What are the responsibilities and job description for the 2026-2029 Open Horizons Disability Rights Fellowship position at Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs?
About Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) works to create legal, economic, and social equity through litigation, client and public education, and public policy advocacy with a primary focus on racial justice. For the last 55 years, the Committee has been on the cutting edge of civil rights advocacy in the region bringing precedent setting litigation to address discrimination. Our work focuses on injustices in housing, employment, the criminal legal system, education, public accommodations, and the civil rights of immigrants. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice. The Committee’s staff is unionized with the National Organization of Legal Service Workers Local #2320, UAW. For more information on the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, please go to www.washlaw.org.
About The Role
The Open Horizon Disability Rights Fellowship is a three-year fellowship available to law school graduates with 0-3 years of experience. Applicants should have excellent legal writing and analysis skills and a demonstrated commitment to the advancement of disability rights and civil rights. The Fellow will receive excellent supervision and mentorship to work on cutting-edge systemic disability rights cases on behalf of individuals and organizations, with a focus on building cases in Maryland. We are seeking applicants who can start in September 2026.
Responsibilities
The elimination of disability discrimination is a thread that is woven through all of WLC’s civil rights work. Persons with disabilities are excluded from employment and business opportunity, denied accessible housing, face barriers to an equal education, experience harsher treatment by police and more dire conditions in prison, and are often excluded from public participation or services. The Fellow will be expected to work on all aspects of litigation including investigation and case development, legal research and writing, discovery, motions practice, and trial as part of a team comprised of WLC staff and private bar co-counsel. The Disability Rights Fellow will build and expand partnerships in Maryland to assess evolving needs, identify new opportunities for impact, and shape future strategies to advance disability justice, prioritizing outreach to local, grassroots organizations led disabled Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), whose lived experience and leadership are critical to addressing the intersecting harms of racial and disability discrimination and to informing effective, community-driven solutions.
Qualifications
Compensation
Salary and benefits will be commensurate with the salaries and benefits provided to permanent staff attorneys employed by WLC, which includes generous leave and employer-funded benefits. This role is a union-represented position and its pay scale is governed by a collective bargaining agreement. WLC’s pay range for this role is 64,250 - 76,250 USD per year (WLC Office):
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled. Diversity is an essential value of WLC, and we encourage all qualified persons to apply.
WLC is an equal opportunity employer, and applicants are accorded an equal opportunity for selection without regard to actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, personal appearance, or political affiliation.
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) works to create legal, economic, and social equity through litigation, client and public education, and public policy advocacy with a primary focus on racial justice. For the last 55 years, the Committee has been on the cutting edge of civil rights advocacy in the region bringing precedent setting litigation to address discrimination. Our work focuses on injustices in housing, employment, the criminal legal system, education, public accommodations, and the civil rights of immigrants. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice. The Committee’s staff is unionized with the National Organization of Legal Service Workers Local #2320, UAW. For more information on the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, please go to www.washlaw.org.
About The Role
The Open Horizon Disability Rights Fellowship is a three-year fellowship available to law school graduates with 0-3 years of experience. Applicants should have excellent legal writing and analysis skills and a demonstrated commitment to the advancement of disability rights and civil rights. The Fellow will receive excellent supervision and mentorship to work on cutting-edge systemic disability rights cases on behalf of individuals and organizations, with a focus on building cases in Maryland. We are seeking applicants who can start in September 2026.
Responsibilities
The elimination of disability discrimination is a thread that is woven through all of WLC’s civil rights work. Persons with disabilities are excluded from employment and business opportunity, denied accessible housing, face barriers to an equal education, experience harsher treatment by police and more dire conditions in prison, and are often excluded from public participation or services. The Fellow will be expected to work on all aspects of litigation including investigation and case development, legal research and writing, discovery, motions practice, and trial as part of a team comprised of WLC staff and private bar co-counsel. The Disability Rights Fellow will build and expand partnerships in Maryland to assess evolving needs, identify new opportunities for impact, and shape future strategies to advance disability justice, prioritizing outreach to local, grassroots organizations led disabled Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), whose lived experience and leadership are critical to addressing the intersecting harms of racial and disability discrimination and to informing effective, community-driven solutions.
Qualifications
- Law school graduate
- A member of a state bar of Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia; or planning to obtain admission to one of these state bars
- Demonstrated commitment to disability rights and civil rights
- Excellent legal research, writing, and analysis skills
- Interest in impact litigation
- Capacity to adapt quickly to new or unexpected assignments
- Commitment to working collaboratively with teams and clients
- Connections to Maryland is a plus
- Language skills in languages other than English is a plus
Compensation
Salary and benefits will be commensurate with the salaries and benefits provided to permanent staff attorneys employed by WLC, which includes generous leave and employer-funded benefits. This role is a union-represented position and its pay scale is governed by a collective bargaining agreement. WLC’s pay range for this role is 64,250 - 76,250 USD per year (WLC Office):
- 64,250 - 64,250 USD per year (Years of Exp (Pre-bar))
- 67,250 - 67,250 USD per year (Years of Exp (0-yr))
- 70,250 - 70,250 USD per year (Years of Exp (1-yr))
- 73,250 - 73,250 USD per year (Years of Exp (2-yrs))
- 76,250 - 76,250 USD per year (Years of Exp (3-yrs))
- Cover letter (no longer than two pages) explaining the ways in which you meet the selection criteria;
- Current resume
- List of three references (combination of academic, work, internship): including former direct supervisors’ names, emails, and telephone numbers
- Legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages
- If graduating law school in 2026, an unofficial law school transcript
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled. Diversity is an essential value of WLC, and we encourage all qualified persons to apply.
WLC is an equal opportunity employer, and applicants are accorded an equal opportunity for selection without regard to actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, personal appearance, or political affiliation.