For Mentors

We are now accepting applications to become a Mentor Organization for 2025! 

Interested in becoming a PBF 2025 Mentor Organization? Fill our our Inquiry Form here and we'll be in touch shortly.

Want to learn more? Download our 2025 Mentor guide.

The Peggy Browning Fellowship Program provides stipends to law students who dedicate their summer to advancing the cause of workers’ rights by working for labor unions, worker centers, labor-related not-for-profit organizations, union-side law firms and other nonprofit organizations. It is a ten-week summer fellowship and is available to 1L, 2L, and 3L evening law students. Since 1997, the Peggy Browning Fund has been recruiting and placing progressive law students in summer law clerk positions. As of 2024, PBF has helped fill over 1,500 summer fellowship positions. Read more about our program, and apply to become a PBF mentor organization, below.

ESSENTIAL DETAILS

WHEN: Minimum 10-week Long Fellowships*
PAY: Minimum $700/week stipend, plus associated Program fees per fellow**
WHERE: Unions, Union-side Law firms, Workplace justice Nonprofits***

 
* Summer Fellowships may be extended beyond 10-weeks where agreed on by the student. For nonprofits and worker’s centers, PBF will pay for the initial $7,000 stipend; any additional payment for extended Fellowships must be covered by the organization.
** Unions and law firms must provide compensations directly to their Summer Fellow(s). For 501c3 organizations, PBF will pay stipend funds of $7,000 to the mentor organizations for their Summer Fellow(s). Program fees will be invoiced summer 2025.
*** Workplace justice nonprofits are registered 501c3’s and may include worker’s centers, legal aids, and worker’s rights policy centers.

 

HOW TO BECOME A PBF MENTOR ORGANIZATION

MENTOR ORGANIZATIONS

PBF Fellowships are educational opportunities that introduce current law students to the practice and community of workplace justice advocacy. As such, all Mentor Organizations must, under professional supervision by at least one qualified attorney, provide their Peggy Browning Fellow(s) with varied work assignments that expose them to as wide a variety of legal and advocacy work as possible, consistent with the mission of the Mentor Organization. 

 

HOW TO APPLY

Interested organizations are welcome to complete a mentor inquiry form here. Alternatively, they can contact the PBF Team at Info@PeggyBrowningFund.org. A PBF Team member will schedule a follow up conversation to discuss how the organization’s mission, intended fellowship activities, and supervision are consistent with PBF’s workplace justice goals. The organization’s application will then be presented to the PBF Mentor Selection Committee to confirm or deny the application, or ask for further information. While this might sound like a lot, the process generally only takes a few weeks, and can be as quick as a few days.

Once an organization is accepted as a PBF Mentor, they will be asked to complete a “2025 PBF Mentor Organization Form” covering the Fellowship description, Fellowship stipend (total, weekly, or hourly), Supervisor(s) names and contact information, who applicants should address in their cover letters to, and any applicant prerequisites. 

Returning Mentor Organizations will be asked to review and update their contact information and listing.

 

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Students apply through the PBF Fellowship Application Form on the PBF website, and a copy goes to both PBF and the Mentor Organization. Mentor Organizations decide individually when they want to start interviewing – that could be right when you receive the application, closer to the application deadline, or even after applications close. Mentor Organizations are provided a spreadsheet where they can review the status of all applicants, updated daily throughout the application period.
 
Applications will include:
  • Applicant name, law school, current year, and contact information
  • Resume
  • Cover letter
  • Three references
  • Three brief essays (totaling no longer than two-pages double-spaced), as assigned by PBF
Applications may include by request:
  • Legal writing sample
  • Current transcript

 

APPLICATION PREREQUISITES

PBF Mentor Organizations may highlight specific experience requirements where those requirements apply directly to Fellowship activities. This may include: required in-office hours, language requirements or preferences, completion or enrollment in a labor law or employment law class, current status as a second-year or third-year (evening) law student. These requirements should be listed in your Fellowship description.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW  DOES THE APPLICATION PROCESS WORK FOR FELLOWS? Students submit their application materials to their chosen mentor organizations through the PBF website. A copy of the application goes to the mentor organization and to PBF (for backup). Mentor organizations may begin scheduling interviews as soon as they receive applications.

HOW DO I EXTEND AN OFFER TO AN APPLICANT? Once an organization has conducted interviews and chosen a student they would like to offer a Fellowship to, they should let PBF Programs Manager Ruby Tumasz (RTumaz@PeggyBrowningFund.org) know that they would like to extend an offer (and any backup offers). PBF staff will contact the student, extend the offer, and review the PBF program at large. Mentor Organizations should not extend an offer directly to the student. From there, students will have three (3) business days to accept the offer or pass. As soon as a student has decided to accept or pass, PBF staff will immediately update the mentor organization.
I’m a 501c3. Does PBF pay for My Fellow? Yes. Our current policy is that PBF pays $7,000 to 501c3’s to pay to their Fellow. The $7,000 is paid in two installments during the student’s Fellowship.* 

I’M A UNION/UNION-SIDE LAW FIRM. DOES PBF PAY AN ADDITIONAL $7,000 FOR MY FELLOW? No. Unions and union-side law firms are responsible for both paying their PBF Fellow’s salary and paying the program fee for each Fellow to PBF.
Does my organization need to have an attorney in house? Yes. PBF Fellowships are hands on educational opportunities in the practice of workplace justice advocacy. As such, mentor organizations must have an attorney who will provide assignments, support, and offer substantive feedback on student’s performance throughout the Fellowship. 

WHAT IS THE PROGRAM FEE? The Peggy Browning Fund is more than just a fellowship program. Your program fee partially funds our NLSWRC, which aids the labor community at large, as well as other educational and networking opportunities.
 
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS. Who Do I contact? Feel free to contact PBF’s Programs Manager, Ruby Tumasz at RTumasz@PeggyBrowningFund.org. 
 

 

For more information and how to apply, click here. Contact Rachel Del Rossi, Executive Director, at 267-273-7996 or e-mail rdelrossi@peggybrowningfund.org with any questions.