Legal Fellow

JOB TITLE: Legal Fellow
JOB TYPE: Full-Time; one- or two-year fellowship (fall 2024)
JOB LOCATION: U.S. remote/NYC office
COMPENSATION: Externally-sponsored fellowship. Salary is $76,320. Pregnancy Justice will supplement funding to meet our internal pay scale.

Pregnancy Justice is a New York City-based 501c3 non-profit advocacy organization that protects the rights and human dignity of pregnant and parenting people; specifically, those who are most likely to be targeted for state control and punishment, including low-income women, women of color, and drug-using women. Pregnancy Justice works to ensure that people do not lose their constitutional and human rights as a result of pregnancy; that addiction and other health challenges they face during pregnancy are addressed as health issues, not as crimes; that families are not needlessly separated based on medical misinformation; and that pregnant and parenting people have access to a full range of reproductive health services, as well as non-punitive drug treatment services.

Our work encompasses litigation, litigation support, and legal advocacy; local and national organizing; and public policy development, public education, and research. Two principles guide all Pregnancy Justice activities: (1) to build bridges and align agendas across diverse public health, social justice, and civil rights movements, and (2) to leverage and connect local organizing and activism with national advocacy and policy work.

Position Description:
Pregnancy Justice seeks applicants for the position of Law Fellow to begin in the Fall of 2024. If selected, the candidate will work with Pregnancy Justice to apply for funding through an external fellowship funder (such as Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, a law school fellowship, or other public interest law fellowship). Candidates should identify potential sources of funding before applying but do not need to have secured such funding at the time of application submission. Pregnancy Justice will supplement the funding provided by the external fellowship funder to compensate the fellow at $76,320, commensurate with our pay scale.

The Law Fellow will design the project in conjunction with Pregnancy Justice’s staff attorneys and Acting Executive Director. As a small and dynamic non-profit organization, Pregnancy Justice offers Law Fellows the opportunity to undertake significant legal work, community organizing and policy advocacy, media writing and public speaking, and the opportunity to attend conferences and make site visits to clients.

Responsibilities:
● Participating in constitutional and statutory litigation;
● Legal research and writing;
● Social science and medical research and writing;
● Drafting motions and briefs;
● Maintaining regular contact with clients;
● Tracking and analyzing developments in state and federal legislation and at the United Nations;
● Conducting intake and responding to help inquiries;
● Engaging in public speaking and attending meetings/conferences;
● Writing pieces for publication;
● Liaising with other reproductive justice, social justice, economic justice and drug policy, child welfare, and criminal justice reform organizations to jointly develop and undertake community organizing;
● Supervising student interns.

Experience and Qualifications:
● J.D. degree by spring 2024;
● Experience related to social justice, gender justice, public health, or related fields or experiences a plus;
● Demonstrated ability to conduct legal research, analysis and writing;
● Self-motivated with ability to take initiative and work independently;
● Excellent verbal and written communication skills, time management, and interpersonal skills;
● Experience with client communication;
● Ability to undertake occasional travel;
● Advanced-level proficiency (within a Mac environment) in MS Office Suite and other software applications, social media platforms, and search engines (e.g. Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube);
● Familiarity with (or trainability in) a variety of research, database, and project management applications (e.g. WestLaw, and data management systems).

This announcement is not intended to be all inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Pregnancy Justice reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
The work is primarily performed in an office setting and/or remotely, with offsite meetings and events. Occasional overnight travel may be required; The individual must be able to read, write and interpret documents and perform highly detailed work; This is largely a sedentary position that requires the employee to sit, stand, walk, and bend, and may occasionally require moving files and other equipment. This position is full time, 40 hours a week, between the typical office hours of 10:00a.m. to 6:00p.m., Monday through Friday. It is likely that because of reporting, project, or writing deadlines, some evenings and weekends may be required.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant people and qualified individuals with disabilities, including in the application process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to HR@pregnancyjusticeus.org.

To Apply:
Please submit the following (must include all items listed below):
1. Cover letter that includes a few sentences about the fellowship(s) to which you seek to apply, including whether you are eligible for fellowships sponsored by your law school in addition to national fellowships such as Skadden, Equal Justice Works, and Justice Catalyst, and whether you are seeking a 1-year and/or 2-year fellowship;
2. Resumé;
3. One (1) writing sample (maximum 10 pages);
4. Complete contact information for three (3) professional references.

Instructions:
• Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but applications received on or before June 20, 2023, will be prioritized.
•No phone calls or faxes.
•Applications should be submitted through this link: https://pregnancyjustice.bamboohr.com/careers/24

****COVID-19 NOTICE****

Due to the pandemic, Pregnancy Justice is primarily a remote workforce until further notice. We will work with the selected candidate to ensure they have the tools, equipment, and digital on-boarding to be successfully integrated into our remote work environment.

Pregnancy Justice is an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, gender, pregnancy, national origin, citizenship, marital or domestic partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, military or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pregnancy Justice recognizes and values the benefits of a diverse workforce.