FAIR Fellowship

Summary

The Foundation for Advocacy Inclusion and Resources (FAIR) was started in 2009 to promote diversity within the plaintiffs’ employment bar in California and to educate the public about workplace fairness. FAIR provides educational and work opportunities to law students and new lawyers from diverse backgrounds to strengthen and enrich our league of lawyers who are passionate about employee justice and advancing the rights of workers.

The FAIR Fellowship is a unique 18-month fellowship that enables a new attorney to work full-time for two consecutive terms: 12 months at Legal Aid at Work (remotely) and six months at a plaintiff-side employment law firm affiliated with the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), an organization of more than 1,200 workers’ rights advocates throughout California. FAIR will fund the successful FAIR Fellow’s salary during the first 12 months the Fellow is working at Legal Aid at Work. While at Legal Aid at Work, the FAIR Fellow is included in the bargaining unit represented by ESC Local 20. During the 12 months at Legal Aid At Work, the FAIR Fellow can perform work remotely from anywhere in California with a possible stipend from LAAW to travel to San Francisco to visit with LAAW supervisors. The applicant will then be matched with a CELA-affiliated private law firm for the last six months and be paid a salary and benefits by that firm. That firm is required to pay a minimum salary of $7,500 per month.

Current term: September 2025 through February 2027 (18 months)

The Fellow will work closely with the supervising attorney(s) of LAAW and the CELA-affiliated private law firm. The work performed by the Fellow may include the following duties:

Direct Services

  1. Communicate with and advise clients about pre-litigation matters.
  2. Provide individualized counseling to intake callers.

Community Work and Legal Services

  1. Conduct community outreach and education.
  2. Participate in community organizations, such as bar groups, employment rights organizations or coalitions, related to the work of the office.
  3. May represent clients at administrative law proceedings, including at the CUIAB, the EDD, the DLSE, the CRD, the DOL, and the EEOC.

Legislative and Policy Advocacy

  1. Advocate for laws, regulations, and policies at the local, state, and national levels to strengthen civil and workplace rights.

Requirements

  1. California Bar membership. (This requirement may be waived for a reasonable period of time to allow the Fellow to take and pass the Bar examination. FAIR will provide the successful candidate up to a $10,000 stipend for bar study.)
  2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  3. Excellent research and analytical skills.
  4. Strong interpersonal skills, initiative, leadership and organizational skills.
  5. Willingness and ability to travel as required.
  6. Zero to three years legal experience.
  7. Commitment to civil rights, public interest law and social justice work.
  8. Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion principles.
  9. Ability to manage multiple projects and cases simultaneously; ability to prioritize competing deadlines.
  10. At the end of the Fellowship, the Fellow is required to write a minimum 2-5 page essay about their experience and what they learned.

Compensation

FAIR will fund a Fellow with salary and benefits during the first nine months the fellow is working at Legal Aid at Work. While at Legal Aid at Work, the FAIR Fellow is included in the bargaining unit represented by ESC Local 20. The applicant will then be matched with a CELA affiliated firm for the last six months and be paid a salary and benefits by that entity. The current salary for this fellowship is $90,000 annualized plus benefits and a $10,000 bar stipend.

2025-2027 FAIR Fellowship Application Procedures

2025-2027 FAIR Fellowship Application Instructions

Applicants are required to submit the following:

  1. Fellowship Application Form (enclosed).
  2. Resume.
  3. Unofficial Law School Transcript.
  4. Two Letters of Recommendation (preference for employers and/or clinical professors). Recommendation letters should be addressed to ‘FAIR Fellowship Selection Committee’, and emailed directly to: caity@fair-foundation.org
  5. Two References (references can be the same people who wrote letters of recommendation or someone else).
  6. One Writing Sample (no more than ten pages double-spaced).
  7. Personal Essay: ~500 words detailing your background, how you became committed to having a public interest career, and your interest in employment law. We encourage applicants to share how your lived experiences have shaped you generally and/or your desire to work in the field of employment law.

All application materials must be received by Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Any materials not received by October 30 will be disregarded.

Please send all application materials to caity@fair-foundation.org. Use “FAIR Fellowship Application” in your subject line.