2020 Post-Law School Fellowship Opportunities – Fighting Poverty and Advancing Racial Justice through Systemic Advocacy
The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, a non-profit law and policy organization located in Chicago, Illinois, is accepting applications from candidates for post-law school fellowship opportunities. The Fellow would begin in the fall of 2020.
The Shriver Center has been a leader in the fight to advance justice and opportunity for all for the last fifty years. We do so through legal and policy advocacy in Illinois and nationally, working in partnership with affected communities, social service providers and ally organizations. We are committed to advancing racial justice. Because of our deep roots in Illinois and our national presence, we leverage our impact across states and at the federal level and inform our advocacy with wisdom gained in other jurisdictions.
Shriver Center advocates work on a number of key issues affect people experiencing poverty and communities of color. We are particularly interested in applications in the following areas:
• Ensuring immigrant access to the safety net, including through advocacy, community engagement, and network building in response to forthcoming public charge regulations.
• Working with our Community Justice Team on reform of the criminal legal system.
• Working with our Economic Justice Team to protect access to nutritional programs through legal and administrative advocacy.
The Fellowship Process: The Shriver Center seeks accomplished candidates with a demonstrated commitment to economic and racial justice. Successful candidates will have excellent research and writing skills and the ability to organize, lead and effectuate an ambitious fellowship project. Organizations such as Equal Justice Works and the Skadden Fellowship Foundation offer two-year fellowships to graduating law students and outgoing judicial clerks. Equal Justice Works also offers two-year fellowships to experienced attorneys seeking to transition into the public interest sector. We will also sponsor selected applicants for school-based and other fellowships as appropriate.
The Shriver Center encourages applicants to apply as early as possible – fellowship programs are competitive and we want ample time to work with successful applicants to develop a compelling project. Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, most recent (unofficial or official) transcript, and three references to fellowships@povertylaw.org as soon as possible and no later than June 14th, 2019. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Applicants should discuss areas of interest and project ideas in their cover letter, although it is not necessary to have a specific proposal to apply. The Shriver Center has an excellent track record with post-grad fellowships and works closely with sponsored applicants to develop a compelling project and navigate the fellowship process.
At the Shriver Center, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makes organizations more effective. As such, we make demographic and experiential diversity a hallmark and priority of all our work.