Law School Graduate Fellows and Volunteers
*NOTE: NCLEJ will only accept applications from individuals able to commit to working at least 150 hours over the course of the commitment. *
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice is a national leader in using class action litigation to protect the legal rights of low-income families and individuals to public benefits and to hold governmental agencies accountable for their administration of these vital programs. We litigate in federal and state courts across the country and partner with other public interest groups and the private bar. Recent litigation has involved state or local agencies in upstate and downstate New York, Colorado, California, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as FEMA (for failing to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina). We also use our expertise to identify and promote the adoption and proper implementation of creative and effective policies to improve public benefit delivery to low-income families and individuals.
NCLEJ offers recent graduates the opportunity to participate in various aspects of complex federal and state court litigation, ranging from case planning, to pleading and motion drafting, to discovery, to (upon occasion) trial. While each case is different, recent graduate fellows, volunteers, and law firm deferred associates have been active participants in major class actions, including conducting depositions, the production of discovery questions, the briefing of substantive motions, and interactions with clients. While we can never be sure in advance just what stages matters will be proceeding at, there will be a number of cases in varying stages of preparation or litigation in which the fellow will be involved.
Supervision of NCLEJ litigation is provided by counsel with decades of experience in complex litigation in the public interest, public, and private sectors. For more information, contact Director of Litigation and Advocacy Claudia Wilner at wilner@nclej.org or at 212-633-6967. See a recent Skadden Fellow at NCLEJ describe her experience here. Read a description of a recent Equal Justice Works Fellowship at NCLEJ here. Read a testimonial letter from an NCLEJ Deferred Associate here.
NCLEJ welcomes applications from law graduates who have post graduate public interest fellowships from their schools or who wish to volunteer. NCLEJ does not have funding for these positions at this time.
Applicants should provide a cover letter describing their interests, a resume, references, a writing sample, and whether they have any source of funding. If the applicant is interested in working on specific issues, we would be happy to discuss such projects. Applications should be sent to postgradfellows@nclej.org and will be considered on a rolling basis.
