The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is pleased to announce that it is seeking applicants for the 2019–21 Jerry Shestack Justice Fellowship. The Shestack Fellow will be engaged in civil rights litigation of national significance, working side-by-side with leaders of the civil rights bar in the Lawyers’ Committee and in private practice. The Fellow will work under the Chief Counsel of the Lawyers’ Committee, and will gain broad litigation experience related to the various civil rights issues addressed by the Lawyers’ Committee. 

About the Fellowship

The Jerry Shestack Justice Fellowship is a two-year litigation-focused fellowship that is selected on a bi-annual basis by the Lawyers’ Committee in consultation with the Shestack Justice Advisory Committee. Jerry Shestack was an extraordinary lawyer and a driving force in advancing the cause of civil and human rights. One of his greatest legacies was his central role in the founding of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in 1963.

Law school graduates who have passed the bar and have two or more years of outstanding litigation experience and/or judicial clerkships are eligible. The chosen Fellow will have demonstrated a passion and commitment to civil rights issues and public service and have shown promise of becoming an exceptional litigator.

The Fellow is paid at the same salary of Lawyers’ Committee attorneys with the same number of years of experience. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work on cases being litigated by a number of the Lawyers’ Committee projects.

How to Apply

Please apply at https://podio.com/webforms/22448254/1581885. Applications must include the following materials:

• Resume

• Law school transcript

• Two-page letter of intent

• List of three references

• Writing sample

Applications are due by Friday, April 19, 2019. Applicants selected as finalists will be asked to submit two letters of recommendation. We expect to announce the successful applicant in June. The Shestack Fellow will begin working at the Lawyers’ Committee in Fall 2019. For more information about applying, contact Brendan Downes at bdownes@lawyerscommittee.org or (202) 662-8333.

About the Lawyers’ Committee

The Lawyers’ Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The Lawyers’ Committee is unique among national public interest legal providers in that its mission is not only to secure equal justice for all, but to do so utilizing the wide range of expertise in the private bar and staff to provide innovative, multifaceted, interdisciplinary approaches. The work of the Lawyers’ Committee is conducted nationally through five core issue areas, including fair housing and community development, educational opportunities, economic justice, criminal justice, and voting rights.

The Lawyers’ Committee is an equal opportunity employer with a standing policy of nondiscrimination. This means that all qualified persons are accorded an equal opportunity for employment or promotion without regard to actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, personal appearance, genetic information, matriculation, or political affiliation.