Writ Project Legal Fellow

CRC seeks current law students or recent law school graduates to sponsor as an Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, Soros or other externally-funded fellows in our California Writ Project. Once selected, CRC will work closely with the candidate to submit project proposals to funding organizations. The fellowship may be for a period of one to two years, depending on the funding secured.

The Writ Project is a first-of-its-kind impact litigation strategy in which CRC partners with public defenders across the state of California to file state habeas petitions on behalf of people who are unconstitutionally detained pretrial. In 2021, the project won a landmark case at the California Supreme Court, In re Humphrey, which revolutionized bail setting in California: holding that it violates the state and federal Constitutions to jail someone solely because they cannot pay money bail. Now, the project partners with 16 county public defender offices spanning 5 of California’s 6 intermediate appellate districts and the California Supreme Court. Our team challenges pretrial detention orders that violate Humphrey and raises novel constitutional questions aimed at expanding the right to pretrial release statewide. The project is at the cutting edge of bail law in California and nationally, and is working to expand to other states. In connection with our work in the courts, the project partners with directly impacted people, community organizers, public defenders, and local officials across California to denormalize pretrial human caging and to change the assembly line culture of the bail setting.

Fellows joining the project would be primarily tasked with drafting and litigating habeas petitions on behalf of project clients and researching and drafting innovative constitutional claims. Project members also routinely develop and implement broader advocacy strategies: liaising with policy makers, speaking with journalists and drafting op-eds relevant to the project’s work.

The Fellow may also assist with expanding the Writ Project outside of California to states including, but not limited to, Michigan and Oregon.

The position can be based out of Washington, D.C. or fully remote.

Qualifications

The ideal CRC attorney is passionate about racial and social justice, humble, hardworking, a fast learner, proactive, able to juggle multiple tasks, and able to work well in a collaborative environment. Specific qualifications we are looking for include:

• By fall 2026 a J.D. degree and the ability to be admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia as well as in California, Oregon, and/or Michigan.
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission, purpose, and values of CRC.
• Race and identity competency, ability to understand and navigate issues of identity, power, and privilege with clients, partners and colleagues;
• Excellent writing, research, and complex legal analysis skills;
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills;
• Experience working with diverse populations, with those directly impacted by the criminal legal system, and on behalf of low-income clients;
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, establish priorities, and work independently with minimal supervision;
• Innovative thinking, an unwillingness to accept things as they are, and a strong work ethic.