Fall 2025 Legal Fellowship Sponsorship, Reproductive Freedom Project

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU invites rising third-year law students and law graduates to apply for a sponsorship opportunity to work with us as a Legal Fellow for one to two years. The Reproductive Freedom Project of the National office in New York City seeks applicants to consider for a sponsored fellowship such as Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, or other public interest fellowships to begin in the fall of 2025. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month.

The ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project envisions a world that respects and supports each of us in making deeply personal decisions that determine the shape of our lives: with whom to form intimate relationships, and whether, when, and how to have children. In the world we see, we can all get the health care and other resources necessary to have a child, to prevent pregnancy, or to have an abortion—regardless of where we live, our income, race, age, gender identity, immigration status or whom we love. 

For nearly five decades, the ACLU has been a leader in the efforts to ensure that every person has access to affordable and stigma-free abortion care. Since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, the ACLU has brought dozens of lawsuits seeking to preserve and expand access to abortion. Current cases include challenges to abortion bans in states like Ohio and Georgia, challenges to policies that seek to prevent people from traveling to get an abortion, and lawsuits seeking to significantly expand access to abortion by reducing unnecessary barriers and restoring Medicaid coverage for care.  The ACLU is also a leader on efforts to preserve and expand access to medication abortion, having brought the case that led to the FDA lifting rules that prevented people from receiving their medication through the mail.  Due in part to the ACLU’s efforts, medication abortion now accounts for two-thirds of abortions in this country.  The Reproductive Freedom Project’s work extends beyond abortion. For example, the ACLU is currently litigating a case in Alabama – a state with woefully insufficient maternity care and appallingly high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality – which enabled the first free standing birth center to obtain a license and begin serving patients.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Deputy Director, the Fellow will conduct legal research and participate in litigation and policy work to support RFP's efforts to reimagine the right to reproductive freedom.

We will review applications on a rolling basis, but priority consideration will be given to those who submit applications by July 19, 2024.

The Fellow must secure external funding, please email hiring@aclu.org for funding requirements. Our staff will work with the selected candidate to develop their proposals for submission.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Conduct legal research and analysis and develop theories to support new litigation projects and policy initiatives
• Draft legal memoranda, pleadings, affidavits, motions, and briefs
• Join litigation teams and participate in team meetings
• Interview potential clients and witnesses
• Participate in discovery and trial practice as opportunities arise
• Draft and edit public education and non-litigation advocacy materials 
• Provide support and assistance to ACLU affiliates and cooperating attorneys  
• Help manage the summer and semester internship program
• Engage in public speaking about reproductive rights issues and the ACLU
• Attend Project and ACLU wide meetings  

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• J.D. or expected to receive a J.D by the spring of 2025
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, civil liberties, and reproductive freedom
• Willingness to work closely with the Reproductive Freedom Project through the funding application process
• Excellent research, writing, and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to conduct complex legal analysis and fact-finding
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to work independently as well as within a team

COMPENSATION

The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in our Legal Department. The range of salar