Equal Justice Works Fellowship Opportunity

Opportunity 

The Legal Aid Association of California is seeking to host recent graduates for Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellowships beginning in September 2026. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals interested in civil legal aid and access to justice. Candidates should submit a brief outline of the project they are proposing when they apply for this opportunity. 

 

Organization Description

LAAC is the statewide membership organization for legal aid nonprofits that provide free legal services to low-income people, seniors, and people with disabilities. LAAC serves its members by (i) engaging in strategic legislative and administrative advocacy; (ii) providing training in core substantive areas; and (iii) facilitating productive, interorganizational collaboration. As low-income people struggle with life issues, LAAC supports the legal safety net by working to secure funding, encouraging collaboration between organizations, and facilitating communication.

 

One-Sentence Project Summary 

This project will advance access to legal help in California’s civil legal system by (a) conducting statewide research on legal aid access and outcomes and (b) driving legislative and administrative policy reforms that strengthen legal aid funding and infrastructure.

 

Prospective Types of Projects:

• Conduct research and develop reports around trends and best practices in the civil legal aid sector in California, including through surveys, interviews, and roundtable discussions
• Conduct research specifically designed for legislation and policy change, including tracking bills relevant to legal aid organizations, meeting with legislators and their staff to educate them about policy issues, and working to advance legal aid’s interests at the state level 
• Draft policy memos, fact sheets, and legislative proposals for use by LAAC and coalition partners.

 

What Would a Fellow Bring to LAAC

A Fellow focused on research and policy will allow LAAC to deepen its role as a thought leader and infrastructure advocate for legal aid across the state. The Fellow’s work builds on LAAC’s unique position at the intersection of legal services and state policy. 

• The proposed supervisor, LAAC’s Director of Advocacy, has extensive experience in legislative advocacy, policy research, and supervising attorneys and other advocates. 
• The Fellow will meet weekly with their supervisor and receive support from LAAC’s Advocacy Team. The role can be structured as remote, and LAAC provides all necessary tools for remote collaboration.

 

Qualifications 

• JD anticipated by May 2026, recent law graduate, or experienced attorney seeking to make a career change to public interest work 
• Previous experience working with low-income and underserved communities preferred
• Very strong project management skills, as demonstrated in past employment or volunteer work 
• Ability to write and edit well and produce quality publications
• Expertise in Word, Excel, Google applications (ideally including Google Analytics), and online databases
• Must have familiarity with research and evaluation
• Must be a California resident for the fellowship period
• Must have graduated (by September 2026)  from an Equal Justice Works member law school, listed here: https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/law-students/all-law-schools/. 

 

We offer:

• Salary range of $75,000 – 80,000
• 32-hour full-time work week (four or five week days, depending on employee’s preference), allowing time for community and family activities
• Opportunity to learn the nonprofit legal services landscape in California
• Training and professional development support
• Supportive team-based environment that allows you to take an early lead on projects
• An employer-match retirement plan
• Other benefits include health, vision, dental, long-term disability, life, paid sick, vacation, and holiday leave
• A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices

 

How to Apply:

This is an opportunity to work with LAAC to create a project that you would lead. You must have an idea of a project that you are interested in leading, though we’ve given examples of our highest needs above. For more information about EJW projects, see here: https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/opportunities/design-your-own-fellowship/

 

Please apply by August 29, 2025.

 

Applications are due to Equal Justice Works on September 18, so we hope to schedule zoom meetings with potential candidates between September 2 through 9 to give us time to create an application together. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until we find a match. 

Please send your resume, along with a brief cover letter describing your interest in the work and an outline for a project you would like to lead to careers@laaconline.org. Please also submit a short writing sample (5-10 pages), which could be a paper from law school or a law review article excerpt if you were the sole author.