Squire Patton Boggs Foundation

    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.

    Our History

    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.

    Our Fellowship Program

    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.

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    Our Current Fellowships

    The Foundation offers three types of fellowships: Public Policy Fellowships, Sustained Impact Fellowships for first- and second-year students, and Justice Jump Start Fellowships for graduating students.

    Read more about our fellowships

    The 2024 Class of Fellows

    Every year, we publish information about the fellows, the public service organizations they serve, as well as the mentors and supporters that make these fellowships possible.

    Learn about the 2024 fellows

    News

    A Tribute In Memory of Our Esteemed Board Colleague
    We 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.
    Technology Helps Bridge Access to Justice Gap for Low-Income Litigants
    2024 Pulitzer SPB Foundation Fellow Edwin Afriyie writes on the role of technology and access to justice.
    Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Grants Three Fellows Inaugural Justice Jump Start Fellowships
    The 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.
    Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Welcomes 28 Fellows into 2024 Fellowship Class
    The Squire Patton Boggs Foundation is proud to announce its 2024 Fellows, welcoming 28 students from 19 US law schools into the program.
    2022 Fellow Examines Eligibility for Veterans Treatment Courts

    2022 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.
    Updated SPB Foundation Advisory Committee Structure

    The 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.
    Our Foundation Honors Two Fellowship Alumnae with 2023 Distinguished Fellow Award
    The 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.
    Seeking Accountability for Violent Extremism
    Congratulations 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.
    UC Law Student Awarded Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellowship
    Madeline 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.
    U.S. Lags Other Nations in Regulating AI
    We are pleased to share an article by 2023 Fellow Jane Wiertel on the regulation of artificial intelligence published in Gateway Journalism Review.
    ASU Law Student Makes Community Impact through Fellowship Program
    Julian 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.