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Inclusive Leaders Fellowship

The Ashurst Perkins Coie Inclusive Leaders Fellowship is both an honor and a commitment - a mutual investment between the firm and a select group of future leaders dedicated to shaping an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.

This highly selective program is open to first-year law students who are interested in serving as Inclusive Leaders Fellows for both the Summer of 2026 and the Summer of 2027. This two-summer opportunity identifies and develops individuals who exemplify inclusive leadership skills by demonstrating courage, curiosity, cultural intelligence, collaboration, and a deep commitment to valuing all voices.

Open to all students, the Fellowship reflects our belief that excellence depends on inclusion and our ability to leverage different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Fellows are chosen for how they lead by modeling and strengthening cultures of inclusion and collaboration.

Program overview

  • Fellows will participate in dedicated programming designed to deepen the skills and perspectives needed to lead inclusively within the firm and the profession; the Fellowship culminates with a Capstone project.
  • Fellows spend two summers at Ashurst Perkins Coie- 10 weeks after their 1L year and another 10 weeks after their 2L year - gaining hands-on experience and a deep connection to the firm.
  • Upon satisfactory completion of each 10-week summer program, Fellows will receive a $20,000 stipend, in addition to their summer associate salary.
  • Fellows who are granted and accept an offer to join Ashurst Perkins Coie as an associate after law school graduation will receive an additional $10,000 stipend upon their return to the firm as an associate.

The Inclusive Leaders Fellowship reflects our long-term investment in cultivating a strong and connected firm culture. Fellows are invited to make a reciprocal investment - bringing the same spirit of inclusion, collaboration, and leadership they’ve demonstrated in their academic, campus, and community endeavors to their work at the firm. Together, this small, distinguished cohort helps influence the next generation of firm leadership and ensures that Ashurst Perkins Coie remains a place where people thrive because of their different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

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Summer "Trackers"

"Trackers" are lawyers who coordinate work assignments and monitor the type, quality, and amount of work assigned to each summer associate. Summer associates are also encouraged to seek out assignments directly from senior associates and partners.

Supervising lawyers provide informal feedback to summer associates after each assignment and submit written formal evaluations to the office hiring committee. These evaluations become part of each summer associate's midsummer and final evaluations.

The application process

All first-year students in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school are encouraged to apply for the Inclusive Leaders Fellowship. Ashurst Perkins Coie is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, or any other identity.

In addition to the materials provided as part of your employment application for our Summer Associate program, a complete application for the Inclusive Leaders Fellowship Program must include a one-page personal statement (see guidance below).

Your personal statement is an opportunity to articulate how you think, lead, and contribute to the communities around you. We evaluate applications holistically, with particular attention to how candidates reflect the mindsets and behaviors of inclusive leadership. Please read more about inclusive leadership.

We encourage you to share experiences that demonstrate the following qualities:

  • Commitment: Examples of your commitment to inclusion, diversity, and opportunity for all; ways these objectives align with your personal values.
  • Courage: How you’ve spoken up, challenged bias, or taken action to advance inclusion  even when it required risk or discomfort.
  • Cognizance of Bias: Ways you are mindful of personal and organizational blind spots; ways you self-regulate to support fairness.
  • Curiosity: Examples of times when you sought out new perspectives, learned from differences, or showed openness to experiences that expanded your understanding.
  • Cultural Intelligence: How you’ve built relationships or worked effectively across lines of differences whether cultural, experiential, or ideological.
  • Collaboration: How you empower individuals and leverage the thinking of those from a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.

You do not need to address every quality explicitly, but your statement should illustrate how you approach leadership in inclusive, thoughtful, and collaborative ways and how you hope to continue developing these skills as part of the Ashurst Perkins Coie community.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis beginning December 1, 2025. Early applications are encouraged. All materials must be uploaded in PDF format. If first-semester grades are not yet available, please submit all other materials and provide your transcript once grades are released. Candidates can expect updates on their status by late January 2026.

What we can offer you

  • Career development and training

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  • Global focus

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  • Pro Bono

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  • Globally recognized expertise and culture

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Benefits and wellbeing

We strive to create a workplace in which our people receive the resources they need to excel in their work and their everyday lives. That's why we offer a competitive remuneration and benefits package, including health and well-being, family, financial, and lifestyle benefits.

We are a global firm, and as such our benefits may differ according to office location. We effectively support the needs our people while taking into account their location. For specific details of benefits, please visit our Applicant Resource Hub.

Anchorage
Allie Erstad she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, AErstad@perkinscoie.com

Austin
Deidre Sparks she/her/hers
Senior Legal Recruiting Manager, DSparks@perkinscoie.com

Bellevue
Allie Erstad she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, AErstad@perkinscoie.com

Boise
Allie Erstad she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, AErstad@perkinscoie.com

Chicago
Sarah Hayden she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, SHayden@perkinscoie.com

Dallas
Deidre Sparks she/her/hers
Senior Legal Recruiting Manager, DSparks@perkinscoie.com

Denver
Michelle Morris she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, MichelleMorris@perkinscoie.com

Los Angeles
Michelle Morris she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, MichelleMorris@perkinscoie.com

Madison
Sarah Hayden she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, SHayden@perkinscoie.com

New York
Sarah Hayden she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, SHayden@perkinscoie.com

Palo Alto
Deidre Sparks she/her/hers
Senior Legal Recruiting Manager, DSparks@perkinscoie.com

Phoenix
Michelle Morris she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, MichelleMorris@perkinscoie.com

Portland
Allie Erstad she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, AErstad@perkinscoie.com

San Diego
Michelle Morris she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, MichelleMorris@perkinscoie.com

San Francisco
Deidre Sparks she/her/hers
Senior Legal Recruiting Manager, DSparks@perkinscoie.com

Seattle
Allie Erstad she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, AErstad@perkinscoie.com

Washington, D.C.
Sarah Hayden she/her/hers
Legal Recruiting Manager, SHayden@perkinscoie.com

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Applicant Resource Hub

For answers to all of your FAQs and information on application and interview tips, the benefits we provide, life at Ashurst Perkins Coie, our L&D programs and our commitments to diversity, inclusion, and opportunity for all.

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Diversity, Inclusion & Opportunity

We have deep and enduring commitments to diversity, inclusion, and opportunity for all.

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Agencies

Agency submissions and candidate introductions will only be accepted with prior approval from a member of the Ashurst Perkins Coie Talent Acquisition team. To submit or introduce a candidate, an agency must have valid agreed terms of business in place with Ashurst Perkins Coie. Any agency submissions or candidate introductions made without prior approval or without the agreed terms of business in place will be considered invalid.