Public Interest Co-op Funding

The following reflects the variety of current funding support from the law school, private donors (alumni/ae and other friends of the law school), firms and the federal government’s Work-Study program. The overwhelming majority of funding is used to support students accepting unpaid internships with legal services, public defenders, nonprofit advocacy groups and government agencies. Eligible students accepting judicial internships also receive stipend support.

• Alice D. Alexander Judicial Internship Fund - $6,000 annually.  This fund was established in 2005 to celebrate 20 years of service by Alice Alexander ’79 as Assistant Dean and Director of Cooperative Legal Education.  It awards two $3,000 stipends annually to support students undertaking judicial internships as a statement of the importance of the educational value of such experience as well as an acknowledgement of the public service that the judiciary provides.  In particular, Alice acknowledges four judges who have been pivotal in her life and who also have served as co-op employers: Alice’s friend and mentor, the Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; her counselor and advocate, the Hon. Fredrick L. Brown, Massachusetts Appeals Court; her father, the Hon. Horace A. Davenport, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas; and her husband, the Hon. Roderick L. Ireland, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.  This award will be issued to a student on his/her second or later co-op, who has either prior public interest/service co-op experience or pre-law public service/public interest work experience.

• Alumni/ae Association Cooperative Stipend - $2,500 quarterly. 

  Each quarter the Alumni/ae Association will choose a student who accepts a position with a public interest/public service employer to receive a $2,500 award.  Co-ops with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defenders, and other government offices, including judges qualify.  The stated objective of the Alumni/ae Association is to enhance the reputation of the school and the Cooperative Legal Education Program.  Whenever feasible, funding preference is given to support co-ops which provide the opportunity for (1) expanding into new legal markets (geographic and/or areas of practice) or (2) exploring new applications of law through in-depth research or the development of novel theories of law which address issues of social concern.

• Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest - $5,000 annually (as of FY'07). The Boston firm of Brown Rudnick, LLP will award one $5,000 grants to a student accepting a public interest/public service co-op working for traditionally underrepresented clients.  The emphasis is on funding co-op positions with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations and public defender offices. Judicial internships are excluded from consideration.  The award must go to a student working for Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (Boston Office), Volunteer Lawyers Project or Greater Boston Legal Services.

• Callan Race and Justice Co-op Stipend: $5,000 quarterly. Each quarter one student engaged in a civil rights co-op focused on race and justice issues will be selected. Please note that co-ops with advocacy organizations engaged in such work will be supported through this co-op stipend. Government co-ops engaged in civil rights work do not qualify for this fund.

• Thomas P. Campbell Memorial Fund - Approx. $2,500 annually.  This fund was established in 1997 by the family, friends, former students and colleagues of Professor Thomas P. Campbell in recognition of his excellence in teaching and dedication to the School of Law.  The income is awarded to students accepting under-funded public interest co-ops.
• Sarah W. Daynard Memorial Fund - Approx. $6,000 annually. This fund was established in 1996 by Judith Boies and School of Law Professor Richard A. Daynard in memory of their mother, Sarah W. Daynard. Contributed to by friends and family, this fund will award two $3,000 stipends annually to two different students co-oping for organizations engaged in working for systemic changes that promote social justice. Co-ops that entail providing direct legal services such as traditional legal services to the poor or traditional public defender work as well as judicial internships are excluded from consideration. 
  
