The Skadden Fellowship Foundation, launched in 1988 to commemorate Skadden's 40th anniversary, aims to improve legal services for the poor and encourage economic independence. It is the largest public interest law firm in the U.S., focusing on funding recent law graduates for full-time public interest law practice, with a guiding principle to enhance legal aid for the underprivileged and promote long-term economic self-sufficiency.
The Skadden Fellowship provides a two-year program for recent law graduates, including 2024 law school graduates, outgoing judicial law clerks, and LL.M. candidates, who are committed to working full-time in public interest law. The Fellowship aims to address the civil legal needs of people living in poverty in the U.S., funding projects that offer legal services to poor clients without a stringent poverty test. Each Fellow receives a salary, fringe benefits comparable to those of an employee at the sponsoring organization, and law school debt service for those not covered by a low-income protection plan. The Foundation has a track record of keeping the majority of its Fellows in public service, working on the same issues as their original projects, highlighting its dedication to improving and increasing legal services for the less fortunate and expecting a significant impact on the quality and delivery of these services throughout the Fellows' careers.