Seating Scholarship & Internship Stipend Program
Opening Doors to the Legal Profession
Become a memberBreaking into the legal profession is harder than most people realize.
For many law students—especially first-generation professionals and students without access to traditional legal networks—the most important opportunities are often the hardest to access. Internships are the gateway.
Legal internships, particularly in-house positions within corporations, provide students with critical exposure to how law operates inside businesses. These experiences often serve as the first step toward careers in technology, media, entertainment, finance, and other rapidly growing industries. But too often, these opportunities are unpaid, underpaid, or located in high-cost cities, making them financially out of reach for many talented students.
Seating was created to change that.
Overview
Become a memberOur mission is to open the door to opportunity by funding access to transformative career experiences.
Through the Seating Scholarship & Internship Stipend Program, we invest directly in law students who have demonstrated ambition, leadership, and a commitment to building meaningful careers in law and business.
Each Seating Fellow receives
- $10,000 Internship Stipend from Seating to support living expenses while completing a career-building internship
- $10,000 Academic Scholarship awarded through a partnering organization to support the student’s following academic year
Together, this $20,000 investment ensures that students can accept opportunities based on potential and ambition—not financial limitations.
Why This Matters
Access to early career opportunities dramatically shapes the trajectory of a law student’s career.
Research consistently shows that:
- Legal internships significantly increase the likelihood of securing post-graduate employment
- Students who complete practical legal internships during law school transition into full-time legal roles more quickly
- Early exposure to in-house legal environments increases the likelihood that students will pursue careers in corporate and business law
Despite this, many promising students must decline opportunities due to housing costs, relocation expenses, or unpaid internships.
The result is a profession where access to opportunity often depends on financial flexibility rather than talent.
Seating is working to change that dynamic by ensuring that the next generation of legal leaders can pursue opportunities based on merit and ambition.
Eligibility Overview
Become a memberThe Seating Scholarship & Internship Stipend Program is designed for law students who demonstrate strong potential, intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to building impactful careers.
Requirements:
- Be a current law student enrolled in an accredited law school
- Demonstrate interest in corporate, in-house, technology, media, entertainment, or business-focused legal careers
- Have secured or be actively pursuing a qualifying legal internship
Seating believes that potential cannot always be measured by grades alone. There are no GPA requirements for this program. Instead, applicants are evaluated based on ambition, vision, leadership potential, and commitment to professional growth.
Applicants must submit:
- Resume
- Letter of Intention describing career goals and how the internship will support their path
- Letter of Recommendation
Priority consideration may be given to first-generation professionals and students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the legal profession.
The Future of Seating
The Seating Scholarship & Internship Stipend Program is just the beginning. Our long-term vision is to build Seating into a national platform that expands access to the legal profession by funding internships, supporting professional development, and creating pathways into industries where legal talent is needed most.
We envision a future where Seating:
- Funds dozens of internship stipends annually
- Partners with corporations, law firms, and foundations to expand opportunity
- Provides mentorship, career development programming, and professional community for Seating Fellows
- Ultimately builds an endowed fund that supports law students nationwide
Building the Future Pipeline of In-House Legal Talent
Seating partners with corporations, law firms, and foundations committed to expanding access to the legal profession.
Partner with us