The Squire Patton Boggs Foundation maintains a long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility. We embody this commitment by providing a meaningful investment in law students and legal professionals to engage in law, public policy and public service.
Founded in 2000, the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the practice of law in the public interest by connecting talented law students with nonprofits and public service organizations that often lack the resources to access legal support. Through its flagship Fellowship program, the Foundation provides students with invaluable hands-on experience while ensuring public service organizations receive the legal assistance they need.
The Squire Patton Boggs Foundation is rooted in a history of civil rights advocacy. Established in honor of the retirement of one of the firm’s founding partners, James R. Patton, Jr., the Foundation was endowed with the dedication of lawyers’ fees from a 25-year long pro bono case, won by Foundation President John Oberdorfer, in which a federal court in Washington D.C. struck down unlawful discriminatory barriers faced by African American construction workers. The Foundation’s endowment has continued to grow following the dedication of fees from a second large pro bono victory, won when the firm successfully settled a federal suit against a hotel resort that discriminated against African American bikers during Black Bike Week in Myrtle Beach. The Foundation also receives generous support from partners and friends of the firm.
The Squire Patton Boggs Foundation awards fellowships to exceptional law students who demonstrate a steadfast commitment to public service and a developed interest in public policy. The law students who receive the fellowships are paired with partnering nonprofit institutions, government agencies, or domestic or international organizations, where they commit their summer to advancing access to justice, the rule of law and public policy issues. The Foundation is particularly interested in students seeking opportunities not only in the US, but also internationally, to reflect the culture and reach of the firm.
The foundation currently partners with 18 US law schools and the College d’Europe in Brussels and Warsaw, which nominate law students to the Foundation for fellowships. As of 2025, the Foundation has provided fellowships to more than 400 law students.
What makes this program unique?
Fellows are paired with a lawyer mentor at the firm throughout their fellowship.
Fellows work in a wide range of programs with global reach.
Fellows participate in networking events and have continued contact with the Foundation and other Fellowship alumni.
The work of the Foundation through its Fellowship program is emblematic of the firm’s culture and the leadership role it continues to play within the legal profession. Read more about our current fellowships, current and past fellows, and our partnering law schools and public service organizations below.
The Fellowship program has several dimensions. The Public Policy Fellowship program is the backbone of the Fellowship program. Each Fellowship law school nominates a Fellow, who selects her or his organizations to intern with
The Foundation focuses on looking forward and doing even more. In 2025 we are also taking an appreciative look back at the accomplishments and dedication to justice of our extraordinary Fellows. In July we will gather for celebratory events in Washington, DC and other offices, including hearing from Keynote Speaker Dean Cynthia E. Nance, University of Arkansas School of Law, on July 24.
Read moreWe would like to share this tribute by the Foundation in honor of Frank Wisner, our extraordinary friend, board member, colleague, and mentor to our Fellows and all of us.
Read more2024 Pulitzer SPB Foundation Fellow Edwin Afriyie writes on the role of technology and access to justice.
Read moreThe Squire Patton Boggs Foundation has awarded its inaugural Justice Jump Start Fellowships, expanding its Fellowship program to include graduating law students and advancing the Foundation’s mission of improving access to justice and the rule of law.
Read moreThe Squire Patton Boggs Foundation is proud to announce its 2024 Fellows, welcoming 28 students from 19 US law schools into the program.
Read more2022 Fellow Mark Dela Peña recently published Veterans Treatment Courts: Broadening Eligibility for Veterans Convicted of Violent Offenses in the Catholic University Law Review. A United States Marine Corps veteran, Mark is a 2024 J.D. candidate at the Catholic University Columbus School of Law. Mark served his 2022 Fellowship at the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Read moreThe Foundation relies on the coordinated efforts of the volunteer members of its Advisory Committee. A strengthened Committee is setting to work on the Foundation’s 2024 goals.
Read moreThe Squire Patton Boggs Foundation honored two Fellowship alumnae, Meaghan Fitzgerald and Meyling “Mey” Ly Ortiz, with the 2023 Distinguished Fellow Award during a recent virtual ceremony. Recipients are recognized for their commitment to justice and addressing the needs of the underrepresented.
Read moreCongratulations to Meredith Gusky, our inaugural Joe Brand Human Rights Fellow, for her work for Human Rights First toward the filing of an important human rights case in Boston, Murrell v. Patriot Front, et al.
Read moreMadeline Brown, a 2023 Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Public Policy Fellow and University of Cincinnati College of Law rising second-year law student, is spending her summer working at the Hamilton County (OH) Court of Domestic Relations and Family Law Clinic.
Read moreWe are pleased to share an article by 2023 Fellow Jane Wiertel on the regulation of artificial intelligence published in Gateway Journalism Review.
Read moreJulian Puthenpurayil, the first student from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law to earn a Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellowship, is currently lending his talents to the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office.
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In this, our Silver Anniversary Year, we have the pleasure of introducing you to the spectacular 33 Fellows in the Class of 2025.
