Honors Fellowship Program

Established by Attorney General Sam Olens in March 2016, the Honors Fellowship Program is a two-year program for entry-level attorneys who are committed to public service. Honors Fellow candidates are current law students seeking post-graduation employment and recent law school graduates employed in judicial clerkships or legal fellowships. Working closely with senior attorneys, Honors Fellows will quickly gain experience in legal research; discovery; motions practice; brief writing; and client interactions. Honors Fellows who work in litigation sections should also expect deposition and courtroom experience. Honors Fellows will also enjoy specialized training and programming.

The Law Department will hire up to three Honors Fellows each year. Applicants may express a preference for the division they would like to work in if hired, and Honors Fellows may have the opportunity for a Q&A with the Georgia Supreme Court.

Law Department divisions include: (1) Regulated Industries and Professions; (2) Commercial Transactions and Litigation; (3) Criminal Justice; (4) General Litigation; (5) Government Services & Employment; (6) Special Prosecutions; (7) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; (8) Consumer Protection; and (9) Solicitor General's Office.

For a description of each division and the sections housed in them, please see https://law.georgia.gov/about-us/organization-office.

Who Is Eligible To Apply?

The Honors Fellowship Program is open to third-year law students graduating from accredited law schools in May of each year and recent graduates who are completing full-time judicial clerkships or full-time government, academic, or public-interest fellowships. The Law Department is particularly interested in applications from graduates of Georgia law schools and from eligible law school graduates with ties to Georgia.

Applicants should possess the following qualifications: outstanding academic record; excellence in writing and research; and demonstrated interest in public service. Law review membership and judicial clerkship experience are strongly preferred.

When to Apply

The Law Department will accept applications annually between August 1 and September 20.

The Law Department anticipates extending offers by the end of the calendar year.

How to Apply

Applications for the Honors Fellowship Program must apply through Team Georgia Careers AND attach the following when applying:

• Cover letter expressing interest in the Honors Fellowship Program
• Responses to two Application Essay Questions below (500 word maximum per response; see below)*
• Resume
• List of top three preferred division placements
• Department of Law Application & GBI Background waiver, located here
• Two writing samples
• Two letters of recommendation*
• Certified copy of undergraduate and law school transcripts*
• If the file is too large to attach please email the document(s) to [email protected] to include the position title - application material(s) in the subject line. 

*Two Letters of recommendation and certified transcripts may be mailed separately but must also be postmarked on or before September 20 to:

Department of Law
Human Resources
40 Capitol Square S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Employment is contingent on the completion and satisfactory results of a background check.

Application Essay Questions

Why do you want to work in the Georgia Department of Law, and what would make you a good fit for the Department?

What has been your most fulfilling legal or extracurricular experience during law school or during the year(s) immediately following law school?

Other Information

Honors Fellows entering their first year of practice will be compensated at the Law Department starting salary commensurate with experience and a minimum of $65,000.00 plus benefits.

If Honors Fellows are not already licensed to practice in Georgia, they will be expected to sit for and pass the Georgia bar exam.

Attorneys selected for the Honors Fellowship Program should plan to start work around September 1 of the next year.