Fall 2022 Fellowship Sponsorship, Disability Rights Program
ACLU

Job Info

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ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU invites rising third-year law students and recent law graduates to apply for a sponsorship opportunity to work with us as a Legal Fellow for up to two years. The Disability Rights Program (DRP) of the National office in San Francisco, CA seeks applicants to consider for a sponsored fellowship such as Skadden, Equal Justice Works, or other public interest fellowships to begin in the fall of 2022.

The Disability Rights Program#39;s mission is to achieve an America free of discrimination against people with disabilities; where people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of society who have full access to education, homes, health care, jobs, families, voting and civic engagement. We fight to ensure that people with disabilities are no longer segregated into, and overrepresented in, civil and criminal institutions such as nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons.

DRP litigates and advocates to fight the over-representation of people with disabilities in the School to Prison Pipeline, to promote alternatives to guardianship, and to secure equal access to the ballot.amp;nbsp; Recently, our focus has been on decarceration and alternatives to police. We also provide support to affiliates and the National office on disability rights issues that intersect with core civil liberties. While the ACLU's Legal Department is headquartered in New York, it hasamp;nbsp; programs housed in San Francisco. The Disability Rights Program works primarily out of the San Francisco office.

Our staff will work with candidates to develop their proposals for submission, helping tailor the proposal to address an important civil liberties issue. Proposed projects often combine litigation and advocacy with community outreach and public education. The Disability Rights Program is currently focused on, and particularly welcomes fellowships relating to, the following areas: 1) Promoting alternatives to police for people in mental health and behavioral crises. 2) Reducing the overuse and abuse of guardianships, and promoting alternatives such as supported decision-making.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct legal research and analysis and develop theories to support new litigation projects
• Draft legal memoranda, pleadings, affidavits, motions, and briefs
• Interview witnesses and potential clients
• Participate in discovery and trial practice
• Draft and edit public education and non-litigation advocacy materials
• Provide support and assistance to ACLU affiliates and cooperating attorneys
• Help manage summer legal internship program and supervise student interns
• Engage in public speaking and attend meetings and/or conferences as needed
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practicesamp;nbsp;and processes
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE amp;amp; QUALIFICATIONS

• J.D. or expected to receive a J.D. by the spring of 2022
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, civil liberties, and disability rights
• Willingness to work closely with the Disability Rights Program 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
• Self-motivated with the ability to take initiative, manage a variety of tasks and see projects through to completion
• Experience working with disability rights laws, and disability communities is preferred
• Experience with class action litigation is preferred
• Experience with organizing in communities of color is preferred
• Experience with the carceral state, policing, or the school to prison pipeline is preferred

COMPENSATION
The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in our Legal Department. The range of salaries are the following, based on year of law school graduation (please consult the hiring manager for specific salary details, based on individual circumstances):

• 0-2 years since law school graduation: $72,000-$82,818
• 3-5 years since law school graduation: $88,201-$98,635
• 6-10 years since law school graduation: $101,594-$114,345
• 11-15 years since law school graduation: $117,776-$132,558
• 16-20 years since law school graduation: $136,534-$153,671
• 21-25 years since law school graduation: $158,281-$178,146
• 26-30+ years since law school graduation: $183,491-$206,521

These salaries are reflective of positions based in New York, NY. The salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. Note that most of the salaries listed on our job postings reflect New York, NY salaries, where our National offices are headquartered.
ABOUT THE ACLU
The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union - beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it's ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization - one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we're in the courts or in the office, we believe 'We the People' means all of us.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

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