The Dechert Impact Fellowship Program Now Open to Graduating Law Students Affected by Federal Hiring Freeze
Opportunity for five law school graduates to gain hands-on experience with leading pro bono organizations starting in October
NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dechert LLP announced opening the Dechert Impact Fellowship Program to five graduating law students whose job offers with the federal government were rescinded due to the recent hiring freeze.
Launched in 2024, the Dechert Impact Fellowship Program gives incoming first year associates the opportunity to spend a full year with a leading pro bono organization. Through this program, Dechert Impact Fellows hone their legal skills and gain valuable hands-on experience while helping advance access to justice by providing legal services to underserved communities.
"We are proud to expand the Dechert Impact Fellowship Program to include recent graduates impacted by the federal hiring freeze and provide them with alternative opportunities to serve the public," saidDave Forti, co-chair of Dechert. "By partnering with our long-standing pro bono organizations, we can offer these graduates a unique opportunity to make a meaningful legal impact for underserved and underrepresented communities while gaining invaluable experience."
"We believe this program not only provides graduates with essential legal skills but also instills a deep appreciation for advocating on behalf of causes that are both significant to our pro bono partner organizations and personally meaningful to them," said Suzanne Turner, chair of Dechert's firm-wide pro bono practice.
The 2024 class of Dechert Impact Fellows are currently working with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers, The Legal Aid Society of New York, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Human Trafficking Legal Center, Center for Reproductive Rights and Calvert Impact. The 2025 program will start in October.
Dechert's commitment to pro bono work is widely seen as setting the standard for international law firms. The firm has made significant strides in a wide variety of areas. These efforts earned Dechert the #1 spot internationally and the #5 place in the U.S. in The American Lawyer's 2024 Pro Bono Scorecard. Dechert has ranked in the top two spots for international work for nine consecutive years and in the top ten in the U.S. a dozen times in 15 years.
About Dechert
Dechert is a global law firm that advises asset managers, financial institutions and corporations on issues critical to managing their business and their capital – from high-stakes litigation to complex transactions and regulatory matters. We answer questions that seem unsolvable, develop deal structures that are new to the market and protect clients' rights in extreme situations. Our nearly 1,000 lawyers across 19 offices globally focus on the financial services, private equity, private credit, real estate, life sciences and technology sectors.
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SOURCE Dechert LLP