2026 Glynn D. Key 1L Summer Fellowship (Paid): Southern Environmental Law Center

About the Fellowship

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is now accepting purposes for the Glynn D. Key 1L Summer Fellowship, a paid authorized internship alternative for first-year legislation college students through the summer time of 2026.

This fellowship honors the legacy of Glynn D. Key (1964–2014), a trailblazing lawyer and environmental justice advocate who broke racial and gender boundaries all through her profession. She served in lots of distinguished roles, together with as a revered member of SELC’s Board of Trustees.

The fellowship gives first-year legislation college students with a singular alternative to affix a nationally acknowledged group that addresses among the most urgent environmental challenges within the South and throughout the nation.

  Location

• Charlottesville, VA (On-site)
• Chapel Hill, NC (Hybrid work mannequin out there)

  Duration

• 10 weeks (40 hours per week)
• Start date: May 26, 2026
• End date: Early August 2026

  Compensation

• $9,000 complete stipend ($900 per week)
• SELC doesn’t cut back this quantity if interns obtain extra funding

  Fellowship Focus Areas

Fellows will work on tasks that tackle important environmental challenges, together with:

• Climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Environmental justice and racial fairness in legislation
• Clean power and sustainable improvement
• Healthy air and air pollution discount
• Transportation and land use planning
• Clean water safety and wetlands conservation
• Coastal and forest safety

  Primary Responsibilities

Fellows will have interaction in a wide range of tasks, similar to:

• Completing a undertaking with a definite environmental justice element
• Conducting authorized analysis and evaluation on federal and state environmental statutes and laws
• Attending hearings, technique periods, shopper conferences, website visits, and depositions
• Participating in environmental coverage discussions with authorities officers and group teams
• Joining inside authorized staff conferences, specialised coaching periods, and group outings (e.g., hikes, canoe journeys)

   Mentorship Program

Each Fellow might be paired with a SELC legal professional for a year-long mentorship that begins previous to the internship.

• Regular check-ins and personalised recommendation
• Guidance on tutorial, skilled, and management progress
• Support all through legislation college and into early profession improvement

   Qualifications

Applicants ought to exhibit a mixture of the next attributes:

• First-year legislation scholar in good standing at an ABA-accredited legislation college
• Strong tutorial report (undergraduate, legislation college, or postgraduate coursework)
• Excellent authorized analysis and writing abilities
• Interest in environmental justice or the intersection of environmental legislation and racial justice
• Commitment to a profession in public curiosity legislation (most popular)
• Experience or dedication to working with communities of colour and susceptible populations
• Ability to handle a number of assignments and incorporate suggestions successfully
• Demonstrated dedication to fairness and inclusion inside communities or the authorized occupation

   Application Requirements

Applicants should submit the next supplies by way of the web application portal by January 20, 2026:

• Cover letter (point out workplace location preferences, ranked so as)
• Resume
• Writing pattern
• Undergraduate transcript
• Law college transcript (submit first-semester grades as soon as out there)
• Names and make contact with info for three tutorial or skilled references
• One-page assertion of curiosity describing expertise or curiosity in working with traditionally marginalized communities or addressing environmental injustices

Applications are inspired as early as doable.

  About SELC

The Southern Environmental Law Center is among the nation’s strongest defenders of the atmosphere, rooted within the South.

• Nonprofit and nonpartisan group
• Staff of over 200, together with greater than 130 authorized and coverage consultants
• Headquarters: Charlottesville, VA
• Regional workplaces: Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, Washington, DC

Core values:

• Integrity, honesty, and accountability
• Collaboration and camaraderie
• Equity, inclusion, and various views
• Strategic, daring, and pragmatic approaches to environmental challenges

  About Glynn D. Key

• Native of Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Jefferson Scholar on the University of Virginia
• First African American to chair the Honor Committee and function Student Council President at UVA
• Earned her legislation diploma from UVA School of Law
• Served within the Clinton administration (1993–1996) as Special Assistant and Counsel to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt
• Led the $700 million Everglades restoration settlement, uniting environmentalists, Indigenous tribes, agriculture, and authorities
• Partner at WilmerHale and later General Counsel at General Electric’s Coal Gasification and Water & Process Technologies Division
• Served on SELC’s Board of Trustees (2000–2009)
• Advocate for fairness, sustainability, and environmental justice

Her legacy continues to encourage future generations of attorneys and changemakers.

   Key Takeaways

• Paid fellowship for 1L legislation college students ($9,000 stipend)
• Focus on environmental justice and public curiosity legislation
• Mentorship program lasting past the summer time internship
• Application deadline: January 20, 2026
• Locations: Charlottesville, VA and Chapel Hill, NC

If you’re a first-year legislation scholar keen about environmental justice and wanting to make an enduring affect, don’t miss this opportunity to achieve hands-on expertise, mentorship, and the chance to honor Glynn D. Key’s legacy of fairness and management. Apply now and take the following step towards changing into a changemaker in environmental legislation.

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