  
• Financial Aid Co-op Stipend Fund -  Stipends in varying amounts are awarded to students doing a co-op with a public interest/public service employer.  Co-ops with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defenders, and other government offices, including judges, qualify.
• Fund for the Public Interest - $24,000 annually.  Grants in varying amounts are awarded to students who accept public interest jobs that involve working for traditionally underrepresented clients.  The emphasis is on funding co-op positions with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations and public defender offices. Judicial internships are excluded from consideration.
• The David and Helen F. Gorfinkle Co-op Stipend Fund - approx. $600 annually. This fund was established in 1997 by Robert and Gayle Gorfinkle, Harvey and Sylvia Lewis and Harry and Judith Zohn on the occasion of the late David Gorfinkle's 70th reunion from the law school and Helen F. Gorfinkle's 90th birthday.  With the support of family and friends, this fund will award stipends to support unfunded co-op positions with governmental or non-profit organizations engaged in activities against discrimination.  Judicial internships are excluded from consideration. 
• Greater Boston Legal Services, Children's Rights Project Fund - $4000 quarterly.  Through the generous donation of a new graduate, this fund was established to provide one student per quarter with a stipend if the student ends up doing a co-op with the GBLS Children's Rights Project.  The fund is expected to be fully utilized by the end of the fall 2011 quarter.
• Reuben B. Gryzmish Law Student Award - $30,000 annually. Stipends in varying amounts are awarded to students who accept public interest/public service co-op jobs with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defenders, and other government offices, including judges.
• Nancy E. Kamerow Memorial Scholarship - Approx. $2,220 annually.  This grant is awarded to one student accepting a public interest/public service co-op position with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defender offices, or other government offices, including judges.  Preference is given to students working for employers outside the greater Boston area.
• Neil Leifer Public Interest Co-op Stipend Fund - $10,000 annually.  Funded through a generous gift from NUSL graduate Neil Leifer (‘81), this fund will award two $5,000 co-op stipends per year to support students who accept public interest co-ops that involve work for traditionally underrepresented clients like those supported by the Fund for the Public Interest. The fund’s emphasis is on supporting students in co-op positions with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations and public defender offices. Judicial internships are excluded from consideration. 
• Albert H. Mansfield Cooperative Education Fund - $4,400 quarterly.  Four $1,100 grants are available from this fund each quarter for students working with a variety of public interest/public service employers who otherwise would be unable to hire student legal assistants.  Co-ops with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defenders, and other government offices qualify.  Judicial internships are excluded from consideration.  Preference is given to students working for employers outside the greater Boston area.
• George H. and Jane A. Mifflin Memorial Special Fund for the Public Interest Grant - $9,000 annually.  Four grants ranging from $2,000 to $2,500 will be issued annually to students doing co-ops with organizations providing direct legal services to low-income clients in the United States.
• Margaret C. Morse Memorial Environment - Approx. $1,600 annually. The Class of 1988 and the family of Peggy Morse established this fund in honor of Peggy who died of cancer in 1986.  Peggy loved the outdoors and wanted to work for the improvement of the environment through the law.  This Fund will provide one stipend during the year to a student accepting an unfunded position in public interest environmental law.  Judicial internships are excluded from consideration. 
• James B. Nugent Memorial Fund - Approx. $1,800 annually.  This fund was established in memory of James E. Nugent, a 1978 graduate of the School of Law.   This Fund will provide one stipend to a student who demonstrates superior academic achievement and a commitment to the principles and ideals of James E. Nugent.  The award will allow the recipient to accept a co-op position with a public interest/public service employer.  Co-ops with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defenders, and other government offices qualify. Judicial internships are excluded from consideration.
• Florence Altshuler Rosenstein Fund - Approx. $2,900 annually.  Two grants of about $1,450 each are awarded annually to students accepting a public interest/public service co-op job with legal services, non-profit legal advocacy organizations, prosecutors, public defender offices, or other government offices, including judges.
• Full-Time Co-op Work Study Program. The law school is assigned 51 full-time co-op Work-Study slots each year, which are allocated on a quarterly basis. (current students can view the co-op work study memo, located on the WEBoard, for more information).

Individuals and companies interested in supporting co-op stipends should contact Director of Development Chris Nicholson at c.nicholson@neu.edu or (617) 373-4489 or Director of External Relations for Cooperative Legal Education Program Jeff Smith at jef.smith@neu.edu or (617) 373-4942.