Law Fellow - Office of the General Counsel

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

Law Fellow
Office of the General Counsel

Based in Washington, DC
[Headquarters]

Law Fellow
AFSCME Office of the General Counsel
Location: Washington, DC – Headquarters
One-Year Temporary Position
Salary: $87,000

AFSCME is one of the largest, most diverse unions in the country, with 1.4 million members devoted to public service. We are a leader in racial, social and economic justice within the labor movement and beyond. The Office of the General Counsel is integral to advancing AFSCME’s mission and is looking for an exceptional law school graduate to join us in our fight to improve and expand workers’ rights. The one-year law fellowship starts after Labor Day 2027 and ends prior to Labor Day 2028.

Our department provides legal representation and advice to the officers and staff of the International Union and to AFSCME councils and locals throughout the nation. We support AFSCME leaders and staff to address a variety of legal issues, which include complex questions arising under a wide range of state and federal laws; provide legal support to organizing campaigns involving both public and private sector employees; support political action and legislative programs with legal analysis and drafting; provide advice and assistance on internal governance matters and union democracy; and support litigation ranging from defending against hostile corporate forces to filing affirmative lawsuits to strengthen our union. Emphasis is directed at legal issues involving organizing the unorganized and other subjects of nationwide concern to AFSCME and its members. 

AFSCME’s Law Fellow program is a one-year fellowship that provides new law school graduates, who have a passion for workers’ rights, with an introduction to our union and a foundation in the practice of labor law. The Law Fellow works directly with our experienced attorneys on a variety of projects involving legal support for organizing campaigns, state and federal constitutional litigation, state and federal legislative and regulatory development, and internal union governance. The goal of this program is to buttress the existing resources and contribute to the work of the Office of the General Counsel, while providing the Law Fellow with the necessary experience, professional development and mentorship to embark on a successful union-side labor law career.

Duties: 
The Duties of the Law Fellow include:

• Supporting AFSCME attorneys in assisting AFSCME affiliates, officers and staff to advance programs and policies of AFSCME; 
• Supporting litigation in state and federal courts and state and federal administrative agencies, often in collaboration with outside counsel; 
• Supporting organizing and other strategic campaigns of AFSCME and its affiliates; 
• Supporting and helping to develop legislative initiatives for AFSCME and its affiliates; 

by performing the following tasks:

• Legal research and analysis;
• Preparing legal briefs, memoranda and declarations; 
• Analyzing, interpreting and evaluating legislation and regulations;
• Contributing to strategic assessments and decision-making;
• Developing internal and external communications and guidance;
• Other duties as assigned. 

Requirements: 
Education and Experience: 

• Graduation from an accredited law school; admission or pending admission to a bar (must have sat for a bar exam, but need not have passed yet); 
• Demonstrated commitment to serving working people;
• Proficiency in working with Westlaw (or other legal research database software) and applicable Microsoft Office applications; and
• Demonstrated experience productively interacting with diverse groups of people and promoting institutional equity.

Travel and work hours: 

• Occasional travel and extended work hours may be required. 

Compensation: 

• Annual salary of $87,000.
• Health insurance benefits.

To Apply:
To be considered: Send letter of interest, résumé, writing sample, law school transcript, and references by email to: View email address on us.fitly.work .

WHEN APPLYING: Be sure to indicate that you saw this information at .