National Institute for Workers' Rights, NELA

Concord, CA

This is the 2025 fellowship description for this mentor organization. 

Are you passionate about workers' rights, social justice, and making an impact through the law? Join the National Institute for Workers’ Rights for an opportunity to shape the future of workplace law. This is a chance to work at the intersection of policy, advocacy, and the law.

About NIWR

The National Institute for Workers’ Rights (NIWR) is a nonprofit think tank and action platform dedicated to building worker power among those who are not represented by a union. We aspire to a future in which all workers are treated with dignity and respect, and if their rights are violated, workers can get swift justice. Sadly, this aspiration is far from reality in America today. NIWR uses research, thought leadership, and education to champion economic dignity and workplace justice with an emphasis on dismantling the barriers to the enforcement of our country’s employment laws.

Since our founding in 2008, we have made our most significant contributions on the issue of forced arbitration, where we were an early leader in identifying and highlighting the importance of the issue, the improper use of summary judgment in employment cases, and the lack of protections for workers in the gig economy. Through our relationship with the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), we have access to the “on the ground” expertise of what is working and not in enforcing workplace law.

Among the Institute’s current projects is a multi-faceted campaign to encourage companies to stick with effective diversity, equity, and inclusion measures and stop giving money to right-wing groups that are trying to hollow out anti-discrimination law. We also are emphasizing the importance of the right to talk to co-workers about working conditions, in part through a recent study on how that right is enforced at the National Labor Relations Board. In addition, the Institute recently brought together leaders from non-profits, government agencies, and the private bar to discuss how to overcome obstacles to enforcement such as forced arbitration, employer retaliation, and misclassification.

Internship Overview
As a Peggy Browning Fellow at NIWR, your work will help inform advocates, workers, and lawmakers across the country. Whether you are working on cutting-edge research, assisting with amicus briefs, or creating Know-Your-Rights resources, your contributions will have a real-world impact. You will contribute to projects that use a variety of tools such as research on how the law is and is not enforced; public education of workers on their rights; training advocates to better enforce the law; and narrative change around how and why individuals are able to protect their rights. narrative change

Fellows will have the opportunity to attend NELA’s annual convention, which brings together top employment rights attorneys from across the nation for discussions about the most pressing issues in workplace law. Students selected for this opportunity will work closely with our legal fellows Abby Frerick and Asher Morse and Institute Director Jason Solomon.

Qualifications

Applicants should have completed at least one year of law school; possess excellent research, writing, and oral communication skills; be proficient in Microsoft Office, and have a demonstrated commitment to workers’ rights or working people. Prior experience working on public-policy issues is preferred.

NELA & NIWR are headquartered in Concord, California, with additional offices in Washington, D.C. Most employees work fully remote. As such, this position is also intended to be fully remote, but hybrid and in-person options may also be worked out with the Institute Director.

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

Address cover letter to:

Jason Solomon
Institute Director
National Institute for Workers’ Rights
National Employment Lawyers Association
1800 Sutter Street, Suite 210

Concord, CA 94520

www.nela.org