Program Eligibility

To be considered for eligibility, you must be a 2L or 3L at Harvard Law School, and must complete a brief online application, by May 27, 2025. Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to the Program requirements through documentation of their activities and coursework during the first year(s) of law school, any past professional or personal experience, and a statement about how the Program relates to their career goals.

How to Apply

To be considered for the Youth Advocacy & Policy (Y-Lab) Fellows Program, complete a brief online application by May 27, 2025, at this link.

 

Program Requirements

To successfully complete the program, by graduation you must:

• Earn a passing grade in:
  • Art of Social Change: Child Welfare, Education & Juvenile Justice (Fellows will be guaranteed a spot.)
  • Three semesters of clinical work related to youth law and policy (or two semesters of clinical work plus one summer employment experience). You can meet this requirement by participating in any of the following:
    • Education Law Clinic – Individual Representation
    • Education Law Clinic – Legislative and Administrative Advocacy
    • Education Law Clinic – Impact Litigation
    • Child Advocacy Clinic
    • Criminal Justice Institute
    • Family Justice Clinic
    • Any HLS clinic where your clinical project(s) will focus on children or young people—Program faculty can assist you to arrange qualifying clinical projects with other clinical instructors
    • Any independent clinic related to children or young people
    • An advanced clinical placement in any of the above clinics
    • An experiential learning opportunity related to children or young people at another Harvard graduate school (with permission of Program faculty)
    • Summer employment that meets this requirement must be at least 8 weeks at a legal organization engaged in work focused on children’s law or policy.
  • Youth Advocacy Seminar in 2L year. (This seminar will be held during the fall semester on Mondays from 3:45-5:45pm.)

• Complete a capstone project equivalent in scope to a 30-page paper, for which you will receive independent writing credit. This should be a piece of independent writing or an advanced research or advocacy project that synthesizes your learning across various endeavors at HLS. This requirement involves participation in the Youth Advocacy Writing Program during your 3L year, for which you will earn 1 classroom credit.
• Engage in individual curriculum planning and advising with a member of the Program faculty at least two times per academic year, ideally prior to registration for the upcoming semester.
• Serve as a mentor to 1L students who have an interest in youth advocacy.
• Attend Program meetings and events held during a regular 2-hour time block approximately every other week.
• Participate in a leadership position during one or both years by doing any of the following:
  • Coordinating Lunch Talks, Conferences, Symposia
  • Serving as a leader of a student group (CYA, A4E, Defenders, or other related group)
  • Serving as a teaching fellow in the Art of Social Change
  • Serving on the Fellows Leadership Team
  • Another relevant leadership experience approved by the Program faculty.

Questions

For more information about this Program, or to speak with one of the directors, please contact Michael Gregory ([email protected]) or Crisanne Hazen ([email protected]).