Fellow - Skadden or Equal Justice Works

Description

Calling All Potential Skadden or Equal Justice Works Fellows!

Will you be a 3L, recent law graduate, or judicial clerk in fall 2025? If so, we invite you to consider applying for a Skadden or Equal Justice Works (EJW) post-graduate fellowship with Legal Aid Chicago as your host organization.

About Legal Aid Chicago

For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Learn more about our work at www.legalaidchicago.org.

Legal Aid Chicago staff live our collective mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please submit the following materials by July 15, 2025:

• Resume and a cover letter (including the nature of your interest in civil legal services, your relevant experience, and early ideas for a fellowship project – although a detailed proposal is not required at this stage)
• Brief legal writing sample (2-4 pages)
• Law school transcript
• Contact information for two professional references

We are open to hosting fellows in any of the areas where Legal Aid Chicago practices. We may decide to sponsor more than one applicant for each fellowship opportunity. A fellowship award is not a guarantee of continued employment with Legal Aid Chicago once the fellowship ends.

If you are applying for a fellowship other than or in addition to Skadden or EJW, we encourage you to follow the same application process and indicate the specific fellowship(s) in your materials.

Salary and Benefits: 

This position is part of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320. The Collective Bargaining Agreement sets employment terms and compensation is determined by the CBA salary scale, based on paid experience.

The budgeted starting salary for this position is $69,433, which reflects 0-1 year of paid, credited experience. 

Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Bilingual Staff Attorneys are eligible for an additional stipend
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, effective the first day of employment
• Time Off: 15 vacation days and 18 sick days accrued within the first year of employment
• 19 paid holidays, including four (4) floating holidays
• Twelve weeks of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of the salary after six months of employment
• 403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution after one year of employment
• $50,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance, at no cost
• Access to Employee Assistance Program resources, at no cost
• Monthly internet reimbursement
• Legal Aid Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is an eligible employer for the federal public service loan forgiveness program 

Requirements

We welcome applicants who bring a passion for justice and a commitment to advancing the rights of our client communities. Ideal candidates will have the following:

• Experience with, or demonstrated commitment to, civil legal services
• Excellent research, writing, and court advocacy skills
• Strong communication and interpersonal abilities, with a collaborative mindset
• Personal or professional connection to our client communities, especially people living in poverty (we encourage you to share this in your cover letter)
• Oral proficiency in a language other than English is highly valued

Applicants must also meet one of the following qualifications:

• An Illinois law license or the ability to become licensed in Illinois, or
• At least two years of completed law school credit at an ABA-accredited school

Legal Aid Chicago is firmly committed to creating a diverse workplace and are proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and therefore do not discriminate on the basis of creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital or parental status, alienage, disability, political affiliation or belief, military or military discharge status, or ex-offender status. Applicants who have experiences with our client communities are encouraged to apply.