2027 Nan Heald Black Fly Fellowship

Nan Heald Black Fly Fellowship at Pine Tree Legal Assistance

The Nan Heald Black Fly Fellowship is an initiative to increase access to free civil legal aid in Western Maine. The Fellowship was created in memory of Pine Tree’s former executive director, Nan Heald, who led Pine Tree from 1990 until 2022. The project’s name is a nod to a 1970s newspaper editorial that described Pine Tree as a “defender of low-income people which has burgeoned in Maine and become almost as omnipresent as black flies in June.”

Nan grew up in Oquossoc in the western mountains of Maine. In 1990, at the age of 34, Nan became the executive director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance and served in that position for more than 31 years. Through the creative use of funding opportunities and other leveraged support, Nan’s leadership enabled Pine Tree to fortify and expand legal services to diverse client populations and to make justice more accessible for all people in Maine.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is a statewide, non-profit organization committed to providing high quality, free, civil legal assistance to people in Maine. The Nan Heald Black Fly Fellowship is a 10-week, $7,000 paid fellowship for a law student who has completed two years of law school to work at Pine Tree Legal Assistance serving Franklin County. The fellow will be based in the Lewiston office and will work on a combination of direct legal services and community outreach, including building relationships with community partners.

The fellow’s legal work will primarily focus on housing and public benefits and will also include family law and victims’ rights. The fellow will work under the supervision of experienced attorneys to assist with client intake, client communication, legal research, memo and brief drafting, litigation preparation, and other case work.  Students will have the opportunity to observe staff in court proceedings and may be able to appear in court on behalf of clients. The fellowship will be in person with the possibility of some remote work. 

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is committed to creating an inclusive environment for staff and volunteers. We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds, including women, Black, indigenous, and people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, immigrants, and people who have experienced poverty or homelessness.

To Apply:

Applicants for the Nan Heald Black Fly Fellowship should submit a cover letter stating 1) why they are interested in providing legal services and outreach in rural western Maine, and 2) their qualifications for the fellowship, along with a resume and writing sample (maximum 10 pages), addressed to Shannon Karam, Esq. (she/her), Director of Pro Bono Services. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis through January 19, 2027, or until the position is filled.