Economic Justice Pro Bono Scholars Program

The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) seeks enthusiastic, motivated law students with a commitment to racial and economic justice to participate in a placement with NCLEJ as part of New York State’s Pro Bono Scholars Program. Applicants should have excellent writing, legal research, and communication skills.

NCLEJ advances economic, racial, and disability justice for low-income families, individuals, and communities across the country, using ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. NCLEJ works to build systems that provide economic security, respect human dignity, and enable everyone to participate fully in our society. Specifically, our advocacy focuses on 1) safeguarding access to public benefits; 2) advancing the rights of lower wage workers; 3) combatting abusive debt collection and wealth extraction; and 4) advocating for disability justice, all of which we do through a racial justice lens. We litigate extensively in federal and state courts across the country, typically as lead counsel in class actions, and we partner with grassroots and community-based organizations, other legal organizations, and the private bar to achieve our mission. Internship Description: Pro Bono Scholars will work with staff attorneys to support ongoing impact litigation and class actions, policy analysis, and advocacy. Pro Bono Scholars have had the opportunity to assist with fact development and research for new litigation; discovery matters in pending litigation; legal and policy research on a variety of issues relating to federal court litigation; and collaborations with grassroots and community-based organizations.

Qualifications: Candidate must be a student at an accredited school of law. Students must

have experience in and/or a demonstrated commitment to social justice. Excellent writing and research skills are essential. Applicants must be able to complete the requirements of New York State’s Pro Bono Scholars program.

Vaccination Requirement: To help ensure that NCLEJ continues to operate in the safest

manner possible, NCLEJ requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-

19. Requests for medical and/or religious exemptions from the vaccination requirement will be considered on an individual basis, to the extent required by law.

Equal opportunity: NCLEJ is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. We value

a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and people from other historically disenfranchised communities to apply. NCLEJ does not discriminate because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital or parental status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

NCLEJ makes every effort to ensure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified individuals, including individuals with disabilities, with full opportunities for placement in all positions.

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and qualifications for the role.

How to apply: Send a cover letter, resume, list of three references, and legal writing

sample to student@nclej.org. We will review applications on a rolling basis. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to respond to every email. We will contact you if we wish to schedule an interview.

NCLEJ is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying, please contact Leah Lotto at 212-633-6967 or lotto@nclej.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.