Southern Environmental Law Center Glynn D. Key 1L Summer Fellowship 2026

📖 About the Fellowship

The Glynn D. Key 1L Summer Fellowship offers first-year law students a unique opportunity to work with a highly successful, nationally recognized organization addressing some of the most pressing environmental issues in the South and across the nation. Fellows will engage in critical environmental challenges, including:

• Climate change
• Environmental justice
• Clean energy
• Healthy air
• Transportation and land use
• Clean water
• Wetlands and coasts
• Forest protection

💰 Benefits

• Compensation: $9,000 total ($900 per week)

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the fellowship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a first-year law student in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school.
• Have a strong academic record and excellent legal research/writing skills.
• Demonstrate an interest in environmental justice or racial justice.
• A commitment to public interest law is a plus.
• Experience working with communities of color or vulnerable communities is valued.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and promote equity and inclusion.

📝 Application Date and Process

Applicants must submit the following materials via the online application portal by January 20, 2026:

1. Cover letter (Indicate the office locations you are interested in applying to, ranked in order of preference).
2. Resume.
3. Writing sample.
4. Undergraduate transcript.
5. Law school transcript (You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and email a PDF copy of your first-semester grades to hiring@selc.org once they become available).
6. Names and contact information for three academic or professional references.
7. A one-page statement of interest describing your experience or interest in working with historically marginalized communities or addressing environmental injustices. If applicable, highlight how you:
   • Engaged with historically marginalized communities.
   • Incorporated their input.
   • Worked toward solutions.
   • If no relevant experience, discuss your interest in this work, including personal, academic, or volunteer experiences that have shaped your commitment to environmental justice or your interest in working with communities at the intersection of environmental law and racial justice.

📅 Application Deadline

• January 20, 2026

🌐 Application Portal

• View details of the fellowship on the Southern Environmental Law Center website.
• Apply directly via the application portal.

For any additional inquiries, please contact hiring@selc.org.

• Compensation: $9,000 total ($900 per week).