Recent graduate receives Equal Justice Works Fellowship

Andrew Chandler just graduated from the Brandeis School of Law this past May, but he’s already making waves as a committed public service leader.  He is one of just 84 newly graduated lawyers nationwide to receive one of the most prestigious and competitive fellowships – the 2022 Equal Justice Works Fellowship. 

Equal Justice Works selects a class of public interest lawyers who have designed unique projects in partnership with legal services organizations. These projects are funded by law firms, corporations, private foundations, and individual supporters. The 2022 class of Equal Justice Works Fellows includes graduates from 45 law schools who will work at 76 legal services organizations across 20 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Jessica Ryckman, Equal Justice Works Director of Fellowships, was delighted to welcome Andrew to the fellowship. “We’re proud of Andrew’s commitment to improving the economic conditions of families in Louisville and look forward to seeing the impact of his work as an Equal Justice Works Fellow.”

Thanks to sponsorship from AIG, Andrew will be working with the Legal Aid Society to secure and preserve public benefits for low-income families and individuals in Louisville.  Jefferson Coulter, the Executive Director at the Legal Aid Society was clear about how this fellowship would support their mission.  “His work will help ensure that low-income Kentuckians receive critical assistance with obtaining life-sustaining food benefits, Social Security payments, and other public benefits.”

The first Louis D. Brandeis School of Law graduate to earn one of these Fellowships, Andrew is eager to encourage others to apply too.  “The application process can be daunting at first, as you enter a national pool of top-tier law students all vying to obtain a fellowship position,” he said. “But I strongly believe that my peers and like-minded successors at Brandeis—with our commitment to social justice and our passion for serving the Louisville community—deserve to compete with applicants from any school in the country and have an excellent chance of success.”

It’s a great opportunity.  As Chandler says, “it kickstarts your career in public interest law while securing a financial foothold right out of law school, directing your passions toward legal issues you identify as the focus of your proposal, at the host organization that you select, within the community that you seek to serve."

Applications are now open for The Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own-Fellowship Class of 2023, with a deadline of September 13, 2022.  Students with a passion for public interest law can find out more details and start the application process at https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/become-a-fellow/design-your-own-fellowship/