Careers at Public Justice

May 2025

SPONSORSHIP FOR STUDENTS’ CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT LEGAL FELLOWSHIP STARTING FALL 2026 

WASHINGTON, DC or REMOTE

View PDF of job announcement here.

Public Justice is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that takes on the biggest systemic threats to justice of our time–abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights, and the destruction of the earth’s sustainability. It connects high impact litigation with strategic communications and the strength of our partnerships to fight these abusive and discriminatory systems and win social and economic justice.

Our Students’ Civil Rights Project (SCRP) invites rising third‐year law students and law graduates to apply for an opportunity to work with us as a legal fellow on cutting-edge litigation and advocacy related to discrimination in schools. We seek to host a candidate to apply for one‐ or two‐year public interest fellowships from funders such as Equal Justice Works, Skadden, Justice Catalyst, and/or law school public interest funds to begin in the fall of 2026. In consultation with Public Justice, candidates can decide which funders they apply to.

Overview of Students’ Civil Rights Project

Public Justice’s SCRP combines high-impact litigation with other advocacy tools to combat discrimination in schools. We strive to create systemic change so all students can learn and thrive, and to secure justice for students who are denied educational opportunities based on their race, national origin, ethnicity, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. We represent students at all stages of litigation, including pre‐suit negotiations, litigation in trial courts, appeals, and oppositions to cert petitions. Some of our ongoing and recent matters include:

• Doe v. South Carolina, a putative class action on behalf of a transgender student and a local LGBTQ+ rights organization challenging a state law that threatens to withhold funding from schools that permit transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity
• Williamson v. Heritage Preschools LLC, a suit on behalf of the family of a Black toddler who was singled out for excessive discipline and eventually expelled because of his race
• Tennessee v. McMahon & Carroll Independent School District v. U.S. Department of Education, cases where federal district courts struck down a 2024 Title IX regulation in its entirety nationwide and we are seeking to intervene on a behalf of a nonprofit to revive, before the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, portions of the regulation related to pregnancy
• Victim Rights Law Center v. U.S. Department of Education, a case challenging the Trump administration’s decision to gut the Department’s Office for Civil Rights by imposing a massive reduction in force and closing over half its regional offices
• Brown v. Arizona, a successful appeal before the en banc Ninth Circuit, and then a successful opposition to a cert petition, concerning schools’ Title IX obligations to address off-campus sexual harassment

We also engage in policy and media advocacy on issues that affect our clients, create educational materials for students, families, and lawyers, and collaborate with other advocates, including student organizers. For more information about the SCRP’s work, visit our website here.

The Fellowship

Consistent with their funded project, the fellow would work on litigation and advocacy with the SCRP’s attorneys, as well as a network of lawyers who collaborate on Public Justice’s work, other public interest groups, and our communications staff. The Fellow would also be responsible for conducting intakes and helping develop materials to educate the public and the bar about their work. We are particularly interested in hosting a Fellow whose project focuses on anti-trans discrimination, hostile educational environments for immigrant students, discriminatory discipline based on race and/or gender, or discriminatory censorship in schools, though we are open to project proposals outside this scope. This is an exempt position and will report to a senior attorney. We will work closely with the selected candidate to craft an appropriate project proposal for fellowship applications. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of funding from an external funder in an amount no less than $50,000 per year.

Qualifications

• D. degree (by Fall 2026).
• Admission to a state bar or pending admission by Fall 2026
• Excellent analytical, legal research, legal writing, and speaking skills.
• Litigation experience (e.g., from internships, clinics, or clerkships).
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks at a time and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivation and proven ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Sensitivity to the needs and concerns of, and ability to work well with, individuals and groups from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to follow-through.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Healthy sense of outrage and desire to change the world for the better.
• Experience in civil litigation is preferred.
• Willingness to travel on occasion.
• Strong preference for candidates who would work on Eastern Time, like the rest of the SCRP team.

Salary

We offer a mission-focused work environment and a teamwork and community-oriented approach, and a competitive compensation package. Our attorneys are paid on a salary scale based on years out of law school. The annual salary for an attorney who is less than a year out of law school is $84,500. We offer healthy work-life balance policies, including operating on a four-day work week year-round.

