Litigation & Advocacy Opportunities

We are seeking unpaid Law Clerks for spring and summer terms

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a non-profit law and advocacy organization, whose mission is to promote and protect the civil rights of poor, minority, and disadvantaged people in order to facilitate their participation in the social, economic, and political systems of our community and nation. Committee staff attorneys, with Fellows, engage in both litigation and community advocacy in three substantive areas:

1) The Employment Opportunity Project, which represents women and minorities in mediation and in litigation as they attempt to find and retain employment;

2) The Project to Combat Bias Violence, which is the only comprehensive resource center on hate crime prevention and response in the Midwest;

3) The Fair Housing Project, which promotes fair housing through testing, education and litigation, as well as through helping increase the availability of affordable, integrated and safe housing in the Chicago area.

In addition, Fellows can work in one of four new practice areas being built by the Committee: 1) Voting Rights; 2) Education; 3) Environmental Justice; and 4) Healthcare Disparities. Fellows working in these areas have the unique opportunity to help shape and direct the Committee’s future practice.

Clerkship Description

The Committee accepts unpaid Law Clerks during the summer, fall semester, and spring semester. Working as a Law Clerk, law students will be able to gain substantive legal experience while working on the cutting edge of important civil rights issues. Law Clerks will perform legal research and draft memos, and may participate in intake interviews and any other activities in which Committee lawyers are engaged. Law Clerks may research and write policy papers and participate in strategy sessions that help determine the focus and direction the Committee and the new projects. Law Clerks may also attend meetings with other advocacy and community organizations.

The goal of the Committee's program is to provide participants with a challenging civil rights learning experience, while obtaining high quality work product in order to fulfill the Committee's goal of equal justice for all. In addition, because the Committee works with lawyers throughout Chicago in both the public and private sector, Law Clerks will have the opportunity to network and work with attorneys from Chicago firms and other public interest organizations.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume and one-paragraph professional biography to opportunities@clccrul.org. Please indicate if you have an interest in a specific project or area. Write “Civil Rights Intern” in the subject line.