Legal Fellowship

American Civil Liberties Union•Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, PA

1d•$68,055 - $68,055•Hybrid

About The Position

The ACLU-PA invites third-year law students and recent law school graduates who are eligible to apply for a two-year fellowship at the ACLU-PA. This position would be for 12-24 months, depending on the length of fellowship program sponsorship, and will start in fall 2027. The Legal Fellow position will be a project-based fellowship, and the selected applicant will work with ACLU-PA to seek funding from public interest fellowship organizations such as Equal Justice Works, the Independence Foundation, and/or Skadden. Applicants should specify in their application materials which of the following areas they are interested in: criminal legal reform, immigrants’ rights, free-speech rights, and/or voting rights. This position will provide recent law school graduates with an exciting opportunity to develop their litigation skills while doing meaningful work to protect civil rights and civil liberties. Working with experienced attorneys, the fellow will engage in research, policy advocacy, and litigation on civil rights and civil liberties issues.

Requirements

A Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association-accredited law school.
Exceptional writing, research, and analytical skills, which can be demonstrated through clerkship, fellowship, clinical work, summer internship, or other experience.
A strong understanding of civil liberties and civil rights.
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to connect with both legal and non-legal audiences.
Ability to work cooperatively on a variety of projects with lawyers, other ACLU-PA staff, and community partners.
Compliance with any requirements imposed by the external program funding the fellowship.
Membership in the Pennsylvania Bar. If you are not currently a member, you must either be eligible to be admitted on a temporary or permanent basis to the Pennsylvania Bar or sit for the Pennsylvania Bar examination by summer 2026.

Nice To Haves

A demonstrated commitment to public interest law and civil liberties.
A commitment and ability to work with and support a wide range of communities and a diverse workplace.
A willingness to collaborate extensively with the ACLU-PA in our advocacy work.

Responsibilities

Participate in and support major civil rights and civil liberties litigation.
Investigate potential civil rights and civil liberties issues and help to identify an appropriate response.
Engage in fact-gathering and other pre-litigation work, such as submitting public-records requests and attending court hearings or public meetings of agencies.
Conduct legal research and analysis, draft pleadings and briefs, prepare memoranda, and write demand letters.
Communicate with clients, potential clients and our organizational partners.
Draft and edit public education and non-litigation advocacy materials.
Assist with the ACLU-PA’s non-litigation efforts, such as recruiting private counsel to assist impacted individuals, responding to public questions, and working with coalition partners.
Complete all requirements to maintain funding through a sponsoring organization.
Help manage the summer legal internship program and supervise student interns.