Legal Fellowships

The Bazelon Center is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that promotes and protects the rights of adults and children with mental health disabilities by bringing cutting-edge litigation and shaping federal policy. The Bazelon Center’s staff work on U.S. Supreme Court and other federal and state appellate cases, bring impact litigation at the trial court level, engage in policy advocacy in Congress and at federal agencies, and provide education and training on the rights of people with mental health disabilities. The Bazelon Center’s attorneys are considered experts in systems reform litigation.

The Bazelon Center regularly seeks applicants for Skadden, Equal Justice Works, and other applicable fellowships.  Candidates interested in a fellowship project in one of our core areas of advocacy are encouraged to submit a preliminary proposal for consideration.  Currently we are seeking projects focused on:

  • mental health systems reform and the expansion of intensive community-based services,
  • criminal justice systems reform and non-police alternatives for responding to mental health emergencies,
  • children’s mental health and education systems reform, 
  • child welfare reform and the rights of parents and children with mental disabilities involved in the child welfare and foster care systems, or
  • algorithmic bias against people with disabilities and automated decision-making in public systems.

Please review our website to learn more about our current advocacy efforts in these areas.

Qualifications:

Applicants should be rising third-year law students or recent law school graduates with excellent academic credentials and strong research and writing skills. Related experience and/or judicial clerkship experience is a plus.

Salary:

Based on fellowship award amount.

Proposals should be submitted by June 20 of the year in which you plan to apply, and will be considered on a rolling basis.

To submit an proposal, please send the following materials via PDF attachment to Megan Schuller (megans@bazelon.org), Legal Director, subject line: Fellowship Proposal of (your name): 

(1) a cover letter explaining your qualifications and briefly describing your project idea,

(2) a resume,

(3) an unofficial transcript,

(4) a list of three references, and

(5) a writing sample of no more than ten pages.

The Center is an Equal Opportunity employer. People with disabilities, people who are members of minority groups, women, and veterans are encouraged to apply.