Fall 2027 Legal Fellowship Candidates

About ABC

For over a decade, ABC has worked to transform the lives of tens of thousands of children, families, and communities in 14 states (and counting) by using the power of the courts to reform entire child welfare systems. ABC investigates failing systems and initiates litigation on behalf of foster children, winning court orders that demand system-wide reform. Our ongoing monitoring ensures that solutions take root, giving frontline workers and system leaders the resources and tools they need to protect children whose lives depend on their care. Our work ensures that these state agencies create more and better services for the children whose lives depend on it. From investigation to resolution, ABC is involved until children in foster care have the protection and stability they deserve.

Job Description:

A Better Childhood (ABC), a national organization dedicated to improving public child welfare systems through the use of systemic, broad-based class action litigation, seeks to sponsor third-year law students, judicial law clerks, and recent law graduates for Skadden and Equal Justice Works public interest law fellowships starting in Fall of 2027. We will consider projects that fulfill ABC’s mission to better the lives of children in foster care now and in the future. ABC will then work closely with applicants whom we sponsor to develop a proposal once selected. Please note that the ABC does not have independent internal funding for these fellowships (but does cover the difference between external funding and the ABC salary scale).

ABC specifically seeks fellows to work on projects that go beyond our current docket of class action cases to complement and enhance the impact of our work. Successful projects will have the potential to impact many foster children through system-wide legal work. They will also aim to close gaps in currently missing data and research in the child welfare space. We are specifically interested in projects related to:

• Reform Implementation: projects to study and improve post-judgment implementation of foster care reform efforts, how to increase the impact of our cases, and how to better track outcomes.
• Preventing children entering foster care: projects to study and implement policies and structures that reduce the number of children entering foster care and then track the outcomes for children who stay in the home.

Fellows will be based in New York City and will work on projects across the country, with some travel. They will conduct legal research, develop legal theories, work with experts, learn the details of particular systems under scrutiny, and help shape the ABC’s litigation to address the problems in those systems.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate should have a demonstrated commitment to public-interest law and children and youth rights. We seek a candidate willing to collaborate with ABC to shape the project proposal through the funding application process.

• 3L law students, judicial law clerks, and other recent law graduates eligible for fellowship funding. Please consult the fellowship program websites for information on eligibility: https://www.skaddenfellowships.org/, https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellowships-opportunities/
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent legal research and analysis skills
• Ability to effectively navigate child, family, and community concerns and communicate legal issues
• Ability to manage time and multiple tasks and deadlines independently
• Applicants must either be admitted to the bar or sitting for the bar in any jurisdiction no later than July 2027.

Application Process for ABC Sponsorship

Prior to submitting an application for sponsorship to ABC, those considering applying for fellowship sponsorship should reach out directly to ABC to preliminarily discuss the viability of any potential project. To get connected with the right attorney on our team for your project, please reach out to jobs@abetterchildhood.org with a preliminary outline of your project idea.

We are happy to speak with candidates as they prepare their applications. ABC staff will also actively work with the selected candidates to more fully develop the fellowship proposal for submission once selected.

Applications should include your resume, a writing sample, a cover letter describing your proposed fellowship project and an unofficial transcript. Please discuss in your cover letter the project you want to develop, how it furthers ABC’s mission, and how it would contribute to the building of data, research, and evidence in the child welfare space. We may ask for references at the interview stage.

Location:

Positions at ABC are hybrid - staff are generally all in our New York City office Tuesdays through Thursdays, with remote work optional Monday/Friday.

A Better Childhood offers a benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, a retirement plan with up to 3% employer matching, and generous paid-time off.