2024 Justice Fellowship Position Opening
Center for Protest Law and Litigation
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund
Washington, D.C.
Full-time one year fellowship, with possibility of renewal based on docket development.
Position located in either the Washington, D.C. office or the Oakland, CA office. Both offices currently operate on a hybrid work schedule.
The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund seeks a skilled, enthusiastic, and motivated recent law graduate, judicial clerk or lawyer with under 4 years experience to join our legal team and support our civil rights litigation protecting and advancing constitutional rights and racial, social and environmental justice in the United States. The work will involve the range of PCJF’s civil rights matters, with a special focus on the work of the Center for Protest Law & Litigation regarding legal matters at the intersection of First and Fourth Amendment rights in the context of free speech, assembly, and protest.
The Justice Fellow position within a cutting edge and nimble litigation organization offers an opportunity to gain practical experience, grow, learn, and contribute within a collaborative team that has substantial expertise in constitutional rights litigation and in the defense of First Amendment activity.
About the Organization
As leaders in bringing high impact civil rights and constitutional rights litigation for nearly 30 years, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund has brought groundbreaking cases, changed laws and policies, and won millions in damages for persons whose rights have been violated. Our litigation work is integrated with outreach, education and advocacy in partnership with affected groups, communities, activists and organizations in racial, social and environmental justice movements. Our work is focused ultimately on creating meaningful social, political and legal changes and dismantling systems of repression.
The Center for Protest Law & Litigation, a project of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, protects and advances the rights of protestors to organize, assemble, and demand justice around the country. We defend free speech rights through affirmative civil litigation, including against the mechanisms of police violence, as well as criminal defense of protestors.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
Support the legal team in advancing impact litigation including in discovery, depositions, motions practice and legal research.
Work under the direction of PCJF/CPLL attorneys to prepare requests for documents including discovery and FOIA production; review and provide annotation, analysis and summaries of documents and videos.
Participate in team meetings where the goal is to develop, evaluate and investigate potential claims, new projects and litigation strategies to forward our efforts to defend and advance civil rights and social justice nationally.
May attend as appropriate depositions and court hearings as well as meetings with clients, allied political activists, grassroots organizations, or partner coalitions as part of the learning experience.
Assist in other related duties as assigned.
Required Professional Experience and Qualifications:
Strong academic credentials and excellent writing and oral communication skills as well as meticulous attention to detail.
Ability to respond to direction, to work efficiently and manage time.
Ability to complete legal research that is timely, specific, comprehensive, and accurate.
Enthusiasm for and familiarity with the work of the organization and a demonstrated dedication to civil rights work, social and environmental justice issues.
Excellent judgment and the highest level of professional integrity including in maintaining confidentiality.
Well-developed interpersonal skills both individually and in teams.
A strong work ethic and fighting spirit is essential as well as the capacity to work well under pressure, to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, and to meet deadline requirements and rapid response needs, including working occasional weekends and evenings when necessary.Fellows must be: Admitted to the bar of a state, territory, or district of the United States or awaiting admission after passing a bar exam.
Preferred: Experience working with frontline communities and/or grassroots social justice movements. On-the-ground experience at demonstration activities.
Fellows must be:
· Admitted to the bar of a state, territory, or district of the United States, awaiting admission after passing a bar exam or awaiting the results of their bar exam.
SALARY: The salary range is $60,000 to $70,000 and will depend on the applicant’s years out of law school, relevant experience, and qualifications. Benefits include fully paid outstanding health and dental insurance, three weeks paid vacation plus personal and sick leave, and all 11 paid federal holidays.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Application review and interviews will be on a rolling basis with priority consideration being given to early submissions.
Start date: September 2024 for graduating students; earlier state date for practicing lawyers depending on availability.
SUBMISSIONS: Please send a cover letter detailing your interest in the position and the organization and bar status, your resume, an unofficial law school transcript, and a writing sample of original work (5 pages maximum, excerpts are acceptable) to recruitment@justiceonline.org putting “Fellowship Application, [your full name]” in the subject line of the email. Only complete applications will be reviewed.
NOTE: We are only accepting applications electronically submitted. Please do not make any inquiries about the position or the status of your application as we cannot respond individually to each application. We will contact those applicants who best meet our criteria directly.
Vaccine Policy: Please note that the PCJF has made the safety of our clients, staff, and surrounding community a priority and requires all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. You will be required to submit proof of vaccination prior to commencing employment. Requests for exemptions from the vaccination requirement will be considered on an individual basis, to the extent required by law.
The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, age, formerly incarcerated person status, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.