice, humanitarian aid, or environmental conservation, The Harvard Crimson reports.

“Harvard Law School is committed to matriculating students with a variety of experiences that they bring to bear in our classrooms and community,” Kristi Jobson, assistant dean for admissions and chief admissions officer at Harvard Law, says in a press release. “The Weil Legal Innovators Program will provide our incoming students new opportunities to gain knowledge and skills that will benefit their legal education, their fellow students, their careers after they graduate, and their future clients.”

FELLOWS RECEIVE A $10,000 SCHOLARSHIP

Harvard Law is one of many law schools to partner with the Weil Legal Innovators Program (WLI). Law schools such as Columbia Law School, Duke Law, Georgetown Law, Penn Law, and NYU Law have all joined as WLI partner institutions.

Fellows of the program receive a $10,000 scholarship to their law school upon matriculation.

“We are thrilled to have Harvard Law School join our second year of the Weil Legal Innovators Program,” Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf says. “HLS’s involvement will help expand the program’s reach to even more students who are interested in potential careers that span both the public and private sectors.”

Jobson says the WLI program aligns with Harvard Law’s mission of educating lawyers in a wide variety of areas.

“This was a bit of a no brainer for us,” Jobson tells the Crimson. “This is one of many steps we’ve taken in the past few years to broaden access to legal education, promote practical experience before matriculating at law school, and support students pursuing public interest work.”

Sources: Harvard Crimson, Harvard Law