Judicial Strategy 2025 Summer Legal Associate

Title: Judicial Strategy 2025 Summer Legal Associate

Department: U.S. Programs, Judicial Strategy

Center Background: The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization working to ensure that reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights worldwide. With offices in New York City, and Washington, D.C.; Nairobi, Kenya; Bogota, Colombia; and Geneva, Switzerland, the Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization changing law and policy throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States. Our 230+ diverse professionals are committed to advancing the Center’s human rights mission through game-changing litigation, legal policy, and advocacy work. This has fueled the Center’s exceptional growth to an operating budget of more than $50 million and won the respect of law firms worldwide. Our global pro bono network includes over 2,100 lawyers across 6 continents, 88 countries, and 125 law firms, contributing over $30 million USD in pro bono legal services annually. The Center’s Strategic Plan sets a high mark for impact: By 2030, half of the world’s population will be living under stronger protections for reproductive rights than they were in 2020. The Center has a record of success to back up this ambitious goal. Since our founding in 1992, the Center has transformed how reproductive rights are understood and applied by courts, governments, and human rights bodies worldwide on issues including maternal health, abortion, assisted reproduction, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. We have won groundbreaking cases before national courts, U.N. Committees, and regional human rights bodies. The Center has also led development of historic, proactive legislation advancing robust protections for reproductive rights. It has built the legal capacity of women’s rights advocates in more than 65 countries and counting. To learn more about the Center, please go to www.reproductiverights.org

The Job: The Center’s Judicial Strategy team works inside and outside of the courts to defend and expand constitutional protection for reproductive rights in the United States. Judicial Strategy works collaboratively across the U.S. Program and with external partners to develop original legal research, analysis, publications, and strategies to build stronger legal guarantees for reproductive decision-making and access to care over the long-term and support the Center’s litigation and policy advocacy. 

Summer Legal Associate Summary: The Center’s U.S. Judicial Strategy team is looking for one to two enthusiastic, resourceful, and highly organized summer legal associates with a commitment to reproductive rights to engage in a variety of projects related to legal strategy development and long-term theory building, including development of arguments to advance and protect reproductive rights over the long term, inside and outside the courts. This role will provide the successful candidate with experience in the day-to-day operations of a dynamic public interest law organization, including legal and factual research and analysis. 

The Summer Legal Associate position is full-time from June 2025 to August 2025. This position will be based in the New York City office. COVID-19 vaccination is required for all US-based employees of the Center. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Conduct legal and factual research in connection with long term development of legal strategies and theories for use inside and outside the courts;
• Assist with drafting and/or publication of materials that may include in-depth reports, op-eds, strategy memoranda, amicus briefs, and other internal or public-facing written products. Note that while our team works closely with our litigating colleagues in a variety of ways, this position does not directly involve litigation.  

Qualifications:

• Completed at least one year of law school by June 2025;
• Strong legal research and writing skills;  
• Demonstrated interest in public interest law, gender justice, human rights, and/or reproductive rights and justice issues; and  
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing underrepresented viewpoints in the workplace and in work product -- including along dimensions of race, wealth/income/economic background, education, age, religion, geography, sexuality, gender, and/or life experience. 

Compensation: The summer legal associate is strongly encouraged to seek external funding. A stipend of up to $7,000 will be supplied through a $20 hourly pay rate. If the external funding received is less than $7,000, the Center will make up the difference.

How to Apply: Please complete the application below to apply. A cover letter, law school transcript, resume and one writing sample of no more than 10 pages must be included in your application. Please include these application materials as attachments. 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Center is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage people from all communities to apply. If you are excited about this role but unsure about whether your experience aligns with the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles. To learn more about the Center’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, please visit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Center for Reproductive Rights.

Center policy on visa sponsorship for U.S.-based positions: Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by The Center for Reproductive Rights.

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