Legal Fellow

ACLU of DC•Washington, DC

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia (ACLU-DC) is seeking a law student or recent law school graduate to sponsor as an Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, Soros, or other externally-funded (including law school funded) public service fellowship candidate for the fall 2026 application process. The fellowship itself would begin in fall 2027. The ACLU-DC is an affiliate office of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of civil liberties and civil rights through litigation, legislation, organizing, and public education. The ACLU-DC works primarily on issues that directly impact people who live in, work in, and visit the District of Columbia, and also on challenges to certain federal government policies and practices where they fall within the jurisdiction of the D.C. federal courts. The ACLU-DC seeks rising third-year law students, judicial clerks, and law school graduates to sponsor for externally-funded one- or two-year legal fellowships. They will work with a successful applicant to develop a project proposal to submit to funding organizations. The ACLU-DC does not have independent internal funding for this fellowship position; they seek to host an externally-funded fellow only. Applicants will be asked to submit ideas for a project proposal relating to civil liberties and civil rights in Washington, D.C. Proposed projects often combine impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education. Proposals should include a short description of the problem your project seeks to address, concrete strategies and tools to address the problem, goals for what you want to accomplish during the fellowship, and why you are the best candidate for this fellowship project. Past legal fellows have had the opportunity to develop their own cases and serve as lead counsel, testify before the D.C. Council, conduct Know Your Rights trainings, take depositions, argue in court, and speak on behalf of the ACLU-DC to national and local media outlets.

Requirements

By fall 2027, have obtained a J.D. and either be a D.C. Bar member or will seek admission during the fellowship.
Excellent work ethic, including dependability, diligence, the ability to take ownership over projects, and the commitment to see projects through to completion in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Receptive to feedback, enthusiastic about learning and self-improvement, and eager to incorporate feedback into future work.
Excellent legal research skills, including the judgment to discern what cases are relevant to a particular research question, and thoroughness in covering the question asked.
Capacity to engage in thoughtful and perceptive legal analysis, including the ability to build a logical and persuasive argument, to read and understand legal decisions and statutes, and to grasp whether and how legal authorities apply to a new set of facts.
Excellent legal writing skills, including the ability to present ideas in a clear and organized manner and to write a memo that teaches the reader what you have learned through research.
Empathy and interpersonal skills necessary to connect with, listen to, learn from, advise, and work collaboratively with clients and other community members.
Experience includes at least one clinical semester, one externship semester, or one summer internship working in a U.S. litigation setting involving legal research and writing.
Meet the eligibility criteria for one or more externally-funded fellowships that would fund a fellowship at the ACLU-DC.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Likelihood of obtaining funding will be a consideration (so, for instance, having access to additional school-based funding opportunities would be advantageous).

Responsibilities

Develop a project proposal to submit to funding organizations.
Combine impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education in project proposals.
Develop their own cases and serve as lead counsel.
Testify before the D.C. Council.
Conduct Know Your Rights trainings.
Take depositions.
Argue in court.
Speak on behalf of the ACLU-DC to national and local media outlets.