Benefits

• Four-day work week (30-hour work week)
• Flexible schedule
• Three weeks of paid vacation
• Two weeks of sick leave
• Two personal days each year
• All federal holidays and some local holidays off (Public Justice acknowledge there are various religious and cultural holidays that are important to our team. We encourage team members to take any days necessary for observing holidays and celebrations that are central to their faith tradition or communities.)
• Employer-sponsored health plan
• 401 (k) plan

How to Apply

Your application should consist of two electronic files:

• The following should be in a single PDF file:
• Cover letter that conveys why you are drawn to Public Justice’s mission and the objectives of this position and how your experience fits with those objectives, and well as any ideas or vision you have for your project. Please specify in your cover letter whether you are applying to work in the Washington, D.C. office or remotely.
• Law school transcript (official or unofficial).
• Contact information for three references.
• Please send a separate PDF file of a writing sample, preferably a legal brief or memorandum unedited or only lightly edited by another, including a cover sheet explaining the extent of editing by someone else.

Please send your application to lawfellow@publicjustice.net. Reference “2026 SCRP Fellowship” in the subject line. Starting on Thursday, June 5, 2025, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access

We recognize that creating a truly equitable, inclusive, and diverse organization is an ongoing journey, and we’re proud and excited to share our journey with you. Please read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy, available here.

Public Justice is an equal-opportunity employer and values a diverse workplace. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equitable employment opportunities are available to all applicants. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship of immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. People of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Public Justice is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations during any part of the hiring process, please email kbaker@publicjustice.net.

Studies have shown that members of marginalized groups tend to underestimate their qualifications and are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications in a job description, despite the reality that applicants rarely ever meet 100% of the qualifications. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization and are most interested in finding the best candidate for the role. That candidate may come from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay! We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.

FALL 2025 LEGAL EXTERNS

with focus on Access to Justice Project, Debtors’ Prison Project, Environmental Enforcement Project, or Students’ Civil Rights Project

WASHINGTON, D.C., or REMOTE

View PDF of job listing here.

Who We Are

Public Justice is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that takes on the biggest systemic threats to justice of our time—abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights, and the destruction of the Earth’s sustainability. It connects high impact litigation with strategic communications and the strength of our partnerships to fight these abusive and discriminatory systems and win social and economic justice.

What We Are Looking For

Public Justice seeks to hire four legal externs for the Fall 2025 semester, one in each of our four project areas. While each extern will focus on a single project area, they may work in other project areas as need and opportunity arise. Our four project areas are:

• The Access to Justice Project seeks to make the civil court system a fair, equitable, and effective tool for those with less power to win just outcomes. Primarily through high-impact litigation, we dismantle the procedural and structural barriers between ordinary people and the civil justice system, such as forced arbitration, limits on collective actions, overly strict standing requirements, and unwarranted court secrecy.
• The Debtors’ Prison Project fights to end the criminalization of poverty and shrink the carceral system. Working with allies and impacted communities, we use litigation, advocacy, and education to ensure no one is jailed simply because they can’t pay and to stop governments and for-profit corporations from treating people impacted by the system as a revenue source.
• The Students’ Civil Rights Project combines high-impact litigation with other advocacy tools to combat harassment and other forms of discrimination in schools. We strive to create systemic change so all students can learn and thrive, and to secure justice for students who are denied educational opportunities based on their race, national origin, ethnicity, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

• The Environmental Enforcement Project goes to court every day to fight climate change, secure environmental justice, and make polluters pay. We utilize the most powerful tools available to

citizens by enforcing our Nation’s environmental laws in state and federal court. Our

experienced litigators win precedent-setting cases that result in meaningful, transformative change. We hold polluters accountable by requiring corporations to clean up their act and comply with our Nation’s environmental laws.

The externs are welcome to work in-person in Public Justice’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., subject to pandemic conditions and vaccination status, or the externs may work remotely. All externs may assist attorneys in Public Justice’s Washington, D.C., office, as well as remote attorneys throughout the country.

Public Justice’s law externs research and develop new cases in conjunction with our attorneys, law fellows, and cooperating counsel. They also assist attorneys in ongoing litigation. Our law externs are involved in legal research and writing, case review, and brainstorming on theories and approaches designed to ensure that justice is achieved.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access

Public Justice is an equal-opportunity employer and values a diverse workplace. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equitable employment opportunities are available to all applicants. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. People of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender-diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. Please visit this link to read our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access policy statement: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access.

