The Fair Work Center seeks third year law students or recent law graduates interested in applying for public interest fellowships beginning in fall 2023, including Skadden, Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, and other independently funded programs. Fellows may be based either in Seattle or Yakima, depending on the final project proposal. They will be supervised by the Legal Director.
FWC Legal Fellowship
About Fair Work Center
Our organization builds worker power through education, organizing, and enforcement. We work to raise and uphold standards in the workplace. And we fight for economic and racial justice in our communities. Our Base Building team trains hundreds of workers a year about their rights on
the job. Our Legal Clinic works to ensure that workers know their rights under city, state, and federal law and that employers are held accountable to labor standards.
We provide free individual consultations, pro se assistance, representation in administrative enforcement processes, and maintain an active strategic litigation docket. Over the past five years we have served thousands of workers and have recovered millions of dollars in unpaid wages. In addition to direct representation our attorneys provide policy analysis, research, and enforcement strategy support campaigns to improve workplace conditions.
Our partner organization Working Washington leads innovative campaigns organizing delivery workers in the gig economy, enforcing Seattle’s Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, and making Washington’s workplace laws among the best in the country. Throughout the COVID-19
pandemic our organizations have advocated for hazard pay for frontline workers, health and safety enforcement, and access to unemployment for gig and immigrant workers. Together, we have a history of making transformative demands for working people and winning big.
Fellowships
The fellowship candidate must be a third-year law student or recent law school graduate with a demonstrated record of public service and a willingness to apply for public interest law fellowships. Fair Work Center staff will work closely with candidates to explore project proposals that align with their interest as well as advance unmet needs of low-wage and vulnerable workers.
In addition to work on a fellowship-sponsored project, fellows’ responsibilities may include:
- Conducting consultations with workers and advising them of their rights under local, state, and federal law;
- Representing clients in state and federal litigation, and before administrative agencies;
- Developing and providing self-help resources to assist workers navigating enforcement processes, including agencies and small claims court;
- Providing research and policy support to strategic enforcement campaigns and minimum standards legislation at the local, state, and national level;
- Collaborating with Fair Work Center and Working Washington staff to design and implement campaigns advancing the rights of workers in priority industries;
- Supporting training and education initiatives that build the capacity of worker leaders and partner organization staff to enforce existing workplace protections.
Candidate Qualifications
- Licensed to practice law in Washington state, or intending to sit for the Washington state bar upon graduation;
- Demonstrated commitment to racial and economic justice, and to the mission of the Fair Work Center and Working Washington;
- Ability to speak another language is strongly preferred;
- Excellent legal research, analysis, and writing skills;
- Ability to think strategically, explore creative solutions to problems, and communicate effectively with colleagues, partners, and policymakers;
- Ability to work collaboratively with community educators and organizers.
Salary & Benefits
Fellows are included as members of the bargaining unit. We provide a generous benefits package, including fully-paid family health care, 5% employer 401k contribution, substantial holidays, vacation and sick leave, and an ORCA card for employees in the Puget Sound area.
Location: This is a salaried overtime exempt position that may require occasional evening and weekend work and occasional travel throughout the state.
How to Apply
Interested fellows should submit a cover letter, resume, and legal writing sample (not to exceed 8 pages) to Jeremiah Miller (jobs@fairworkcenter.org) with the applicant’s last name and “Legal Fellow” in the subject line. The cover letter should include at least one project proposal. Submissions for Fellowships will be accepted through August 5, 2022.
Commitment to Equity
Fair Work Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage people from communities most negatively affected by historical and ongoing inequity to apply, such as: people of color, immigrants, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities. We seek candidates whose lived experiences reflect the lived experiences of the workers we support. If you need disability, language or other accommodation in the application process, please contact Zhi Chen at
zhi@fairworkcenter.org.