Get in touch
Have questions or want to partner with us?
FAQ
Common questions
Is there a way to be notified when the application period for the 2027 Fellowship opens?
Yes! Please email us using this contact form. Include your full name, the name of your school, and what year in your current program you are in. Our Program Director will email you shortly before we begin accepting applications. As a reminder, the 2027 Law Fellow application period will take place in the 2026 Fall semester, and the 2027 Social Work Fellow application period will take place in the 2027 Winter semester.
Is the Fellowship open to new public defender offices joining the program as placement sites?
The Michigan Holistic Defense Fellowship is proud to partner with six public defender offices from across the state who have transitioned to the holistic model. If your office is located in Michigan, provides mitigation services, and is interested in mentoring students in the law and social work field each summer, please submit the contact form on this page. Our Program Director will be in touch with you shortly.
I’m a law or social work student, and I’m not sure if the Fellowship is right for me- what should I do?
First, start with this website. Check out our program manual, our placement site descriptions, and the testaments from program alumni. Several of our program alumni are available to answer questions about their experience. If you have a question for them or for the Director, please reach out using this contact form and provide the name of your school and what year you are in your program in addition to your question.
What are the requirements for law and social work applicants?
Law students and social work students must be fully enrolled at an accredited law or social work school and must have completed one year of full-time credits prior to the first day of the Fellowship, which takes place at the end of May each year. Social work graduates who hold either a BSW or MSW degree are also invited to apply. Law students who have graduated from law school but who will not have been out of law school for one year or more from the last day of the program (the end of July) may also apply, per the Michigan Student Practice License.
Applicants do not have to be enrolled at school in the state of Michigan or be residents of the state in order to apply. All applicants should be interested in pursuing a career in holistic defense in the state of Michigan and providing exceptional legal and social work services to individuals who are indigent.
At this time, none of our participating placement sites are able to host international students who require XYZ visas. This decision is up to the individual counties that each placement site is housed in and is outside the discretion of the Fellowship program.
I really want to intern at a public defender office this summer, but I missed the application window for the upcoming Fellowship season. Where can I find out about alternative summer job opportunities?
For law students and social work students interested in interning at a public defender office, please check the MIDC internships page and the NAPD internships page. If you have a specific public defender office that you are interested in interning at, it never hurts to send an email introducing yourself, explaining your interest in this field of work, and asking about summer opportunities. Reach out as soon as you are interested- summer internships in this field are frequently filled early.
Law students interested in public defense internships and careers in northern Michigan can reach out to the program director using the contact form.