Fellowships and Scholarships

The Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service provides financial, curricular, and experiential support to UNH Franklin Pierce law students pursuing public service and public-interest lawyering.

Rudman Center Public Service Summer Fellowship Program

About

The Rudman Center fellowships support students who work in the summer for government agencies or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that perform public interest legal work.
Host Organizations are government agencies or non-profit organizations where students will be summer interns.

The fellowships pay a maximum of $4,800 for the summer (e.g., $12.00 per hour for 10 weeks X 40 hours per week). Students may work part or full-time during their internship.
Students are not paid more than $4,800 for summer work, regardless of the agreement they have with their host organization. This means students must fulfill the terms of their internship (hours per week, start and end dates, and any other terms) agreed upon with the host organization.

Placements

Students must secure their own placements. Students work primarily in the greater Concord/New Hampshire area but have found placements around the country.

See where the 2024 Fellows worked!

See where the 2023 Fellows worked!

Required steps to apply for a summer fellowship:

Attend Rudman Info Session (January 21, 2025).
Complete your 2025-2026 FAFSA. The form is available now. Be sure to add UNH School Code 002589.
Meet with a career advisor in CSO if you need support on the following: securing a summer position, having your applications materials reviewed, practicing your interviewing skills, or discussing your career goals in general.
Accept an unpaid or underpaid summer 2025 internship with either a government agency or non-profits with a Host Organization.
Application opens in early February.

Decisions about fellowships will be made in April 2025 and you will be notified via email.

Contacts:

Anna Brown
Executive Director of the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service
anna.brown1@law.unh.edu

Ellen Grimm
Coordinator, the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service
ellen.grimm@law.unh.edu

For many years, until recently, the Rudman-Peterson Fellowship was awarded each spring to a 1L with an interest in fiscal policy. The fellowship was funded by a generous grant from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

Rudman-Peterson Fellows

Additional Resources

• The Peter G. Peterson Foundation
• The Concord Coalition

Rudman Scholars Program

The Rudman Scholars Program offers two $10,000 scholarships ($5,000 paid out in each of the 2L and 3L years) and guaranteed summer-placement funding to two members of the 1L class who are committed to public interest work after graduation. Applicants must demonstrate, and attest to, an intention to work for a government agency or non-profit that serves vulnerable or underserved populations after their graduation. Applicants must also be willing to serve as student ambassadors for the Rudman Center during their 2L and 3L years.

Applications are available at the end of the spring semester. The endowed scholarship committee, which includes the director of the Rudman Center, will choose the Rudman Scholar recipients.

Rudman Scholars

Endowed Scholarships

UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law offers several endowed scholarships, three of which focus on public interest law or a career in public service, and are described below:

Bruce E. Friedman Scholarship Award

This award was established as a memorial in 1997 to Bruce E. Friedman by the Friedman family with gifts from the family, friends, Franklin Pierce faculty, staff and alumni, and legal and social-welfare colleagues. Professor Friedman founded and directed the law school’s Civil Practice Clinic for many years. The scholarship is awarded to a rising 2L or 3L UNH Franklin Pierce law student who demonstrates a dedicated commitment to social justice and public interest law, preparing for a career that advances social justice through course work combining legal knowledge with practical skills, project development, and exposure to practice models for the delivery of legal services.

Doris Monroe Rapee Memorial Scholarship Award

Established in memory of Doris Monroe Rapee by her family and friends, this scholarship is awarded to a rising 2L or 3L UNH Franklin Pierce law student who intends to pursue a career in public service.

Robert M. Viles Fellowship Fund

This fund was established in honor of former President and long-time Dean of Franklin Pierce Law Center, Robert M. Viles. The fund provides a merit-based scholarship to a full-time first year student at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law. Preference is given to a student pursuing a career in community lawyering with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate work and a score of 154 or higher on the LSAT.

Applications

Applications for these and all of the law school’s endowed student scholarships are available at the end of the spring semester. The selection committee will send an email announcement to all students when applications are open.