Sponsorship for Post-Graduate Legal Fellowships (Fall 2027)

Juvenile Law Center is accepting applications from recent law school graduates or law students who seek organizational sponsorship for a post-graduate legal fellowship funded by a law school or other external sponsor.  

Law School Sponsored Fellowships   

We welcome fellowship applications by individuals with law school sponsorships or other sponsorships that do not require project-specific work. The fellow’s work will depend on the priorities of the office at the time of their fellowship, but fellows can expect to engage in legal and policy analysis, legal and policy research and writing for amicus briefs, litigation, and national reports, and work with community members and coalitions to advance the mission of Juvenile Law Center. Priority for school-based fellowship sponsorship will be given to candidates who are able to secure funding for a minimum of one year. 

Project-based fellowships 

We also welcome project-based fellowship proposals that build on our work collaborating with youth, community members, and social movements and using impact litigation, amicus brief advocacy, and/or policy advocacy to challenge: 

  • Policing practices that push young people into the juvenile and criminal legal systems including the use of GPS monitoring and other surveillance tools; 

  • Juvenile legal system involvement for municipal offenses, summary offenses, or other low-level offenses; 

  • Mandated reporting and other entry points into the child welfare or family regulation system. 

Once selected, Juvenile Law Center will act as the sponsoring organization and work with the selected candidate to design a project to apply for a project-based fellowship through a funding organization, e.g. Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Independence, Stoneleigh.  

Juvenile Law Center makes no guarantee of employment for candidates it sponsors for externally funded fellowships.  

Essential Functions 

(include, but not limited to): 

While the exact work of the fellow will depend on project design and/or the needs of the office at the time, Juvenile Law Center’s work is centered on multiple strategies that will be employed by the Fellow. 

  • Engage in legal and policy research and analysis, including analyzing statutes and regulations  
  • Engage in legal and policy research and writing for amicus briefs, litigation, and national reports as needed 
  • Provide public education at conferences, convenings, and meetings 
  • Work with community members to identify needs and make recommendations rooted in youth and community voice 

Qualifications & Salary 

Education:  

J.D. by Spring 2026 

Required Skills: 

  • Demonstrated commitment to civil rights, racial justice, economic justice, and children’s rights  
  • Ability to work independently and engage in project management including a demonstrated ability to prioritize requests, track and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and meet deadlines, and support team members  
  • Excellent judgment, diplomacy, and professionalism including the ability to work well with people from different backgrounds, life experiences and levels of training and formal education  
  • Strong legal and policy research and writing, analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills,  
  • Curiosity, and eagerness to continue learning new skills, grow professionally, and take an optimistic approach to new challenges 

Note: Juvenile Law Center has a commitment to professional development and will actively support candidates in further developing their skills in these areas. 

Experience: 

Years of experience or any other qualifications required by the funding organization.  

Responsibility Level:  

The fellow will report to a supervising attorney and the lead attorney of their assigned legal team.  

Salary:  

Starting salary for this position is $63,000 for an attorney with less than one year experience.  

This is a full-time position covered by any collective bargaining agreement between Juvenile Law Center and the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320.   

Juvenile Law Center offers excellent benefits, including generous paid time off, employer-paid health, dental and vision insurance for employees and their family, short- and long-term disability and life insurance, and employer contributions to 403b retirement plans. The organization operates on a 36-hour work week, with the office closing at 1pm every Friday.   

Application Process: 

Interested individuals should submit a single PDF containing resume, cover letter, writing sample, and list of three references to [email protected] with the subject line: Post-grad fellowship.  Your cover letter must indicate whether you are seeking sponsorship for a project-based fellowship or law school/general sponsored fellowship. If you are applying to be sponsored for a project-based fellowship, your cover letter must also indicate (1) which project-area of the above you are interested in and why, (2) any relevant experiences that prepare you for carrying out a project in that area, and (3) any fellowships you have already identified.  

Round 2: Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 45-minute video interview with members of the hiring team, including members of the relevant legal department as well as a representative of Juvenile Law Center’s Operations team. 

Deadline: 

Applications for project-based fellowships are due by July 10th.  

Applications for law-school fellowships are accepted on a rolling basis.  

Equitable/Inclusionary Hiring Practices 

Juvenile Law Center seeks to minimize bias and the impact of structural racism in the fields we work in within our hiring practices. To that end, we focus on relevant skills and experience and aim to de-prioritize information that can allow for implicit bias.   

Juvenile Law Center is committed to advancing equity both internally and in our advocacy work. We recognize the value diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives provide. We are committed to actively recruiting from communities most impacted by our work.   

Juvenile Law Center is committed to cultivating an inclusive space that affirms and celebrates the backgrounds, expertise, whole identities, and individual perspectives of our staff. We are committed to the diversity of our staff as it pertains to race, color, ethnicity, military and veteran status, class, sex, marital or parental status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, size, disability, religion, national origin, and/or child welfare or juvenile or criminal justice involvement, including prior record of arrest, adjudication, or conviction.   

Juvenile Law Center is an equal opportunity employer.   

Office Location 

This position may be remote or in person. Juvenile Law Center’s physical office is located in Philadelphia, PA. We currently use a hybrid work model where some staff come into the office several times a week and some staff work fully remotely. Individuals working remotely will be expected to travel to Philadelphia on a regular basis to be determined based on the needs of the position as identified by the individual’s supervisor and the needs of the organization.  All remote working employees will be expected to travel to Philadelphia a minimum of once every quarter.