A Yearlong Fellowship to Prepare for Law School

Hilton Parker LLC’s Law and Human Rights Fellowship is designed for exceptional students who want early, real exposure to serious civil-rights litigation—and who are willing to be challenged accordingly. Recent Fellows have had the opportunity to write opening and closing statements for a real 5-day jury trial and to work on briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fellows work directly on our human-trafficking, toxic tort, and human-rights cases, including matters involving vulnerable clients and complex, high-stakes litigation. Typically Fellowships last one or two years before law school.

This is not observational work. Fellows help learn the full factual record of their cases, analyze governing law, and assist in developing litigation strategy from the ground up. They are expected to think carefully about how law applies to facts—and to articulate that analysis clearly and precisely.

A central focus of the fellowship is learning effective legal writing and advocacy. Fellows are trained deliberately in persuasive legal writing, including through close reading and discussion of works such as Point Made and The Art of Advocacy. They assist with briefing, argument preparation, and strategic framing. Fellows regularly observe hearings and trials, attend oral arguments, and—when appropriate—help prepare for them.

We invest heavily in experience, not just instruction. Fellows may draft direct and cross-examinations for real trials, travel with our lawyers to hearings and court appearances, and observe high-level advocacy in action. Fellows are also entered into a lottery for the opportunity to attend oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court when tickets are available.

Fellows are trained to use professional research platforms such as Lexis and are expected to develop strong case-law analysis skills. That includes reading cases closely, extracting governing rules, understanding procedural posture, and applying precedent accurately to evolving factual records.

We also invest personally in our fellows, and an important goal of the fellowship is to develop a track record that will allow us to write strong letters of recommendation for top law schools. Partners provide one-on-one LSAT tutoring and mentorship for fellows who are aiming high—typically LSAT scores of 170 or above. We are looking for candidates with strong academic records, demonstrated writing ability, intellectual seriousness, and ambition. This program is best suited for people who want to attend excellent law schools, develop elite advocacy skills, and ultimately make a meaningful impact on the law and society.

The fellowship is demanding, selective, and deeply hands-on. In return, it offers uncommon access, serious mentorship, and experiences that few students receive before law school.