Meet the 2026 Rural Summer Legal Corps Student Fellows

Rural communities across the country often face significant barriers to accessing legal help, including local legal aid resources and long travel distances to providers.

That is why Equal Justice Works and Legal Services Corporation launched the Rural Summer Legal Corps (RSLC) 10 years ago, which mobilizes law students for a summer of service. Called Student Fellows, participants increase access and capacity for local legal services providers in rural communities—all while gaining invaluable experience in their field. 

Rural communities across the country often face significant barriers to accessing legal help, including local legal aid resources and long travel distances to providers.

To help address these gaps, Equal Justice Works and Legal Services Corporation (LSC) launched the Rural Summer Legal Corps (RSLC) 10 years ago. Over the past decade, the program has mobilized more than 400 Rural Summer Legal Corps Student Fellows who have served more than 14,300 rural community members nationwide.

Through their summer of service, Student Fellows help expand access to justice and build capacity at local legal services organizations—all while gaining invaluable experience in their field.

Last summer, 50 Student Fellows served 2,339 clients and contributed over 15,622 hours of service. This year, another cohort of 50 Student Fellows will work together across 31 states and territories to address the justice gap in rural areas.

This year’s Student Fellows will focus on areas such as health care, family law, housing, and farmworker rights.