Three members of the Boston College Law School community have been selected for the Massachusetts Bar Foundation’s 2026 Legal Intern Fellowship Program, joining a cohort of 15 students drawn from nine law schools across the state. Each fellow receives an $8,000 stipend to support a summer placement at a nonprofit legal aid organization.
Established in 1996, the Legal Intern Fellowship Program was created to inspire the next generation of public-interest attorneys while giving legal aid organizations vital additional capacity during the summer months. This year’s fellows were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants and will serve 12 different nonprofits, gaining hands-on experience while expanding access to justice for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents.
Representing BC Law are Denise Baguma Ingabire, LLM Class of 2026, who will serve with MetroWest Legal Services; Bridget Silveira, a current JD/MSW dual degree student placed with the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee; and Portia Caruso, a current JD student joining Greater Boston Legal Services. Each will spend the summer working directly with clients who too often face the legal system without representation.
“These fellowships represent exactly what we hope our students will carry into their careers,” said Michelle Grossfield, BC Law’s director of Public Interest and Pro Bono Programs. “Denise, Bridget, and Portia each chose to spend their summer advancing access to justice for those who are too often underrepresented in the legal system. This is an example of BC’s mission of being men and women for others made real, and we could not be prouder of how they embody it.”
The 2026 program is made possible by the generous support of the Clark R. Smith Family Foundation, MBF Fellows, and contributions from Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts. Applications were reviewed by the 2026 LIFP Review Committee, chaired by Paul J. Klehm, and including Hon. Mark D. Mason, Akosua A. Agyepong, and Kimberly E. Winter.