Civil Rights/Civil Liberties

Civil rights and civil liberties lawyers work in areas of the law that typically fall under the first amendment right to free expression, assembly, and religion (civil liberties), and under fourteenth amendment equal protection (civil rights). Civil rights lawyers share a commitment to creating a just society through legal means. To this end, they work on a variety of issues from lobbying for civil rights recognition in the judiciary to litigation-based civil rights advocacy. Civil rights lawyers work for domestic and international non-profit organizations, federal, state, local and international government agencies and public interest law firms with specialty civil rights practices.

Web Resources

• Harvard Specialty Guide: Careers in Civil Rights and Liberties: extensive information on civil rights career paths, along with personal narratives.
• HG.org: Civil Rights: provides a basic overview of the practice area as well as useful links to educational resources and selected employers.
• Georgetown Law Human Rights Career Guide provides an overview of the human rights field, shares Georgetown Law resources, tips for building a successful career, and information about the work being done in a wide variety of sectors and settings.
• The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and Human Rights – Civil Rights Career Center: lists internships and positions at civil rights organizations throughout the U.S.

Representative Employers

• ACLU
• The Advancement Project
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, DC
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
• Harvard Private Public Interest and Plaintiff's Firm Guide, 2013 – extensive listing of private civil rights (and other practice areas) law firms throughout the U.S.