Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship Program - Law Department

New York City Law Department


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Current Law Students

Recent Law Graduates

Admitted Attorneys

Attorney Application Guidelines

Attorney Ambassador Directory


Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship Program

The New York City Law Department sponsors an annual Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship Program for one or two recent graduates a year. The recipients of this paid, highly selective one-year Honors Fellowship enjoy a behind the scenes view into the operations and governance of the City of New York with a focus on the major legal issues facing the City during the course of their fellowship year.

Honors Fellows mainly work in the Legal Counsel division and are welcome to express interest in working closely with specific division(s). Past Honors Fellows have gained significant counseling, legislative, transactional, trial court level litigation, and appellate experience. They may also request to work on projects in specific areas of the law such as employment, land use, tax certiorari, constitutional, administrative, environmental, and commercial law. Learn about the 18 legal divisions at the Law Department.

Applicants for the Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship Program must have a record of academic excellence and a demonstrable interest in urban affairs and governance. Applicants must be graduating law school or be out of law school no more than three years of when the fellowship will begin. For example, 2023-2026 graduates are eligible to apply for the fellowship that will begin in September 2026. Applicants must also be either admitted to the New York State bar, in the process of becoming admitted, or currently in law school. Successful candidates will be chosen by a committee of senior leadership at the Law Department. The fellowship stipend will be equal to the salary of a new attorney at the NYC Law Department (currently $84,975) plus City employee benefits.

Applications should include a cover letter discussing what legal issues and experiences they would be most interested in exploring through the Honors Fellowship, a resume, writing sample, law school transcript, and a list of three references.

Questions regarding the Honors Fellowship may be sent to the Legal Recruitment Office.

The application for the 2025-2026 Corporation Counsel Honors Fellowship is now closed. The application for the Entry 2025 class is open and available in the "Recent Law Graduates” section of the Careers tab.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

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