What are the responsibilities and job description for the Legal Researcher position at Student Basic Needs Coalition?
SBNC seeks an Equal Justice Works Fellow (Sept 2026 start) to help low-income college students keep food and health coverage.
OPPORTUNITY
Student Basic Needs Coalition (SBNC) is seeking to host recent graduates for Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own Fellowships beginning in September 2026. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals interested in public benefits and student basic needs to make a difference in the lives of students at risk of losing food and health coverage. Too many eligible students are wrongly denied SNAP or Medicaid—and the appeals process is confusing and time-sensitive. Partner with us to design a two-year project that could:
- Build a campus-to-clinic pipeline for SNAP/Medicaid appeals and related advocacy
- Support students through administrative appeals with our legal aid partners
- Create multilingual know-your-rights resources, form banks, and trainings for campus navigators
- Track outcomes and publish policy recommendations to fix systemic barriers
- Or other ideas which the applicant may want to explore...
About the Student Basic Needs Coalition (SBNC)
SBNC builds the social and technological infrastructure that helps students get from enrollment to graduation with their basic needs met. Our AI-enabled tool, NAVVY, screens students for benefits and guides them through applications and follow-up—then connects them to on-campus navigators and legal partners when cases need extra help. In 2025 alone, SBNC helped students across all 50 states unlock $32M in SNAP benefits, supported 7,600 Medicaid enrollments, and screened ~31,598 students for support. We pair tech with training, policy advocacy, and campus partnerships so colleges can systematically reduce food and housing insecurity—without waiting on new legislation.
QUALIFICATIONS
- You must have graduated from an Equal Justice Works Member Law School before September 2026 with a J.D. or LL.M. You must not have previously held a full-time (more than 30 hours/ week), permanent, public interest lawyer position, though applicants coming from bridge/gap fellowships or clerkships are eligible. Experienced private sector lawyers who have demonstrated a commitment to public interest law and have the relevant skills and initiative to carry out the goals of the project are encouraged to apply. Candidates may not have participated previously in any major fellowship program such as the Skadden Fellowship Program, Echoing Green Fellowship, Soros Justice Fellowship, Justice Catalyst Fellowship and Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship.
How to apply / timeline
- We review candidates on a rolling basis and aim to select our fellow by September 1, 2025 to finalize the application.
- Equal Justice Works DYO application deadline: September 18, 2025 (for a September 2026 fellowship start).
- Interested? Email a resume to owen@studentbasicneeds.com or submit on LinkedIn.