Refugee Protection Legal Fellow

Human Rights First’s Refugee Protection team seeks to sponsor a law student or recent law school graduate as a legal fellow for a one- or two-year fellowship commencing in fall 2026.

 

We seek current law student applicants who intend to apply for Equal Justice Works, or another privately-funded, one- or two-year public service fellowship. Applicants must graduate from law school no later than summer 2026.

 

Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy and action organization committed to defending human rights. Our Refugee Protection team works to promote the protection of refugees, reform U.S. asylum law, policies and practices, address deficiencies in the U.S. resettlement system, and bring other U.S. immigration policies and practices into line with international refugee protection and human rights law standards.

 

The fellow will work full-time to conduct legal, factual, and policy research and reporting, conduct policy analysis, and advance advocacy efforts to promote the protection of refugees. They will be supervised by and receive mentoring by the refugee protection team’s director and/or senior attorney. Previous legal fellows with Human Rights First have had the opportunity to, among other things, engage in advocacy on behalf of detained asylum seekers; conduct research and advocacy on border policies impacting asylum seekers; research the barriers that asylum seekers with disabilities face in immigration court and before the asylum office, and draft press releases, policy recommendations, and reports to advocate for systemic change of the asylum system, many of which have been reported in media outlets such as The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Buzzfeed News.

 

Human Rights First is primarily interested in projects that will support our efforts to advance due process and address systemic impediments to access to asylum and access to counsel and fair proceedings during border processes, in immigration detention, and during adjudications, particularly given unlawful restrictions in place by current policies and practices. There may also be an opportunity to support the Refugee Representation team with limited scope direct representation of asylum seekers, which would be supervised by an attorney on the Refugee Representation team.

 

We will also consider innovative, impactful asylum-related projects outside the delineated areas, such as climate-related forced displacement.

 

 

• A U.S. law degree (J.D.) by summer 2026;

• Admission to a state bar or pending admission as of fall 2026;

• Previous experience working with asylum-seekers or immigrants, through law school clinics, judicial clerkships, or legal internships;

• Strong written and oral communication skills and a demonstrated ability to translate highly-technical material for a variety of audiences;

• Ability to communicate patiently, respectfully, and empathetically with individuals from a variety of backgrounds;

• Familiarity with U.S. immigration law and policy;

• Ability to take initiative, manage numerous tasks simultaneously, work under pressure and meet deadlines, and identify and analyze legal issues;

• Willingness to travel occasionally within the United States to conduct research on access to asylum and document the impact of U.S. asylum policies; and

• Fluency in Spanish is preferred, and fluency in another language, such as an Indigenous language of the Americas, Haitian Kreyol, or French, is desirable.