MLAC Fellowships
Under the mentorship of experienced attorneys, MLAC Fellows make a meaningful impact by assisting individuals without legal representation, working on innovative projects, and expanding the reach of civil legal aid – all while honing their practical legal skills and building essential professional connections.
Spotlight on the Bart Gordon Fellowship
MLAC created the Bart J. Gordon Memorial Fellowship to improve access to justice for people who face linguistic or cultural barriers to attaining legal assistance.
The Bart Gordon Fellowship funds two one-year positions (with an option to renew for a second year) for recent law school graduates at legal aid organizations funded by MLAC. Civil legal aid organizations identify potential fellowship projects and submit proposals to MLAC. MLAC awards a fellowship to two legal aid organizations, which then each recruit and hire a fellow—usually the fall before the start of the fellowship year. If you are interested in becoming a Bart Gordon Fellow, you should contact an eligible legal aid organization in the year before your potential fellowship to discuss ideas for a project. For additional information on the Bart Gordon Fellowship, contact Patricia Swansey at pswansey@mlac.org.
Bart J. Gordon was a Springfield attorney and a founding member of the MLAC Board of Directors. This fellowship program was renamed in his honor after his passing in 1995.
Project Example
Meet Zaria Walker (pictured right), a former Bart Gordon Fellow who served her fellowship with the Center for Law and Education (CLE). CLE started the Access to Justice through the Lay Advocacy Project (“Lay Advocacy Project”) to address the significant number of short-term suspensions of students enrolled in urban public schools for non-violent, non-drug, non-criminal offenses. Zaria’s mission was to expand the Boston-based program into Lawrence and Haverhill. She was tasked with training lay advocates to assist students charged with nonviolent, non-drug, non-criminal-related offenses at school disciplinary hearings to help ensure those students remain in school to learn. Zaria trained lay advocates from Tufts, Northeastern, and Boston College.
Zaria helped to modify CLE’s lay advocacy training to include school discipline workshops for parents, advocates, and attorneys. Her workshops provided information and practical strategies that enabled advocates to be well-informed and effective at championing student rights.
To prepare for her role, Zaria researched the issue of school suspensions and disciplinary hearings and learned that students of families with low incomes, many of whom are students of color, experience higher rates of suspension and are disciplined more severely compared to their peers. She says this made her work feel more personal because she was able to identify with some of the demographics that were being disproportionately targeted.
Zaria passed the bar during her FY23 fellowship year and has since accepted a position Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.
“Through advocacy, we can ensure that every student, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to remain in school and succeed.”