Featured Video
Stay Connected
Sign up to receive email updates from LDF.
The application process for this Fellowship posting has ended.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Inc. (“LDF”) - Education Practice Group invites rising third-year law students, judicial clerks, and other recent law school graduates to apply for LDF sponsorship for public interest fellowship projects to begin in the fall of 2012. Sponsorship will enable the applicant to submit proposals for consideration to the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program, and/or similar programs.
LDF zealously advocates to ensure that African-Americans and other students of color have equal access to high quality, inclusive educational opportunities. LDF has an extensive history of fighting to remove barriers to educational access and litigating cases that seek to promote equal educational opportunity for students and communities of color. Our lawyers have litigated and/or served as amicus curiae in several seminal education cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, Grutter v. Bollinger and Sheff v. O’Neill. In addition, LDF has led efforts to combat racial disparities in school discipline through its Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline initiative. And LDF has also championed the voice of the civil rights community through our advocacy surrounding reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and other legislative and policy initiatives.
We seek to sponsor a public interest Fellow to participate in litigation and policy advocacy, and public education efforts to address structural obstacles and policies that underlie continuing racial disparities.
The Fellow will work with the Education Practice Group’s attorneys and other staff on trial and appellate litigation in state and federal courts, develop new litigation and federal administrative complaints, and participate in federal and state-level educational policy and legislative reform initiatives. Selected candidates will be required to seek their own funding by preparing and submitting proposals to relevant fellowship programs, with supervision by the LDF staff. The Fellow’s work may involve any of the issue areas addressed by the Education Practice Group. For more information on the Group, please visit our website: http://naacpldf.org/category/education
Qualifications & Application Process:
Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to racial justice and addressing racial inequality in education; outstanding research and writing skills; the ability to work both collaboratively and independently; and the capacity for creative thinking. Interested candidates should apply by sending the following materials: (1) a cover letter specifying the candidate’s interest in LDF and any relevant experience; (2) a resume; (3) a list of three references; and (4) a legal writing sample. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis prior to August 26, 2011; however, applicants are encouraged to submit materials as soon as possible, as most relevant fellowships have deadlines in the early fall.
Please e-mail application materials to jobs@naacpldf.org with the subject line “First Name, Last Name - Education Fellow” and address the cover letter to:
Director of Human Resources
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
99 Hudson Street, Suite 1600
New York, New York 10013
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, disability or genetic information.