Dave Kennedy Fellow - Summer 2025

Applications are considered on a rolling basis. All applications are due by Friday, January 24th but we will begin interviews and will hire students on a rolling basis beginning in mid-November.

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: 

• Researching appellate court treatment of FTCA actions to support United States Supreme Court merits briefing on application of the FTCA’s judgment bar in a police brutality case. 

• Participating in moots for dispositive-motion hearings in a challenge to protectionist mobile vending regulations. 

• Analyzing discovery objections in a civil forfeiture class action lawsuit. 

• Assessing how to certify a new class and add new plaintiffs to an existing class action. 

• Developing litigation strategies for potential challenges to licensing requirements in several states across the country. 

• Helping prepare motions to exclude expert witness testimony and reports. 

• Researching and preparing a United States Supreme Court cert. petition regarding just compensation in an eminent domain action. 

• Drafting portions of opposition briefs to motions to dismiss and for summary judgment in both state and federal court. 

In addition to assisting with the demands of IJ’s fast-paced litigation docket, Fellows participate in weekly programming including IJ’s summer speaker series, mentorship by IJ litigators, and practical training through which Fellows connect with the leading minds and advocates of the liberty movement, receive career guidance, and improve their litigation, communication, and legal research skills.  

IJ’s Dave Kennedy Fellowship positions are highly competitive. The fellowship is a paid opportunity, offering $8,000 for the 10-week program, and generally runs from the last week of May through early August. Fellowship opportunities are available at five of IJ’s offices:

• Arlington, VA (Headquarters)
• Miami, FL
• Austin, TX 
• Phoenix, AZ 
• 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. 

IJ is an equal opportunity employer.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At IJ we value a diverse workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

To learn more about our culture and benefits, visit our Working at IJ page.

#LI-Hybrid