Legal Fellowship

Summary

Join American Oversight, a nonpartisan nonprofit watchdog, as a postgraduate legal fellow starting in fall 2026. This fellowship is unfunded, but AO will serve as a sponsoring employer for applications to other funding sources. Fellows will contribute to investigations of government misconduct and abuses of power. Responsibilities may include reviewing current events, drafting FOIA requests and appeals, conducting legal research, drafting court pleadings, participating in litigation strategy meetings, and collaborating with the communications team. Successful candidates will be current 3L students (or recent graduates serving as judicial clerks) committed to public-interest advocacy and possessing strong writing, research, and communication skills. AO offers a generous benefits package for funded fellows.

Requirements

• Fellows should either be current 3L students expected to graduate from an ABA-accredited law school by June 2026, or recent graduates of an ABA-accredited law school currently serving as judicial clerks
• Commitment to take a bar exam by summer 2026 and expectation to be admitted to the bar of D.C. or a state by winter 2026-2027
• Commitment to public-interest advocacy and an interest in litigation
• An interest in American Oversight’s mission of government accountability and transparency
• Exceptional writing, research, and oral communications skills
• Sound judgment and ability to analyze situations and information
• Strong organizational and project-management abilities
• Ability to work collaboratively
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity

Responsibilities

• Review and research current events to spot potential legal issues and to identify opportunities to uncover state and federal government malfeasance or unethical conduct
• Collaborate with our research team to craft, review, and revise draft Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open records act requests
• Draft FOIA and state open records act administrative appeals
• Conduct legal research to support our lawsuits and open records work
• Draft court pleadings, including complaints, motions, and briefs, or sections of briefs
• Participate in litigation strategy meetings, and help prepare for and observe court hearings, depositions, or other litigation events
• Collaborate with our communications team to prepare reports and other editorial content for our website based on the findings of our investigations

Preferred Qualifications

Previous exposure to litigation, knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act, state open records laws, and/or government ethics laws is helpful but not required

Benefits

For funded legal fellows, American Oversight can supplement your fellowship with a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes 80% of health, dental, and vision premiums paid by the organization, a retirement plan with a matching contribution, and remote office reimbursements for personal devices and wireless connectivity