Lawyers and firms employing a Fellow receive these benefits:
- Attorneys admitted to practice will receive MCLE credit in connection with the program.
- Assistance in identifying and hiring summer clerks and associates.
- Access to high-quality training and support to help integrate a Fellow into your business.
- Subsidize the salary you can pay so you can attract high-quality employees. Stipends will be paid directly to the Fellows who are selected for the Rural Practice Fellowship Program.
- Stipend of $5,000 paid to summer clerks;
- Stipend of $10,000 paid to associates ($5,000 at the beginning of the Program and $5,000 to be paid to the associate after successful completion of the first year of the Program).
Requirements and Terms
To be eligible to employ a Fellow through the Rural Practice Fellowship Program, the following requirements must be met:
- Supervising Attorney(s) must:
- Be registered as active and in good standing on the Illinois ARDC Master Roll of Attorneys and not the subject of an open ethics inquiry or disciplinary action in any state or jurisdiction;
- Not have ever been suspended or disbarred from the practice of law in any state or jurisdiction;
- Have been admitted to practice for five years or more unless an exception is granted by the Rural Practice Fellowship Committee;
- Be located in the same physical office as the Fellow unless an exception is granted by the Rural Practice Fellowship Committee; and
- Participate in all required Rural Practice Fellowship Program training and events.
- Supervising Attorney(s) and all other firm members must:
- Be active ISBA members or become members of the ISBA to participate in the Rural Practice Fellowship Program; and
- Provide an Associate Fellow with the opportunity to perform pro bono work as defined in Rural 756(f) and as required in paragraph 2G of the ISBA Rural Practice Fellowship Program Fellowship and Stipend Agreement.
- The Firm must:
- Have valid malpractice insurance coverage that includes the Fellow and maintain that coverage for the duration of the Rural Practice Fellowship Program;
- For Summer Law Clerks, provide fulltime work for a minimum of 8 weeks;
- For Associate Fellows, provide fulltime work for a minimum of 1 year;
- For Associate Fellows, offer fulltime employment to the Associate Fellow pending bar exam results, if applicable; and
- Provide compensation to the Fellow in addition to the stipend paid to the Fellow through the Rural Practice Fellowship Program.
By applying for this program, you also agree to the following terms:
- All potential Fellows must apply to the Rural Practice Fellowship Program and must be screened by the Rural Practice Fellowship Program Committee. All potential Fellows must be selected by the Firm applicant from the screened Fellow application pool.
- The firm is not guaranteed the placement of a summer clerk or permanent associate.
- The firm is expected to use good faith efforts to make at least one offer to a summer clerk or a permanent associate by October 30, 2026.
- Fellows will not be employees of the ISBA, and I will follow all payroll laws, and other laws, including the minimum wage of Illinois.
All Program requirements and terms are contained in a Fellowship and Stipend Agreement which must be signed by each selected Fellow prior to beginning the Program.
See Sample Fellowship and Stipend Agreements for Program Requirements and Terms
About the application and selection process
We recommend composing your answers to the longer questions in a separate document for backup in case there is a problem submitting the form.
You can save a draft of your application by pressing the Save Draft button at the bottom of the form, if you will be away from the form. Please use the submit button when you are completely finished.
Please note that, except as otherwise noted, the information provided in this application will be provided to prospective fellows matches through this program.
The ISBA is dedicated to the aims of diversity and strongly encourages applications from persons of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other members of historically disadvantaged groups.
Deadline for applications is September 18, 2026
To qualify for inclusion in the Rural Practice Fellowship Program a firm must hire a fellow to work at an office in a rural county of Illinois or qualify for an exception. For purposes of this program “rural county” includes all Illinois counties except: Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, Peoria, St. Clair, Sangamon, Will, and Winnebago.
Only private rural law firms are eligible to apply to the Rural Practice Fellowship Program. The application should be completed by the attorney in the rural firm who would be the primary supervisor of a Fellow (law clerk or associate attorney), if the firm is selected for the program.
Applicants who, at the time of application, have commenced employment as an associate with a rural firm and who seek to retain that associate position with the same rural firm are not eligible to apply.
Applicants who previously clerked or are currently clerking with a participating rural firm and who are seeking an associate position with that same rural firm through the Rural Practice Fellowship Program remain eligible to apply to be considered, provided that the prior or current clerkship resulted from a placement through the Rural Practice Fellowship Program.
After the application deadline passes, Fellow applications will be matched with rural firm applications by geographical location. Potential matches (contact information and materials) will be sent to Fellow and Firm applicants between October 2-6, 2026.
All applicants are required to attend the Applicant Speed Networking Sessions for all regions in which the firm practices on Thursday, October 8, 2026 via Zoom. The sessions are scheduled as follows: (1) Northern Region – 10:00-11:00 a.m.; (2) Central Region – 1:00-2:00 p.m.; and (3) Southern Region – 3:00-4:00 p.m. You will be able to meet each potentially matched Fellow during this time. More information and the Zoom links for each session will be sent to you with your potential matches between October 2-6, 2026.
The Fellowship interview period then runs October 6, 2026 through October 30, 2026. During this period, potentially matched Fellows and Firms should communicate, schedule, and hold formal job interviews. Employment offers should be made, accepted, and reported to the ISBA by 4:30 p.m. on October 30, 2026.
All accepted job offers will then be reviewed by the Rural Practice Fellowship Committee, and Fellows will be selected and announced the week of November 16, 2026.
Fellowships are awarded through a competitive selection process. Satisfaction of minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee selection or receipt of a stipend.
In determining Fellowship awards, the committee may consider a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Promotion of geographic diversity and support of placements across as many counties as possible.
- Enhancement of diversity within rural communities.
- The quality and scope of the work experience offered by the participating firm.
- The overall strength of the application.
- The applicant’s demonstrated commitment to practicing in a rural area.
- Any prior professional relationship between the applicant and the firm.
- Any familial relationship between the applicant and the firm.
- The applicant’s place of residence.
- The relative rurality of the community in which the firm is located.
All applications are evaluated in comparison with other applicants within the same application cycle in which the applicant applies.
The 2027 Summer Clerk Fellowship Program begins in late May/early June 2027 and ends in late July/early August 2027.
The 2027-28 Associate Fellowship Program begins August 1, 2027, and ends August 1, 2028.