In 2019, Validity launched the Equal Access Fellowship program, which provides a paid summer fellowship for first-year (1L) law students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Participants spend five weeks working at Validity, where they learn about the practice of law and litigation funding, and then have the option to spend the remaining five weeks either at Validity, or working at the pro bono organization or public service agency of their choice. Validity pays the students’ salaries for the entirety of the program.
Past participants have been students at NYU School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, University of Chicago Law School, Fordham University School of Law, University of Texas School of Law, and Harvard Law. The organizations they have chosen to spend the second half of the summer working for include the Corporate Accountability Lab and the Innocence Project, among others.
While at Validity, fellows learn about the litigation finance sector and its increasing role in leveling the playing field in commercial disputes and ensuring that companies with meritorious claims have equal access to the courts. They assist in analyzing potential case investments, participate in meetings with claimants and lawyers, and conduct legal research on topics related to litigation and dispute funding. Participants are chosen through a highly selective process that includes interviews, a review of academic performance, and the submission of an essay addressing factors that influenced their decision to train as lawyers.
The program is intended to help participating students obtain meaningful experience early in their careers, and begin building the professional networks that will promote their growth. It embodies Validity’s mission-driven approach to leading the litigation funding sector in giving back to the legal community.
Recruiting is currently underway for the Summer 2023 program. For more information and to apply, contact Tess Mills at tess@validityfinance.com.