Legal Empowerment Fellowship

Location: New York City (Fordham Law School and New York Public Library Branches)

Schedule: Year 1: Part-Time (approximately 15 hours per week, Saturdays and select weekdays)

Year 2: Full-Time Leadership Opportunity

Compensation: Year 1: $4,500 per semester | Year 2: $80,000–$95,000

About Defying Legal Gravity

Defying Legal Gravity is a youth-led legal empowerment organization dedicated to democratizing the law. We reject the idea that legal knowledge should be reserved for lawyers and believe every young person deserves access to the information, skills, and confidence necessary to understand the laws that shape their lives.

Through innovative educational programming, we teach young people the foundational concepts traditionally taught during the first year of law school, including constitutional law, contracts, property law, torts, criminal law, civil procedure, and legal reasoning. Our programs help students develop the critical thinking, advocacy, and leadership skills needed to navigate systems, challenge injustice, and create change in their communities.

About the Fellowship

Defying Legal Gravity is seeking an exceptional law student or recent graduate to join our team as a Legal Empowerment Fellow.

This two-year leadership fellowship is designed for future lawyers who believe legal knowledge is a tool for empowerment and who are excited to help build a movement that brings legal education directly to communities historically excluded from it.

We are particularly interested in third and fourth-year law students (3Ls and 4Ls) seeking a meaningful opportunity to deepen their mastery of foundational legal concepts while preparing for the bar exam, developing their teaching and leadership skills, and contributing to a growing access-to-justice movement.

During the fellowship, Educator Fellows teach legal literacy and legal empowerment courses to young people throughout New York City while developing expertise in curriculum design, youth engagement, community legal education, youth advocacy, access-to-justice initiatives, and program leadership. Fellows are trained not only as educators, but as future legal empowerment leaders capable of helping communities understand, navigate, and respond to the legal issues that affect their daily lives.

This position is ideal for individuals who believe that legal education should be accessible to everyone and who are excited to inspire the next generation of advocates, leaders, and changemakers.

Year 1 Responsibilities

As a Legal Empowerment Educator Fellow, you will:

• Facilitate engaging and interactive legal empowerment workshops for youth ages 12–19.
• Teach foundational legal concepts, including constitutional law, contracts, property law, torts, criminal law, civil procedure, and legal analysis.
• Lead small-group discussions, simulations, debates, and experiential learning activities.
• Support students in developing critical thinking, public speaking, leadership, and advocacy skills.
• Participate in educator training, curriculum planning, and lesson preparation sessions.
• Serve as a mentor and positive role model for program participants.
• Assist with community events, legal literacy workshops, conferences, and public presentations.
• Teach Saturday sessions at Fordham Law School and select weekday workshops at New York Public Library locations.
• Develop a deep understanding of Defying Legal Gravity's educational philosophy and legal empowerment model.

Year 2 Leadership Track

Upon successful completion of Year 1, Fellows may be considered for promotion into a full-time Legal Empowerment Educator and Peer Justice Advocacy Leader role.

In this leadership position, Educators will help lead Defying Legal Gravity's efforts to democratize legal knowledge and expand access to justice for young people across New York City.

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as Lead Educator for Defying Legal Gravity's youth legal empowerment programs.
• Lead and expand Defying Legal Gravity's Peer Justice Advocacy initiative.
• Design and facilitate community-based legal clinics and legal empowerment workshops throughout New York City.
• Work directly with young people to identify, understand, and navigate legal issues affecting their lives, including education, employment, housing, family, immigration, consumer, and other civil legal matters.
• Develop practical, youth-friendly workshop materials, legal guides, toolkits, and community education resources.
• Train and supervise Peer Justice Advocates and alumni leaders.
• Build partnerships with schools, libraries, community organizations, legal service providers, and youth-serving institutions.
• Support young people in problem-solving legal challenges and connecting them to appropriate resources, services, and advocacy opportunities.
• Identify recurring legal issues affecting youth and help develop educational and advocacy strategies to address them.
• Oversee and supervise Defying Legal Gravity's legal literacy programming, including the Legal Literacy Passport Program at New York Public Library branches.
• Lead curriculum development, program innovation, and expansion efforts.
• Supervise and support part-time educators, volunteers, and fellows.
• Represent Defying Legal Gravity at conferences, community events, trainings, coalition meetings, and public presentations.
• Help shape the future direction of Defying Legal Gravity's legal empowerment and access-to-justice work.

Why 3Ls and 4Ls Should Apply

Teaching is one of the most effective ways to deepen mastery of complex concepts. Educator Fellows spend the year revisiting many of the subjects tested on the bar exam while translating them into engaging, accessible lessons for young people.

Fellows leave the program with:

• Stronger command of foundational legal doctrine.
• Extensive public speaking and facilitation experience.
• Curriculum development and program management skills.
• Experience leading youth-centered educational initiatives.
• Experience designing and facilitating community legal education programs.
• Exposure to legal empowerment, community advocacy, and access-to-justice strategies.
• Professional mentorship and leadership development.
• A meaningful record of community impact and service.

This fellowship is particularly well-suited for 3Ls interested in public interest law, education, policy, advocacy, nonprofit leadership, community organizing, legal empowerment, or access-to-justice work.

Qualifications

• Current law student (2L, 3L, or 4L), recent law graduate, or licensed attorney.
• Strong understanding of foundational legal concepts.
• Excellent communication, teaching, and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to educational equity, youth development, community empowerment, or social justice.
• Ability to explain complex legal concepts in accessible and engaging ways.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently.
• Ability to create inclusive and welcoming learning environments.
• Experience working with young people is preferred but not required.
• Bilingual applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

What Makes This Fellowship Different?

• Teach real law, not simplified civics.
• Help build the nation's only youth legal literacy initiatives modeled on the first-year law school curriculum.
• Learn how to transform legal knowledge into community power by designing workshops, leading legal empowerment clinics, and helping young people identify and address real-world legal challenges before they escalate into crises.
• Gain hands-on experience in teaching, curriculum design, community engagement, youth advocacy, and program leadership.
• Work alongside a nationally recognized legal empowerment organization.
• Join a growing movement dedicated to democratizing legal knowledge and expanding access to justice.

What We Offer

• $4,500 stipend per semester during Year 1.
• A pathway to a full-time leadership role with a salary of $80,000–$95,000 in Year 2.
• Professional mentorship and leadership development.
• Opportunities to contribute to curriculum development, program innovation, and community legal empowerment initiatives.
• Meaningful teaching experience that strengthens legal knowledge and communication skills.
• Direct experience at the intersection of legal education, youth advocacy, and access-to-justice work.
• A community of educators, advocates, and changemakers committed to expanding access to justice.

How to Apply

Please submit:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

In your cover letter, tell us why legal empowerment matters to you, what excites you about teaching young people, and how this fellowship aligns with your professional goals.

We are particularly interested in applicants who believe that understanding the law should not depend on income, race, neighborhood, language, immigration status, or educational background.

If you are excited by the idea of teaching law, mentoring young people, helping communities navigate legal challenges, and building a more legally empowered generation, we encourage you to apply.