Sponsorship for Externally Funded Fellowship

Location – San Francisco, CA or Washington, DC

Reports to - Managing Attorney, ESVE Program

Overview

Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) invites rising third-year law students or recent graduates to apply for sponsorship for post-graduate attorney public interest fellowships, including Justice Catalyst, Skadden, Equal Justice Works, law school-sponsored fellowships or other fellowship opportunities, to work with ERA for one to two years beginning in Fall 2026.

About ERA

Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is a national civil rights organization founded in 1974 to expand access and opportunities for women and girls, primarily in employment and education. Since its inception, ERA has been on the front lines of advancing gender justice through a combination of impact litigation, policy advocacy, public education, and direct legal services, bringing visibility to the experiences and voices of the people we represent.  ERA’s headquarters are in San Francisco and we have a number of staff members located in Washington, DC and other areas.  The fellow will work on a hybrid or remote basis and should be based in either the San Francisco or the Washington, DC area.  

For more information on Equal Rights Advocates, please visit its website.  

The Opportunity

Although we welcome ideas for specific projects, fellowship proposals need not be developed prior to application with our organization.  ERA works with prospective fellows to develop proposals that address critical gender justice issues and advance our current organizational priorities. We expect the fellow’s responsibilities to include a combination of litigation work and advising and counseling individuals with legal needs. ERA has been successful in obtaining past fellowship awards and is committed to supporting candidates during the application process to ensure the submission of a strong proposal. We are especially interested in candidates who will collaborate on simultaneous applications to more than one funder.

Candidate Profile

Required Qualifications:

• J.D. degree by or before June 2026


• Membership in at least one state bar or a plan to become a member


• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and public interest law


• Established knowledge of and interest in civil rights issues, preferably including gender justice


• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with others


• Excellent research, writing, analytical and interpersonal skills


• Self-motivation with the ability to take initiative, manage a variety of tasks and see projects through to completion


• Comfortable in a tech-oriented, paper-less environment and adept at and willing to learn about navigating various systems and Apps and other cloud-based systems/applications

The Candidate must have a valid authorization to work in the United States. ERA is unable to sponsor work visas. ERA does not provide relocation assistance.

Compensation & Benefits

The compensation for this position depends on external funding. If necessary, ERA will supplement the outside funding to align the salary with ERA’s salary scale for entry-level attorneys/ fellows. The salary may range between $70k - $75k. Fellowship will only commence if outside funding is awarded.

ERA offers comprehensive benefits package that includes employer-paid medical and dental plan options and employer-paid life and disability insurance benefits. Voluntary benefits include vision insurance, life and accidental insurance, critical illness and pre-tax flexible spending account. ERA also offers generous 403B match with 100% vesting from the first day of participation.

You will also receive generous amount of sick and vacation time.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted to the Hiring Manager using this LINK. For consideration, your application must include the following -

• A short cover letter describing your interest in ERA and public interest law, and, if you have a specific project idea, a description of your proposal


• Resume


• Law school transcript


• Writing sample


• A list of three professional references

We will review applications on a rolling basis, but priority consideration will be given to candidates who apply by August 28, 2025.  We expect to conduct interviews of selected applicants between September 1st and September 5, 2025. 

EEOC Statement

ERA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that will consider all applications equally without regard to sex, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, medical condition, religion, sexual orientation, differing ability, veteran status, marital status, arrest or conviction record, a combination of two or more protected traits or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants with differing abilities will be reasonably accommodated during the search process. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

ERA’s Equal Opportunity Employer Policy applies to all aspects and phases of employment. Through this commitment, ERA strives daily to maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive to all and free from discrimination. Applicants who need assistance or accommodation due to a disability may contact us at [email protected].