Fellow

Who We Are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, advocating for strong enforcement of regulations that protect animals and appropriate regulation of industries that impact them, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description:

As the Fellow, you will investigate and draft regulatory complaints against individuals and facilities that exploit animals including factory farms, puppy mills, laboratories, and roadside zoos. You will draft comments and petitions for rulemaking to ensure broad interpretations of existing animal protection laws and to seek improved welfare for animals. As Transparency and Regulatory Affairs Program Fellow, you will also conduct factual research and manage the submission, tracking, and follow-up of federal Freedom of Information Act and state public records act requests in support of ALDF’s strategic mission.

How You Will Make a Difference:

• Act as counsel under the supervision of the Transparency and Regulatory Affairs Program (TRAP) Director, and be responsible for research, drafting, and other aspects of assigned legal and regulatory cases and projects.
• Manage drafting, editing, and submission of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state public records law requests, regulatory complaints and comments, and petitions for rulemaking on behalf of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Analyze FOIA and state public records law responses and objections and engage in follow-up correspondence with agencies as needed.
• Perform factual research and analysis regarding animal facilities.
• Work with Communications and other departments to answer questions on regulatory issues and procedures, and to propose, draft, proof, and/or edit content on regulatory developments.
• Prepare and deliver presentations for professional conferences, fundraising events, etc. when needed.
• Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning TRAP matters and on regulatory issues impacting ALDF’s strategic initiatives, and on regulatory practice and strategy.
• Assist in maintaining TRAP’s data repository as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned to advance TRAP and the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s strategic objectives and mission.

We Are Looking for Candidates With:

• The TRAP Fellowship is designed to afford developmental experiences in strategic regulatory and information gathering practice in the animal protection sphere for individuals that have recently graduated. To be eligible, you must have graduated from law school within three years of the fellowship start date. We also consider applicants who, although not recent graduates from law school, are looking to move from an unrelated legal practice into animal protection work.
• A Juris Doctorate degree when the fellowship begins and be admitted to practice law in the state where you will reside during your fellowship (or be awaiting bar results on the start date of your fellowship).
• Understand and be committed to the vision, mission, and core values of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills and be able to meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and be able to communicate effectively, including with members, supporters, co-workers, and other counsel.
• A positive attitude and be able to work cooperatively with others and function well in a team-oriented work environment.
• Must travel as needed for professional conferences, meetings, or other events as required.

Additional information:

• TRAP Fellow (Transparency and Regulatory Affairs Program) is a full-time, exempt position, beginning in Spring of 2026 and lasting for approximately two years. This is a bargaining unit position.
• Full-time
• Remote
• Occasional Travel is required for this position (1-6 trips per year).
• Work is performed in a home office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment, software, and keyboards.

This is a U.S. based position. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position is January 8, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including:

• Starting annual salary of $71,509 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, starting pay is $75,273.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, starting pay is $79,036.

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rate. Rate is determined by role, using set geographical factors.

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available.
• 192 hours of PTO.
• 19 paid holidays.
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment.
• One time remote work allowance of $750
• Annual professional development reimbursement of up to $1,000
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion).

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.