How to apply for a fellowship

Fellow recruitment is open every autumn and successful fellows are asked to start work at their host organisation the following April for a period of two years.

On the application form you will find details of the host organisations and the roles they are offering. Previous fellows have trained at 74 different host organisations from across the UK, including law centres and national charities. 

You can choose two organisations that you would like to work for from the list of hosts. These organisations will provide a full job description to help you decide and receive anonymised applications to reduce bias when shortlisting. 

If shortlisted, you will be contacted by the host directly to arrange an interview. This may be online or in person. The final decision on who to employ is theirs, unless you receive more than one offer. They will contact you directly to let you know the outcome of your interview by the middle of February. 

If successful, you will be employed by the host, who will be responsible for supervising and supporting you. The wider support, training and opportunities component of the scheme are organised by LEF and its partners.

If you are not successful at the interview, and you opted into clearing when you submitted your application, you could still be considered for positions that remain available at other hosts. However, this is not guaranteed. 

Each host will receive your application if you choose their organisation. Hosts do not see your name, school information or equal opportunities data at this first stage so that the shortlisting process is anonymised and as unbiased as possible.

If you are invited to interview, the hosts will gain full access to your application and may ask you for further information, such as your CV.

Usually interviews include a presentation and / or a written task which you will be told about and asked to prepare in advance. Someone from LEF may also sit on your interview panel as an observer.

In general, hosts are looking for people with the following experience and qualities:

• A demonstrable passion for access to justice
• Experience working with marginalised communities
• Desire to create change in the legal community
• Lived or learned experience of the issues facing the communities they serve.