The Legal Department of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations ("AFL-CIO") is offering a one-year fellowship beginning in September 2010. The fellowship offers an excellent opportunity for recent law school graduates to work with experienced union-side lawyers on a wide variety of issues.The AFL-CIO is a voluntary federation of 56 national and international unions which represent 11 million working women and men in the United States. The AFL-CIO works on a variety of fronts to improve the lives of working families, to secure social and economic justice in the United States, and to protect the interests of working people in the global economy. The AFL-CIO and its affiliates have been instrumental not only in negotiating good pay and benefits for union members, but also in the enactment and enforcement of laws that protect important rights for all workers, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
The Legal Department works on a wide range of litigation, policy, regulatory and legislative matters, and assists with organizing campaigns, corporate governance issues, and other AFL-CIO initiatives. The Legal Department also administers the Lawyers Coordinating Committee, a national organization of union-side attorneys, which issues various publications and holds educational conferences on a regular basis.
The AFL-CIO Fellow will work with lawyers in the AFL-CIO Legal Department and with other union lawyers around the country on a wide range of activities. The Fellow will assist experienced lawyers working on cases and regulatory matters that affect the labor movement and the rights of workers. The AFL-CIO’s litigation caseload includes cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the NLRB and a small number of state appellate suits. In addition, the AFL-CIO Legal Department frequently presents the views of the labor movement on federal regulatory initiatives affecting workers. Whenever possible, the Fellow will be given the opportunity to participate in meetings with union lawyers and to attend oral arguments. The AFL-CIO Fellow will also participate in Lawyers Coordinating Committee activities, including preparation for attorney conferences, outreach to new labor lawyers and law students, and regular opportunities to attend LCC meetings and conferences.
The fellowship salary is in the range of $55,000 to $60,000 depending on experience. Benefits include excellent medical and dental insurance plus paid vacation.
Recent law graduates, judicial clerks, and third-year law students are welcome to apply. Applicants should have excellent legal research and writing skills and enjoy legal research and appellate work. Applicants should also have a commitment to workers’ rights and a desire to practice union-side labor law. The AFL-CIO is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.
To Apply: Applicants should mail a cover letter explaining their interest in the fellowship, a current resume, a transcript, a short writing sample, a letter of reference and a list of two additional references to the AFL-CIO's Office of the General Counsel ATTN: Fellowship Position, 815 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006. The application process is rolling and will remain open until the successful candidate is selected. Telephone inquiries are discouraged.