The National Education Association Office of General Counsel is pleased to announce an opening for a Law Fellow, to start in September 2022. The NEA Law Fellowship offers the opportunity for a recent law school graduate to work on a wide variety of litigation and advocacy projects to advance the cause of public education and the interests of educators and students. The Fellowship is for a period of one year, with the option of extending, upon mutual agreement, for one additional year. The NEA Office of General Counsel each year hosts between three and four Law Fellows, who work collaboratively within a legal team of over a dozen attorneys.
NEA is the largest labor organization in the country representing nearly 3 million teachers and other education professionals. NEA’s work includes substantial advocacy at the federal, state and local level in support of public education and educational employees and significant research and policy initiatives to promote equal access to quality education for all students.
POSITION SUMMARY: NEA lawyers specialize in subject areas as varied as political law, union rights, employment discrimination, student civil rights, privacy law, federal and state constitutional rights, and immigration law, among many others. The Office handles legal disputes that arise largely in the context of public education and labor policy, aspects of which include school funding, charter school expansion, and public-sector collective bargaining. The Office of General Counsel also advises NEA in meeting its compliance requirements, such as those under corporate and tax laws, campaign-finance laws, and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. In all of these areas, the Office benefits from significant contributions made by Law Fellows.
The NEA Office of General Counsel’s docket includes cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and state appellate courts. In addition, the NEA Office of General Counsel frequently represents NEA in advocacy around federal regulatory initiatives affecting NEA members and leaders. The Office also administers the National Organization of Lawyers for Educational Associations (“NOLEA”), a national network of lawyers representing school employees and their associations. The Office holds an annual conference and serves as a resource for NOLEA members throughout the year.
Whenever possible, Law Fellows are given the opportunity to participate in hearings, meetings, events, and strategy discussions among NEA lawyers and colleagues in law firms across the country. Law Fellows work out of NEA’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Law Fellows receive a generous benefits package that includes medical and dental insurance and paid time off.
Required Skills
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to social justice, excellent research and writing skills, and a desire to practice union-side labor and/or education law.
Apply online at www.nea.org/jobs (Candidates will need to upload a letter of interest, resume, significant writing sample (between 10 and 30 pages), law school transcript, and a list of three references.)
Required Experience
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to social justice, excellent research and writing skills, and a desire to practice union-side labor and/or education law.
Apply online at www.nea.org/jobs (Candidates will need to upload a letter of interest, resume, significant writing sample (between 10 and 30 pages), law school transcript, and a list of three references.)