2022 Legal Fellowship Sponsorship - Make the Road New York
Make the Road New York (MRNY) announces the opportunity to apply for sponsorship for legal
fellowship opportunities for the fall of 2022 in the area of workplace justice. MRNY will consider for
sponsorship rising third year law students, or recent law graduates currently in clerkships, or with
clerkships beginning in the fall 2021, for public interest fellowships including those funded by the
Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works, Kirkland & Ellis, Justice Catalyst, Soros, and law schools, among others.
THE ORGANIZATION:
Make the Road New York builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve
dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival
services. MRNY operates neighborhood-based community centers in Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; Port Richmond, Staten Island; Brentwood, Long Island and White Plains, NY. With a membership of more than 24,000 low-income New Yorkers, MRNY tackles the critical issues facing our community: workplace justice, tenants’ rights, immigrants’ rights, language-access, TGNCIQ justice, public education, healthcare access, and immigration reform.
LEGAL AND SUPPORT SERVICES AT MAKE THE ROAD NEW YORK:
The Department of Legal and Support Services works to strengthen MRNY’s organizing work by (1) helping to envision and implement leverage strategies, including strategic litigation, that help win our organizing campaigns; (2) providing technical legal support for policy work; and (3) providing legal and support services to high-need immigrant communities, including MRNY’s active members. The Department currently employs approximately 45 attorneys and advocates. Our legal team is integrated into all aspects of the organization’s work.
CURRENT OPENING:
MRNY seeks candidates interested in developing a strategic project in the field of workplace justice on behalf of underserved immigrants in the communities we serve. The project will be embedded in our workplace justice legal team and will aim to closely align with the organizing priorities of the communities we serve. Recent past projects focused on advocating on behalf of delivery workers to improve working conditions and representing domestic workers and cleaners facing exploitation and hazardous working conditions. We welcome projects that will address new pressing legal issues facing low-wage immigrant workers and/or that target particularly vulnerable groups of workers in specific industries and sectors and/or geographical areas. We will also consider proposals for workers’ rights projects that seek to take advantage of specific legal strategies, including education and enforcement of new laws and/or new and innovative approaches to asserting workers’ claims.
Qualifications:
Applicants currently working, or with a history of working with, in, or on behalf of community-based
organizations and with an interest in social justice are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants
should have experience working in the field of workers’ rights, particularly in legal internships or
clinics. Spanish language proficiency is required; fluency is preferred. Applicants must either be
admitted to the New York Bar or sitting for the New York Bar in February or July 2022.
MRNY is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and is committed to a diverse staff.
People of color, women, LGBTQ identified, and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, genetic information, disability or marital status.
How to Apply:
Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter, including a brief description of their
area of interest and/or ideas for a fellowship project via e-mail to Elizabeth Jordan, Deputy Legal
Director, at elizabeth.joynesjordan@maketheroadny.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with a final deadline to apply on July 2, 2021.