Civil Rights Clinic and Voting Rights Institute Fellowships

Civil Rights Clinic

Professor Aderson Francois is the director of the Civil Rights Clinic and Voting Rights Institute (CRC). Professor Francois joined the faculty in 2016. Prior to joining the Georgetown faculty, Professor Francois directed the Civil Rights Clinic at Howard University School of Law, where he also taught Constitutional Law, Federal Civil Rights, and Supreme Court Jurisprudence.

CRC operates as a public interest law firm, representing individual clients and other public interest organizations, primarily in the areas of discrimination and constitutional rights, workplace fairness, and open government. Students interview clients, develop case theories, draft and file complaints in state and federal courts, conduct discovery, engage in motions practice, and prepare appeals. Students also file FOIA requests and analyze responsive documents, and work in coalition with other public interest organizations to develop impact cases. Recent projects include:

• Litigating multiple Eighth Amendment claims against state and federal officials, and private medical providers on behalf of an incarcerated persons;
• Litigating an employment discrimination claim against a federal agency on behalf of an employee using a novel theory of intersectionality on the basis of race, gender, and age;
• Litigating First Amendment retaliation claims against municipal agencies on behalf of Black Lives Matter protestors;
• Litigating employment discrimination action involving pay disparity on behalf of a woman faculty member at a state higher education institution;
• Litigating false arrest, wrongful death, and Fourth Amendment violation claims against the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department;
• Filing amicus briefs in multiple appellate cases before the United States Supreme Court, and the DC Circuit;
• Filing FOIA requests and using the responsive documents to prepare reports exposing government misconduct;
• Drafting national report on the use of criminal fines and fees to suppress voting rights;
• Preparing and arguing multiple appeals in federal court, in the DC Circuit, the First Circuit, the Fourth Circuit, and the Fifth Circuit.

What do the Graduate Fellows/Staff Attorneys do?

Fellows are responsible for day-to-day supervision of the clinics’ students and work closely with students on improving their lawyering skills, including legal writing, communication, and professional collaboration. Each fellow has principal responsibility for multiple cases and supervises all facets of the litigation. Much of the fellow’s time is spent guiding students in legal and factual research, reviewing student drafts, making suggestions for improvement, and preparing the students for oral presentations. In recent years, fellows have worked on all phases of litigation, including taking depositions, handling evidentiary hearings, and briefing cases before federal district courts, courts of appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Fellows also play a key role in case development and in planning other CRC activities. Fellows plan and conduct case rounds and seminars for the clinic’s students on topics related to litigation practice and substantive law.

Past fellows have emphasized that the CRC experience is unique in several respects:

First, the fellows work on interesting, often cutting-edge litigation. In light of our broad agenda, we have leeway to develop cases that present unique educational opportunities for students and fellows and have a significant impact on the law.

Second, fellows assume substantial responsibility and generally play a more important role in the decision-making process than do their contemporaries in other types of law practice. They work on a variety of cases in different stages of the litigation process and gain a broad understanding of how litigation works, from interviewing a potential client through appealing to the Supreme Court. Fellows also work closely with other clinic attorneys and public interest organizations, meeting other lawyers involved in civil rights law and seeing how their organizations function.

Third, fellows work closely with full-time faculty members who have substantial litigation and teaching experience. As part of the Georgetown Law community, fellows are encouraged to attend seminars, workshops, and programs both on and off campus. Georgetown provides substantial support and guidance for fellows interested in pursuing academic scholarship or careers.

Fellows must be members of the District of Columbia Bar or take immediate steps to apply for membership (through reciprocity or examination) after taking the position.

Qualifications

• A commitment to civil rights law and public-interest lawyering generally
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills
• Interest in clinical legal education and prior experience teaching, tutoring, or mentoring students
• JD degree
• Preferably two years of experience by the time the position begins, ideally in public interest law and/or litigation
• Membership in the District of Columbia Bar or immediate ability to seek membership

Pay and other benefits

The annual salary for the fellowship starts at $72,800 and increases to $80,000 in the fellow’s second year. Fellows get exclusive access to an LLM program centered around clinical pedagogy taught by Georgetown’s exceptional full-time clinical faculty, without the need to pay any tuition or fees. The fellows also receive health and dental benefits and have unlimited free access to a state-of-the-art, on-site fitness center. As full-time students, fellows may qualify for deferment of their student loans and be eligible for loan repayment assistance from their law schools.

How to apply

Applicants should submit

• A cover letter with a brief statement explaining the applicant’s interest in the position
• A résumé
• An unofficial law school transcript
• A list of references, including contact information
• A recent legal writing sample of any length representing the applicant’s legal work. Please do not send an excerpt or a piece of collaborative work, or significantly edited by someone else.

Interested persons should apply by submitting their applications electronically via the Interfolio portal.

GU is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship, color, disability, family responsibilities, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, matriculation, national origin, race, religion, personal appearance, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants should apply by November 1, 2026. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The clinic will select candidates to be interviewed first via Zoom. Successful candidates may later be invited to interview in person.