Fellowships

Our fellowship programs offer prestigious placements for newly minted lawyers, while providing invaluable services for North Carolinians in need.

LANC-Sponsored Fellowships

Each year, Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) hires postgraduate fellows to assist in its field offices and statewide projects. Fellows are attorneys who carry caseloads and provide direct representation to clients. Positions are one or two years, and service typically begins in September, after the fellow passes the NC State Bar Exam. All fellowships are contingent upon the availability of funding. The current annual salary is $50,500 once fellows are licensed and sworn-in.

Dixon Fellowship

The Charles D. Dixon Fellowship offers two-year staff attorney positions in our Morganton office, which serves fives counties in northwest North Carolina.

Dixon Fellows handle a general caseload in traditional areas of poverty law practice, including housing, domestic violence, public benefits, consumer rights, employment and elder law issues.

Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to social justice and community service, and be able to relate well to low-income people in a rural setting.

Charles D. Dixon (1925-2016), a longtime partner in the Hickory law firm of Patrick, Harper & Dixon, LLP, was a faithful pro bono volunteer in our Morganton office and a leader of numerous philanthropic projects in the Hickory community.

The Dixon Fellowship is funded by a $1 mil. endowment from his estate to the N.C. Bar Foundation Endowment’s Legal Aid of North Carolina Fund, which he helped launch in 2007 with a lead gift of $100,000.

Ervin Fellowship

The Judge Samuel J. Ervin III Fellowship is a one-year staff attorney position in our Morganton office, which provides free legal assistance in civil matters to low-income persons in Alexander, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, McDowell, Mitchell, Watauga and Yancey counties in northwest North Carolina.

Ervin Fellows are responsible for handling a general caseload in traditional areas of poverty law practice, including housing, employment, consumer, public benefits, and elder law issues.

Ervin Fellow candidates will be expected to have demonstrated their commitment to community service and be able to relate well to low-income people in a rural setting. Candidates should expect to be licensed to practice law in North Carolina when their fellowship begins, usually in September.

Judge Samuel J. Ervin III served as judge and Chief Judge of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals for nearly 20 years. He had an exemplary record of public service as state legislator and judge, and two tours of duty in the U.S. Army prior to his elevation to the Circuit Court by President Carter in 1980. He was a graduate of Davidson College and Harvard Law School.

The Ervin Fellowship is funded in memory of Judge Ervin’s commitment to equal justice and public service. The fellowship is intended to provide legal aid to clients in Judge Ervin’s hometown of Morganton and the surrounding area.

Everett Fellowship

The Clifton W. Everett Sr. Community Lawyer Fellowship, established in 1992, offers one-year staff attorney positions for recent law school graduates who are committed to serving low-income North Carolinians in rural areas.

Everett Fellows begin their service every year in September, after they have graduated law school and passed the N.C. Bar Exam.

Everett Fellows are selected based on their legal abilities and demonstrated commitment to social justice. They must be dedicated to making the legal system responsive to those who have been marginalized by both poverty and geography. They must be ready to accept the challenging and rewarding tasks of a full-fledged attorney who serves rural communities.

Everett Fellows are responsible for handling a general caseload in the traditional areas of poverty law practice on behalf of clients who live in rural areas. Types of cases usually involve housing, employment, consumer, domestic and/or public benefits.

The Everett Fellowship program is funded by the board of trustees of the N.C. State Bar’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program in memory of Clifton W. Everett Sr., a lifetime resident of eastern North Carolina who served as president of the N.C. State Bar and vice-chairman and member of the IOLTA program’s board of trustees. He dedicated his life to the extension of justice in rural parts of eastern North Carolina.

Pierce Fellowship

The Julian T. Pierce Fellowship offers staff attorney positions for recent law school graduates who are dedicated to improving the legal system for low-income people in rural areas who have been marginalized by both poverty and geography.

Pierce Fellows are selected based on their legal abilities and their demonstrated commitment to social justice. They must be ready to accept the challenging and rewarding tasks of full-fledged attorneys who serve and live in rural communities.

Pierce Fellows handle a general caseload in the traditional areas of poverty law practice ob behalf of clients who live in Richmond and Anson counties. Types of cases usually involve housing, employment, consumer, domestic and/or public benefits.

The Pierce Fellowship is funded by Legal Aid of North Carolina in memory of Julian T. Pierce, a Lumbee Indian, civil rights leader, and legal aid icon who was tragically murdered in Robeson County, N.C. in 1988. Julian was the founding director of Lumbee River Legal Services, which is now our Pembroke office. During his tenure, he fought against discrimination, racial segregation and dedicated his life to the pursuit of equal justice for all persons regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.

How to Apply

Three fellowships remain open for the 2025 cohort. In addition to the Pierce Fellowship, there are two (2) Everett Fellowships available—one fellow will work with the Fayetteville Office and the other with the Greenville Office.

NC Law School Students: Apply through your school’s On Campus Interview (OCI) Program during the fall semester. During the spring semester, we will participate in the North Carolina Interview Program (NCLIP), which will also be advertised by your career center.

Out-of-State Law Students: Submit a cover letter (addressed to Niya Fonville Swint, Chief Community Engagement Officer), resume, a writing sample that is ten (10) pages or less, and the names and contact information of three (3) references to niyas@legalaidnc.org. Your cover letter must specify the fellowships for which you would like to be considered.

Other Fellowship Opportunities

Legal Aid of North Carolina has partnered with applicants successfully on project-based fellowship applications including the Skadden Fellowship and the Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own Fellowship. We are also open to interest in applying to other project-based fellowships, such as Justice Catalyst or internal law-school specific fellowships. Our internal committee will decide which fellowships we are willing to pursue with a given applicant based on your application proposal and our internal funding resources.

Learn More

Meet our Fellows

Meet past fellows and learn about the great work they did for our clients.