Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

Washington, DC

This is the 2025 fellowship description for this mentor organization.

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs was established in 1968 to address issues of racial discrimination and entrenched poverty. Since then, the Committee has successfully litigated thousands of civil rights cases and advocated for public policy changes on behalf of individuals and groups in the areas of fair housing, equal employment opportunity, public accommodations, immigrant rights, disability rights, public education, prisoners’ rights, and more. The pro bono contributions of lawyers and law firms allows the Committee’s staff to extend the reach of its impact for individuals and communities who experience violations of their civil rights in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia regions. The Washington Lawyers’ Committee’s active litigation docket includes individual cases and class actions, as well as other larger law reform cases.

Workers' Rights is one of the Washington Lawyers' Committee's largest issue areas and it includes both systemic litigation and direct services to low wage workers who seek advice regarding a wide range of employment issues (including discrimination claims, wage theft claims, unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits, and other employment-related rights) at one of our monthly workers’ rights clinics.

The Peggy Browning Fellow will be involved in aspects of litigation in the Committee's active docket, including client intakes, fact development, research memoranda, and other related litigation tasks. The Fellow will have a primary focus on workers’ rights, though will be encouraged to also take assignments from the other practice areas in which the Committee works. The Fellow will also assist workers at our Workers Rights Clinics by providing follow up and quality control on demand letters seeking unpaid wages and redress from discrimination.

For the summer of 2025, the Committee’s fellowship position includes 3 days of in-person work at Committee offices (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) and 2 days of remote work (Monday, Friday) per week. The Fellow must reside in the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia.

The total ten-week stipend for this fellowship will be $7,000.

Address cover letter to:

Marja K. Plater, Senior Counsel
Chelsea Sullivan, Associate Counsel
Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
700 14th Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005