Public Justice is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations during any part of the hiring process, please email kbaker@publicjustice.net

How to Apply

These positions are open to those who can secure academic credit for their work with Public Justice. We

will help students secure academic credit from their schools. Applicants must be second- or third-year law students at the time of the externship, and 3Ls are preferred. We do not accept applications from first-year or undergraduate students.

Please submit your application to lawfellow@publicjustice.net no later than June 23, 2025. Reference the project for which you are applying in your subject line, and specify in your cover letter whether you are applying to work in the Washington, D.C., office or remotely. You must submit multiple applications to apply to more than one project. Applications should consist of two electronic files: (1) your cover letter, resume, transcript, and contact information for two references in a single .pdf file; and (2) a writing sample in another .pdf file.

For more information on Public Justice, please visit our website at www.publicjustice.net.

May 2025

SPONSORSHIP FOR DEBTORS’ PRISON PROJECT LEGAL FELLOWSHIP

STARTING FALL 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. or REMOTE

Public Justice is a public interest legal advocacy organization that takes on the biggest systemic threats to justice of our time – abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights and liberties, and the destruction of the earth’s sustainability. We connect high-impact litigation with strategic communications and the strength of our partnerships to fight these abusive and discriminatory systems and win social and economic justice.

Our Debtors’ Prison Project invites rising third-year law students and law graduates to apply for an opportunity to work with us as a legal Fellow. We seek to host a candidate to apply for one- or two-year public interest fellowships from funders such as Skadden, Equal Justice Works, and/or Justice Catalyst to begin in the fall of 2026. In consultation with Public Justice, candidates can decide which funders they apply to.

Debtors’ Prison Project (DPP) Overview

The Debtors’ Prison Project is dedicated to fighting the criminalization of poverty nationwide at every stage of the criminal legal process: from arrest through the imposition and collection of fines and fees. Working with allies and impacted communities, we use strategic litigation, advocacy, and education to ensure no one is jailed simply because they can’t pay and to stop governments and for-profit corporations from treating families impacted by the system as a revenue source.

Many aspects of the criminal legal system disproportionately harm poor people and trap families in a cycle of oppression and poverty. We fight to identify, attack, and ultimately dismantle the policies, laws, and narratives that contribute to this unequal treatment and allow entities to profit from this captive market. Our work focuses on countering the incentives for governments and private companies to shift the costs of the criminal legal system onto those least able to pay: indigent criminal defendants, their families, and their communities—incentives that also encourage police and other government actors to misallocate resources away from public safety and onto revenue generation. We fight to eliminate the most pervasive and harmful criminal fees, including public defender fees and jail “pay-to-stay” fees; end the practice of detaining people solely because they can’t pay money bail or meet other financial criteria for release; challenge 2

revenue-sharing arrangements between government and private actors, which create conflicts of interest and extract wealth from families; and fight policies that criminalize homelessness.

The Fellowship

Consistent with their funded project, the fellow would work on litigation and advocacy with DPP attorneys, as well as a network of lawyers who collaborate on Public Justice’s work, other advocacy organizations, and our communications staff. This is an exempt position and will report to a senior attorney. Employment is contingent upon the receipt of funding from an external funder in an amount no less than $50,000 per year.

We will work closely with the selected candidate to craft an appropriate project proposal focused on a specific area of our work, ideally in a single jurisdiction. For example, a fellow could design a project focused on one of these areas:

