Arthur D. Hellman Fellowship in First Amendment Litigation

Overview

FIRE offers the Arthur D. Hellman Fellowship in First Amendment Litigation, a paid opportunity offering a $7,000 stipend for a 10-week program that runs from June through August. The Fellowship is an important tool in establishing a structured pipeline to attract, train, and inspire law students who are committed to freedom of speech. Hellman Fellows will build a long-term relationship with FIRE, with the possibility of returning to work with us as full-time employees, joining our Legal Network where they can take their own cases pro bono, authoring supporting amicus briefs, or serving as our local counsel.

Hellman Fellows will work at FIRE’s Philadelphia office.

The 2024 Arthur D. Hellman Fellowship in First Amendment Litigation application will open from November 13, 2023 to February 16, 2024. Applicants will be received and awarded fellowships on a rolling basis.

Qualifications and Responsibilities

To qualify for FIRE’s Hellman Fellowship, candidates must be rising 2Ls or rising 3Ls with excellent academic credentials as well as a passion for civil liberties and public interest litigation. As a Hellman Fellow, law students will have the opportunity to work with FIRE’s civil rights attorneys, advancing FIRE’s mission to defend freedom of speech, expression, and thought. Hellman Fellows will work on substantive projects and are expected to provide meaningful contributions to our strategic litigation. FIRE’s civil rights attorneys will train Hellman Fellows on key skills of public interest litigation, including legal writing, media relations, and client interaction.

About Arthur Hellman

Arthur Hellman is a nationally recognized scholar of the federal courts and the First Amendment. In his career, Hellman helped foster a better understanding of the First Amendment and free speech more generally. At the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Hellman taught First Amendment law for more than 25 years. Hellman is also a senior author of a First Amendment casebook, “First Amendment Law: Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion” (5th edition 2022) (with William D. Araiza, Thomas E. Baker, and Ashutosh A. Bhagwat). As a long-time supporter of FIRE, Hellman believes that preserving the spirit of free inquiry at colleges and universities is essential to maintaining a vibrant and healthy American democracy.