2026 Legal Fellow (School-Sponsored)

National Center for Youth Law

The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) is a national nonprofit that puts children — especially those pushed to society’s margins — at the center of every fight for justice. For more than 50 years, we have partnered with young people, families, and communities in efforts to dismantle racism, discrimination, and inequity wherever they appear. We recognize that harmful policies don’t affect children in isolation. Each young person’s well-being depends on their family’s stability, their community’s resources, and the opportunities they can access. By working across all systems that shape young people’s lives in a rapidly evolving society, we advance solutions that are holistic, intersectional, and transformative.

NCYL seeks applicants for law school-sponsored fellowships to work on impact litigation addressing the harms of federal policies and actions and advancing core civil rights protections in the states, with a focus on students’ civil rights, the rights of LGBTQ+ youth, youth justice, youth healthcare access, and immigrant rights for unaccompanied minors.

Candidates need not have a specific fellowship project in mind, although we welcome candidates with a specific fellowship idea. The candidate should express an interest in joining our general litigation team or our immigrant rights team. We will work with fellowship candidates to develop appropriate applications/project proposals for fellowships sponsored by their school.

Essential Functions 

• Develop a fellowship project in partnership with NCYL staff. 
• Apply to law school-sponsored public interest fellowship.
• Once a fellowship is awarded, join NCYL as a fellow in September 2026. 
• Implement the fellowship project under the supervision of NCYL staff. 
• Respond to requests for assistance from the public and Qualified Legal Services Projects and assist with limited investigations, as necessary. 
• Complete varied, complex legal research, writing, and litigation-oriented assignments.
• Attend organizational and team meetings and retreats. 

Qualifications 

• Graduating from law school in Spring 2026 or have been clerking since graduating from law school in a prior year.
• Eligible for school-sponsored fellowship from the Applicant’s law school.  The fellowship should cover at least 67% of the salary listed below.
• Interest in impact litigation.  
• Commitment to advancing justice by protecting the rights of children and youth and improving the systems that impact their lives.  
• Strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with the ability to apply a racial and social justice lens to advocacy while centering the marginalized voices of children, youth, and their families.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.  

Physical Requirements 

Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. This position requires the ability to work remotely and requires some travel.

Salary, Benefits and Location 

This is a one-year, full-time, exempt position with a competitive salary of $78,221.00 annually. Once an offer is made, the salary is not open to negotiation.

A geographic salary differential may be applied if the candidate resides somewhere other than the Oakland, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Washington, DC or equivalent metro areas. This means that the salary would be reduced if the candidate resides in an area where the cost of labor is less than that of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The fellowship offered by the candidate’s school should cover at least 67% of the salary listed above.

NCYL provides a robust benefits package including health, dental, vision, and life insurances, generous vacation and sick benefits, paid family leave, flexible spending account, employer contribution to a retirement plan, paid sabbatical, and short-term and long-term disability insurance.

NCYL is registered to do business in the following 13 locations: California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. If a candidate is hired but lives in a state where NCYL is not currently registered to do business, their start date may need to be delayed until registration can be completed in the new state. This process may take a few weeks to complete.

This position is part of the bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW). While a collective bargaining agreement is not currently in place, it is anticipated in the future.

Please note: Employment as a Fellow is not a suggestion or promise of future employment with NCYL. Fellows are temporary employees who enter NCYL with a fellowship of finite duration.

How to Apply 

Please submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and law school transcript at the link below. (You will need to click on “Upload Additional Files” to submit the writing sample and transcript.) Please, no calls or emails.

Apply at: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/4070585

We welcome applications from individuals with different ideas, experiences, and perspectives. Applicants who meet the above criteria with lived experience within any of our practice areas are strongly encouraged to apply.

It is the policy of NCYL to provide equal employment opportunities to all Applicants (including Employees) regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, reproductive health decision-making, breastfeeding, national origin, age, abilities/disabilities, neurotypicality, socioeconomic status, veteran status, marital status, prior convictions, or any other protected classifications under federal, state, or local law. NCYL makes all employment decisions based on job-related factors.

NCYL provides a robust benefits package including health, dental, vision, and life insurances, generous vacation and sick benefits, paid family leave, flexible spending account, employer contribution to a retirement plan, paid sabbatical, and short-term and long-term disability insurance.