About Melanie & the Fellowship to Honor Her Memory
The Melanie Kushnir Access to Justice Fellowship was created in honor of Melanie Kushnir—a tireless advocate who believed deeply in the power of lawyers to change lives. Melanie inspired pro bono attorneys, law students, bar leaders, judges, and her colleagues to give their time, talents, and compassion to people who need them the most. She believed that individuals facing domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, consumer fraud, or other civil legal crises deserved more than sympathy—they deserved an attorney willing to stand beside them, fight for their rights, and help them reclaim stability, safety, and dignity.
That belief guided Melanie's entire career. From the start of her legal training, she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public service and access to justice. While a student at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, she served as a public service fellow, a research fellow with the Pro Bono Research Group, and President of the Public Interest Law Foundation, and she received the CALI Award for Children and the Law. After law school, Melanie spent more than a decade in public interest law—representing abused children in Chicago, helping place students in public interest careers at Chicago-Kent College of Law, advancing pro bono initiatives nationally as Assistant Staff Counsel for the American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono, and ultimately serving as Directing Attorney of the Pro Bono Project at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.
In Southern Nevada, Melanie's impact was extraordinary. Through her leadership, enthusiasm, intelligence, and warmth, she energized existing attorneys, inspired new volunteers, and grew pro bono participation by 35% during her five years with the Pro Bono Project. She also published and lectured widely on pro bono service and access to justice, sharing her vision far beyond her own organization.
Melanie left an indelible mark on the legal community and on the countless individuals whose lives were changed because she believed they mattered. This fellowship exists to keep her spirit alive—by supporting law students committed to public interest work and by nurturing the same passion for justice, service, and compassion that defined Melanie's life and career.
The application period for summer 2026 opens January 20, 2026.
Fellowship Details
- Application period: January 20 – February 22, 2026
- Fellowship duration: 12 weeks
- Stipend: $12,000
One law student from an ABA-accredited law school will be selected annually to receive the Melanie Kushnir Access to Justice Fellowship. The fellowship selection committee is comprised of Legal Aid Center staff and members of Melanie’s family. The fellow is selected based on their demonstrated commitment to public interest law and the capacity to carry on Melanie's work in assisting those unable to afford the civil legal help they need.
The fellowship is 12 weeks, full-time during the summer beginning in May. The fellow receives a $12,000 stipend for their summer work. The fellow's full-time employment ends at the close of summer in August, but the fellowship officially concludes at the end of the year.
The fellow will work as part of the Pro Bono Project, assisting with access to justice projects. The fellow will additionally have the opportunity to participate in the following activities:
- Learn about and shadow every department at Legal Aid Center;
- Attend the State Bar of Nevada Annual Conference;
- Receive judicial mentorship and/or observe court;
- Attend Nevada Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission meetings; and
- Attend the Annual Pro Bono Awards Luncheon in December.
Upon conclusion of the fellowship, the fellow will be asked to participate as an ambassador in publicizing the availability of the fellowship during the following year. The fellow may also be asked to serve as a mentor to the next year's fellow.
Application Requirements
- A cover letter explaining your interest in the fellowship and, if you have one, a preliminary idea for a summer project to advance access to justice. Applicants are encouraged to be creative, but a fully-formed project is not required; the selected fellow will be supported in refining and developing their ideas. Past fellows have, for example, created a volunteer translation program for Spanish-speaking clients, developed a mobile app for children clients in foster care, and revised court rules governing self-represented litigants.
- A legal writing sample, limited to 10 pages;
- A resume (include any paid or volunteer work with vulnerable populations, along with non-legal employment experience); and
- A law school transcript.
Submit all materials in a single packet to
Additional Information
If you have questions, reach out to Jim Berchtold, Director of Supervised Practice and Law Student Programs, at
An interview with the 2019 Melanie Kushnir Access to Justice Fellow, Brittni Tanenbaum, can be viewed here.
Ciara Clark
Eva Guevara-Gutierrez
Priscila Venzor
Brittni Tanenbaum
Olga Torres
Matthew Cook