Job Details
American Oversight welcomes the opportunity to work with 3L legal fellowship applicants seeking placements to commence after 2024 law school graduation. We are excited to support postgraduate legal fellowship applications of committed and motivated candidates interested in helping us expose government misconduct and abuses of power. We're a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that promotes truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records.
From the federal Freedom of Information Act to state transparency laws, we file carefully crafted records requests to extract information from the government, and if officials fail to respond as required by law, our team has the expertise to take them to court and enforce the public's right to hold our leaders accountable. American Oversight has obtained and published more than one million pages of emails, memos, calendars, text messages, and other records.
We have had previous success with applicants seeking general fellowship funding to join our team, but we will also consider applicants seeking funding for specific project proposals.
Qualifications
- Fellows should have graduated from law school and taken a bar exam before their fellowship would commence in fall 2024.
- Commitment to public-interest advocacy.
- An interest in American Oversight's mission of government accountability and transparency.
- Exceptional writing, research, and oral communications skills.
- Sound judgment and ability to analyze situations and information.
- Strong organizational and project-management abilities.
- Ability to work collaboratively.
- High degree of professional ethics and integrity.
- Previous litigation experience, knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act, state open records laws, and/or government ethics laws is helpful but not required.
Once we identify a candidate who is a good fit, we will work collaboratively to complete fellowship applications, including providing any required employer information, documentation, and certifications, as well as working with the candidate to refine a project proposal, if necessary.
Responsibilities Fellowship responsibilities may differ depending on fellowship parameters and requirements and the status of our cases. General fellowship responsibilities may include:
- Review and research current events to spot potential legal issues and to identify opportunities to uncover state and federal government malfeasance or unethical conduct.
- Collaborate with our research team to craft, review, and revise draft Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open records act requests
- Draft FOIA and state open records act administrative appeals.
- Conduct legal research to support our lawsuits and open records work.
- Draft court pleadings, including complaints, motions, and briefs or brief sections.
- Participate in litigation strategy meetings, and help prepare for and observe court hearings, depositions, or other litigation events.
- Collaborate with our communications team to prepare reports and other editorial content for our website based on the findings of our investigations.
Additional Information American Oversight is proudly an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse team. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they have every one of the qualifications listed. We are dedicated to finding the best candidate for the job. Our hiring process is centered on assessing candidates with diverse lived experiences. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of our qualifications described. If you are unsure of whether you meet the qualifications of this position, or how this would be determined, please contact us to discuss your application.
For funded legal fellows, American Oversight can supplement your fellowship with the following benefits:
- Health, vision, dental and STD/LTD, life insurance.
- 403(b) retirement contributions up to 4%.
- Generous time off including three weeks of vacation, four personal days, eight sick days, two volunteer days, and sixteen paid holidays.
- Monthly reimbursements for cell phone and home internet.
- Home office supply reimbursements.
- Funding for professional development.
American Oversight is a remote-first organization, and fellows can work from any existing American Oversight state locations (AL, CA, CO, DC, GA, MA, MD, MO, NC, ND, NJ, NY, OK, OR, VA, and WI). Our office in downtown Washington, DC is an optional workspace.
How to Apply Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter with their application. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We will consider proposals on a rolling basis.