2025 Church, State & Society Summer Fellowship Application
The Notre Dame Law School Program on Church, State & Society continues to offer its summer fellowship opportunity to ND Law 1L and 2L students. Fellowships allow selected ND Law students to spend approximately ten weeks over the summer working for a religiously affiliated organization in a legal capacity. Students can also spend the summer fellowship working for a law firm that serves a substantial number of religious institutions. The fellowship is intended primarily for first-year law students, but second-year students may apply as well.
The Summer Fellowship Program provides Notre Dame Law students with opportunities to engage in meaningful legal work at religiously affiliated organizations. Lea Leisure (2L, ‘26), who worked at the Archdiocese of Chicago, described her experience: “I assisted attorneys in drafting contracts, writing memos, preparing correspondence, and analyzing a variety of legal issues faced by the Archdiocese.” These hands-on tasks allowed her to gain practical legal skills while contributing to the mission of the Archdiocese.
Similarly, Jack Harkin (2L, ‘26), during his fellowship at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, focused on policy-related tasks, including legal research, drafting memoranda, and supporting efforts to advocate for faith-based principles in national policy. Harkin reflected, “To play even just a small role in an effort to move the culture and laws of our nation in a direction that is closer to the beliefs of my faith was a great joy.”
Kristina Semeryuk ’18 J.D. also leveraged this opportunity to make a significant impact. Her fellowship was at Bryte Church, a Russian Baptist Church in West Sacramento. With over 2,000 members, primarily immigrants, including some with first-generation children born in America, the church faced unique legal challenges due to cultural and linguistic barriers. Notably, the community did not have an attorney on staff who understood both Russian ties and culture and held a law degree. Reflecting on her role, Semeryuk shared, “As a summer fellow, I [did] assist in reviewing and negotiating legal documents. This fantastic opportunity allowed me to put the knowledge I have learned all year in class to be the different kind of lawyer I came to Notre Dame to be.”
These experiences illustrate how the fellowship immerses students in substantive legal work, from contract drafting to policy advocacy, enabling them to apply their legal training in a faith-centered context. For more details on the impactful work students engage in through this program, visit here https://churchstate.nd.edu/news-events/news/notre-dame-law-school-students-gain-invaluable-experience-through-the-program-on-church-state-society-summer-fellowship/
Application Process
Interested students should submit an email titled “2025 Summer Fellowship Application” containing a summary of their intended fellowship (1-2 pages long), describing their interest and relevant experience, a description of their proposed placement organization(s), and a resume to Professor Jorge Barrera-Rojas by January 30th, 2025.
Past placements have included: the General Counsel’s office at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Legal Services, Catholic Charities Legal Assistance in Chicago, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, Catholic University of America’s Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C., the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the Archdiocese of Detroit, Immaculata Law Firm, and Wagenmaker & Oberly in Chicago.
Students are encouraged to create their own fellowships, and placements are not limited to Catholic institutions. Students may contact organizations about possible placement accommodations. However, students should *not* contact the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Archdiocese of Chicago about placement, as the Program already has professional contacts at those organizations. Students should also *not* contact law firms before vetting the firm with the Program on Church, State & Society.
Summer Fellowship stipends are close to $6,000 over approximately ten weeks. It is expected that organizations hosting students provide (1) a mentor for the student, (2) full-time legal work and research over ten weeks, and (3) workspace and basic technology such as computer/phone.
Originally published by at churchstate.nd.edu on December 09, 2024.