ACLU Foundation of Southern California
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

2025-26 FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

LOCATION

Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Riverside, and Bakersfield

Note: Hybrid and Remote opportunities are available upon request and approval. Must reside in CA, from start of hire.

DEPARTMENT

 Advocacy

DEADLINE

 See below

Founded in 1923, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) has been at the forefront of many major efforts to protect civil liberties, civil rights, and equal justice in California. Principled and nonpartisan, ACLU SoCal has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County (Santa Ana), the Inland Empire (Riverside), and Kern (Bakersfield). ACLU SoCal tackles a vast array of issues, including criminal justice, police practices, First Amendment rights, voting rights, gender equity and reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, education equity, and economic justice.

ACLU SoCal comprises two organizations: the ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. These two entities operate jointly as non-profit public interest organizations.  The ACLU SoCal staff of about 90 works in a fast-paced, friendly, and professional office environment.

OVERVIEW

ACLU SoCal seeks applicants to pursue legal fellowships. Specifically, ACLU SoCal intends on applying for Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, Soros, school-based, and other fellowships for the 2025-26 term.  Once ACLU SoCal selects its candidates, the organization will work with the candidates to craft a fellowship proposal and submit a joint application to the sponsoring school or organization.

ACLU SoCal will be pursuing fellowships to address some, or all, of the following areas:

·         Working with the Police Practices team to ensure police transparency and accountability.

·         Working with the Immigrants’ Rights team to improve national security policy and advance border rights and/or to litigate immigration detention issues in state court.

·         Working with the LGBTQ, Gender, and Reproductive Justice Team to challenge the surveillance and punishment of parents and children by the family policing (aka “child welfare”) system in Southern California.

·         Working with our First Amendment and Democracy team to protect freedom of expression, open government, and voting rights across Southern California.

CLASSIFICATION

 Full-time, Exempt; Term Limited, One- or two-year position.

This is a bargaining unit position in the National Organization of Legal Services Workers union.  Fellowships are limited term positions.  Fellows are expected to complete either a one or two-year term.

 QUALIFICATIONS:

 The ACLU SoCal anticipates hiring an attorney or recent law school graduate who completed their degree within the last 0-2 years as of 2024.

 RACIAL EQUITY COMPETENCIES

 Understanding and Applying Racial Equity

Demonstrate commitment to building or deepening understand of racial equity:

Core terms and concepts such as structural racism, white privilege, and anti-Blackness.

The role that racial inequity has played and continues to play in our society.

How race impacts supervisory relationships, team dynamics, and organizational culture.

Personal/implicit/unconscious bias.

 Working for Racial Equity

Consistently assess structural implications and racially disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions within the context of their job responsibilities; race/ethnicity, intersection of race/ethnicity, gender, identity, and/or sexual orientation.

Consistently adhere to organization’s racial equity policies and procedures, including those that relate to hiring, retention, and promotion.

Consistently identify and disrupt ways in which bias plays out in work and/or team.

BENEFITS

 The Fellow will be paid pursuant to the ACLU SoCal’s salary scale, with the salary dependent on bar passage and year of law school graduation:  $78,000-$82,400.   Benefits include medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff members and their eligible dependents; life and long- term disability insurance; 401(k) plan with employer match; ample vacation and sick leave and fifteen paid holidays.

TO APPLY:

Please submit the documents listed above to fellowships@aclusocal.org

 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Candidates are strongly encouraged to highlight their experience, skills, and demonstrated commitment and enthusiasm to work at ACLU SoCal in any of the identified issue areas.  Candidates are also welcome, but not required, to include their own ideas for focusing their fellowship projects in any of the identified issue areas in their application.  Compelling projects build on ACLU SoCal’s and the applicant’s experience and skills, and generally combine impact litigation and/or policy advocacy with community partnerships through activities such as coalition-building, outreach, public education, and/or technical assistance to community organizations.

Timing

Applicants interested in applying for a Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, or Soros fellowship must apply on or before June 28, 2024.

Applicants interested in school-based or other fellowships should apply on a rolling basis.  Note that, because there are a limited number of positions and ACLU SoCal will be making its selections on a rolling basis, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit materials as soon as possible.

Materials

Please include a detailed cover letter describing your interest in working with ACLU SoCal, your interest in working on any of the identified issue areas, and your ideas for a fellowship project if applicable.  Please also clearly identify:

·         Which fellowship(s) you would like to apply for (e.g., Skadden, Equal Justice Works, particular law school fellowship, etc.).  Applicants are encouraged to seek out any available sources of funding.

·         Which issue area(s) you are interested in pursuing.

·         Any geographic preferences (Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Kern, and/or Orange County).

Please also attach your resume, list of three references, a writing sample, and school transcript.

ACLU of Southern California is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion and to strive to maintain a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve. The ACLU SoCal is an equal opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable law.  We encourage all qualified individuals to apply and value people of all races, genders (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientations, disabilities, citizenships, ages, religions, and national origins and who have different marital statuses, family caregiving responsibilities, lived experiences with the criminal justice systems, and genetic information.  ACLU SoCal does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these characteristics. 

The ACLU SoCal is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail hrsupport@aclusocal.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.