Legal Fellow

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency•Washington, DC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is seeking several post-graduate Legal Fellows to work full-time in the Protection and Solutions Unit (PSU) at UNHCR’s Multi-Country Office in Washington, D.C. The fellowship is for a duration of one year, starting in September 2027. UNHCR will collaborate with each selected fellow to create a work portfolio offering significant opportunities for professional development while contributing to UNHCR’s strategic objectives. Each fellow is responsible for securing external funding for the entire fellowship period. The PSU team supports asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons in the United States and the northern Caribbean, aiming to align laws and policies with international refugee law and ensure protection for displaced and stateless individuals. The fellowship will focus on the United States and its regional engagement, involving commentary on legislation and regulations, submitting amicus briefs, sharing information on displacement trends, and addressing regional protection issues. Additionally, PSU works on statelessness through trainings and guidance, monitors protection situations at various stages of the asylum process, and provides information on asylum and protection procedures in the U.S. to persons of concern.

Requirements

Must be a 2027 degree candidate or recent graduate from a U.S. law school.
Must have completed coursework in international law; refugee law; and/or human rights.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Detail-oriented, with strong research and legal analysis skills.
Self-directed, with ability to multi-task and prioritize with minimal supervision.
Candidates must demonstrate a guaranteed funding source for the one-year period of the fellowship in their cover letters.
Candidates are responsible for their housing, their legal stay in the United States, health insurance, and any other related documentation that will be required by UNHCR.
A fellowship does not create any expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR at the conclusion of the fellowship.
Persons interested in applying should have work authorization in the United States for the full duration of the fellowship period.

Nice To Haves

Additional coursework in U.S. immigration law preferable.
Preference for experience in U.S. asylum; refugee law; and/or other topics related to refugees, asylum-seekers, and statelessness.
Experience with legal clinics in law school, or other forms of direct service experience with asylum-seekers or statelessness would be particularly helpful.
Fluent Spanish is essential for fellows working on US southern border and protection policy issues in the Americas, and is highly desirable for other areas of work.

Responsibilities

Support PSU’s overall protection and solutions strategy, with a particular focus on the United States and its engagement in the region.
Provide comments on proposed legislation and regulations.
Submit amicus briefs on select international legal issues.
Share information on displacement trends, both globally and regionally.
Focus on regional protection issues in the Americas, following U.S. diplomatic engagement with other asylum countries.
Conduct trainings and presentations on statelessness and nationality.
Provide guidance on the potential stateless status of individuals.
Gather information on the protection situation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons at different stages of the asylum process.
Develop pragmatic policy and practice options for relevant authorities.
Provide information on the laws, policies, and procedures for seeking asylum and related protection in the United States to persons of concern to UNHCR.
Engage in law and policy analysis at the intersection of international and domestic law.
Engage in regional protection policy.
Engage in monitoring of protection conditions.
Provide individual case support.