• Legal advocacy on behalf of people who are charged “pay to stay” fees for their time in jail or prison. Over a third of U.S. jails charge a per diem rate to people they incarcerate. Practices in state prisons vary, but almost every state takes a portion of incarcerated workers’ pay to cover “costs of incarceration.” Most states have statutes permitting assessment of these fees, but few people can afford to pay them. And in many jurisdictions, the debt is turned over to for-profit collection firms that tack on their own fees. DPP is currently litigating a case in federal court raising constitutional claims on behalf of people charged pay to stay fees, and we are investigating potential cases in a number of jurisdictions. A fellow could potentially focus on establishing that federal and state consumer protection statutes (such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) protect people who allegedly owe money for jail fees, or design a fellowship project focused on an another aspect of jail fees that DPP has not yet worked on.
• Legal advocacy on behalf of homeless people whose vehicles are towed and impounded by police. It is estimated that 40 percent of unhoused people in the Western states live in their car, truck, van, or camper. When a person’s vehicle shelter is impounded, either as a direct result of their homelessness (because of bans on residing in a vehicle on public land and streets) or for some other infraction, residents cannot retrieve them without paying exorbitant fees. The result is that marginally housed people often lose their most valuable asset and their only shelter—while tow companies profit from lucrative contracts with kickbacks to police departments. In some states, people whose cars are impounded are charged an additional fee for “abandoning” their vehicles—and as long as that fee remains unpaid, the individual’s drivers license is suspended, and they can’t lawfully register a car. We think many aspects of these policies may be unconstitutional, and a fellow could design a project focused on challenging practices like these in a particular state or community.
• A project of your design. We want to hear your ideas! For example:
  • DPP’s 2020 Skadden Fellow developed new challenges to the imposition of unpayable fines and fees using the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause.

• • DPP’s 2022 Skadden Fellow developed impact litigation on behalf of unhoused people in Arizona challenging the criminalization of homelessness, including the imposition of court debts arising from homelessness-related offenses.
  • DPP’s 2024 Skadden Fellow is investigating potential impact litigation on behalf of people in Tennessee who are being denied court-appointed counsel or billed for public defender fees.

Qualifications

• J.D. degree (by Fall 2026);
• Admission to a state bar or pending admission by Fall 2026;
• Litigation experience (e.g., from internships, clinics, or clerkships);
• Strong commitment to racial justice and to ending mass incarceration and wealth-based punishment;
• Excellent analytical, legal research, legal writing, and speaking skills;
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills;
• Self-motivation and proven ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks at a time and work in a fast-paced environment;
• Creativity, initiative, strong work ethic, and sound judgment;
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to follow-through;
• Willingness to travel;
• Comfort with meeting with potential clients and witnesses in jail and prison settings; and
• Ability and willingness to contribute to the creation of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work community that thrives on collaboration.

Salary

We offer a mission-focused work environment and a teamwork and community-oriented approach, and a competitive compensation package. Our attorneys are paid on a salary scale based on years out of law school. The annual salary for an attorney who is less than a year out of law school is $84,500. We offer healthy work-life balance policies, including operating on a four-day work week year-round.

Benefits

• Four-day work week (30-hour work week)
• Flexible schedule
• Three weeks of paid vacation
• Two weeks of sick leave
• Two personal days each year
• All federal holidays and some local holidays off (Public Justice acknowledge there are various religious and cultural holidays that are important to our team. We encourage team members to take any days necessary for observing holidays and celebrations that are central to their faith tradition or communities.)
• Employer-sponsored health plan
• 401 (k) plan

4

How to Apply

Your application should consist of two electronic files:

(1) The following should be in a single PDF file:

• Cover letter that conveys why you are drawn to Public Justice’s mission and the objectives of this position and how your experience fits with those objectives, and well as any ideas or vision you have for your project. Please specify in your cover letter whether you are applying to work in the Washington, D.C. office or remotely.

• Resume.

• Law school transcript (official or unofficial).

• Contact information for three references.

(2) Please send a separate PDF file of a writing sample, preferably a legal brief or memorandum unedited or only lightly edited by another, including a cover sheet explaining the extent of editing by someone else.

Please send your application to lawfellow@publicjustice.net. Reference “2026 DPP Fellowship” in the subject line. Starting on Thursday, June 12, 2025, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access

We recognize that creating a truly equitable, inclusive, and diverse organization is an ongoing journey, and we’re proud and excited to share our journey with you. Please read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy, available here.

Public Justice is an equal-opportunity employer and values a diverse workplace. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equitable employment opportunities are available to all applicants. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship of immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. People of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Public Justice is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations during any part of the hiring process, please email kbaker@publicjustice.net.

Studies have shown that members of marginalized groups tend to underestimate their qualifications and are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications in a job description, despite the reality that applicants rarely ever meet 100% of the qualifications. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization and are most interested in finding the best candidate for the role. That candidate may come from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay! We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.