Back to Justice: Educating, Mentoring, and Mobilizing the Next Generation
As the academic year resumes, September calls our attention to the power of education to shape not only individual lives but the future of justice itself. Across Philadelphia, students are returning to classrooms, law schools are welcoming new and returning students, and professionals are renewing their commitments to public service. This is a season of learning, reflection, and recommitment.
Education is one of the most effective tools for strengthening civic institutions and advancing equal access to justice. It fosters critical thinking, builds capacity, and develops future leaders. At the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, we believe education must be met with opportunity—particularly for those entering legal and nonprofit fields. The path to equity in the justice system begins with access to meaningful mentorship, practical experience, and financial support for public interest work.
In that spirit, the Bar Foundation is proud to support a portfolio of fellowships and internships that make public service careers more viable and impactful. The Judge William M. Marutani Fellowship provides funding for summer internships with public interest organizations or government entities in Pennsylvania or the Greater Philadelphia area, expanding opportunities for students committed to equity and public service. The Honorable Albert W. Sheppard Scholarship Fund supports a year-long clerkship with the Commerce Case Management Program, offering practical experience in commercial litigation and judicial mentorship. The ACCGP Diversity Corporate Summer Internship Program places rising 2Ls and 3Ls in corporate legal departments, combining in-house experience with pro bono service and professional development. Together, these programs strengthen the public interest pipeline and foster a more inclusive, justice-minded legal community.
This fall, we are also pleased to reopen Expressions of Interest for the Board Observer Program, one of our most impactful leadership development initiatives. Through this year-long program, early-career professionals are placed as non-voting observers on the boards of participating nonprofit organizations. The experience offers mentorship, insight into nonprofit governance, and access to a robust network of civic and legal leaders. The Expression of Interest form is now open for nonprofit organizations interested in hosting a Board Observer in the 2026 program year, with submissions due by September 5, 2025. We encourage eligible nonprofits to participate and help cultivate the next generation of legal and nonprofit leadership.
As we embrace the back-to-school energy of the season, we are reminded that the responsibility of legal professionals extends beyond the courtroom. It includes fostering legal literacy, engaging in mentorship, and investing in the future of justice. Civic education, community empowerment, and accessible legal knowledge are essential components of a just society.
The path toward a more inclusive legal system starts with education and extends through action. This September, I invite our community to join us in that work. Support a fellow. Sponsor a mentorship. Promote the Board Observer Program. Host a legal literacy event. Make a contribution that sustains these critical efforts.
Education is where justice begins. When we invest in the development of future advocates, we lay the groundwork for a system rooted in fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.
PS- For those who worry about what will happen when the things that they fear the most happen, I suggest Molly Jong-Fast’s memoir, How to Lose Your Mother. Jong-Fast tells what it was like to grow up with a famous parent whom she had to parent. She details how she navigated getting her mother and stepfather into memory care while dealing with her husband’s cancer diagnosis, amidst the everyday requirements of motherhood and career. This intense book is well written and a compelling read.