New

Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship

Georgetown University
United States, D.C., Washington
Aug 21, 2025
Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship Georgetown University: Law Center Location: Georgetown Law Clinics Open Date: Aug 20, 2025 Deadline: Nov 03, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time Description "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. About the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative As one of the first legal clinics of its kind, the Georgetown Law Juvenile Justice Clinic continues to be one of the premier law school clinics in the country. Students in the Clinic represent youth charged with misdemeanor and felony crimes in the District of Columbia under close faculty supervision. The Clinic provides highly effective representation to their clients by protecting the youth's rights in the juvenile legal system and providing holistic, expressed-interest advocacy. In 2015, the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic expanded its outreach with the creation of the Juvenile Justice Initiative to tackle the most pressing issues in the juvenile legal system, including racial and socioeconomic disparities, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the criminalization of normal adolescence. Together, both the Clinic and the Initiative aim to raise the quality and scope of youth defense practice in the District of Columbia, the Mid-Atlantic region, and nationally through continued direct representation, policy advocacy, and training for youth defenders across the country. About the Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship The Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship is a two-year, post-graduate fellowship open to both recent law school graduates and experienced attorneys. If you are a defender who is not seeking full-time employment, but still interested in professional development, please visit our website for opportunities and resources like the Ambassadors for Racial Justice, the Racial Justice Webinar Series, and the Summer Academy for our Youth Defender Advocacy Program. The Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship was designed in 2018 to advance racial justice advocacy in the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative (GJJI). During the two-year fellowship, the Fellow works with GJJI staff to develop strategies and resources to help youth defenders challenge racial injustice in their cases and to improve the systems youth encounter through policy reform. The Fellowship combines elements of project management, legal research and writing, training development, community outreach, and policy advocacy. The Fellow will be supervised by Clinic Director Kristin Henning, Senior Staff Attorney Rebba Omer, and Policy Director Eduardo Ferrer. The Fellow will be expected to begin the fellowship in August 2026 and must be able to commit to the two full years, ending in August 2028. This Fellowship requires high-level collaborative leadership, project management, and organizational skills, as well as excellence in substantive legal analysis, research, and writing. A successful Fellow will be proactive in identifying and meeting both substantive and administrative project needs. The Fellow will be a self-directed project co-lead who has excellent communication skills, demonstrates great attention to detail, and sees projects through to completion. Additionally, a successful Fellow will value teamwork and collaboration with colleagues and invest in relationship-building with internal and external partners. The Fellow will collaborate with Professor Henning as a thought-partner and work well in a team with GJJI colleagues and community partners (primarily The Gault Center (formerly the National Juvenile Defender Center)) to establish a vision for racial justice reform and related mission-driven projects. The Fellow will then be primarily responsible for creating an actionable plan to achieve the project goals, meet all project deadlines, and coordinate the execution of the plan in collaboration with other team members. Primary Responsibilities The Racial Justice Fellow will: Complete legal research and writing about race and juvenile justice, as assigned by Kristin Henning, Eduardo Ferrer, and Rebba Omer. For example, in 2021, Professor Henning published a book on race, adolescence, and policing titled, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. In 2022, Professor Henning prepared an expert report on racial bias and the traumatic effects of policing on Black girls in a civil rights case. In 2025, in partnership with The Gault Center, GJJI launched a Race & Disability Training Series to equip youth defenders with litigation strategies for advocating on behalf of youth with disabilities in the juvenile legal system. Professor Henning is now co-authoring a book with John Bunn, who was exonerated after spending 16 years in prison for a wrongful conviction when he was 14-years old. The Racial Justice Fellow completed extensive research and writing and investigative interviews for each of these projects, as well as for many other legal pleadings, law review articles, training programs, and speaking engagements. Work with GJJI and The Gault Center staff to plan and implement the day-to-day operations of the Ambassadors for Racial Justice (ARJ) program, a program for defenders committed to challenging racial injustice in the juvenile legal system. ARJ was designed to inspire enthusiastic, dedicated, frontline youth defenders to assume leadership roles in developing strategies to combat racial inequities in their respective jurisdictions and courthouses, and throughout the country. Represent GJJI and partners-in a lead or supporting capacity depending on the occasion-at speaking engagements, conferences, trainings, and other events. Envision and complete other creative writing projects, including book projects, op-eds, training materials for a variety of audiences, policy reports, and legal scholarship. Update online systems such as the GJJI website and assist with social media outreach as needed and relevant to the racial justice work. Create opportunities for youth and community engagement. (Past fellows have supported the Youth Leaders in Action subcommittee of DC's Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, worked with DC's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services' Youth Council, and worked with DC-based organizations and schools focused on equipping girls of color with the skills and knowledge they need to engage in civic advocacy and contemplate a career in law and social justice.) Additionally, depending on the needs and capacity of the GJJI, the Racial Justice Fellow may: Plan and host one or more conferences and/or community listening sessions about race and youth justice, as needed. For example, the fellow may design and implement a symposium that will bring together youth, community leaders, and stakeholders to discuss strategies and solutions to end the over-policing of youth of color. Participate in legislative advocacy to advance racial justice. Design and execute a project of their own that advances racial justice during the second year of the fellowship. Fellows with clinical experience in criminal or youth defense may also have some opportunity to represent clients in delinquency proceedings during this final year depending on the needs of the Clinic, the needs of the Initiative, and the skills of the fellow. Compensation and Degree The fellowship will run for a term of two years, starting in August 2026. The fellow will be enrolled as an LL.M. (Advocacy) student for two years and will receive a full tuition scholarship. Subject to approval of the law school budget by the Georgetown University Board of Directors, the annual stipend will be $70,000 in the first year and $75,000 in the second year, before taxes. Benefits information can be found at https://benefits.georgetown.edu/post-doctoral-fellows. Additionally, fellowships with Georgetown Law may count toward the federal Public Student Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) and may qualify for the fellow's law school loan repayment assistance program. Qualifications Qualifications Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in racial justice, youth justice, youth defense, criminal law, civil rights, and/or social justice. A successful Fellow must also be self-motivated, proactive, and excellent at advancing project work without daily supervision and: Possess a J.D.; Be a member of a state bar or take the bar exam and apply for admission to the bar in the summer prior to the beginning of the fellowship cycle; Demonstrate the following attributes: the ability to simultaneously and independently manage multiple long-term projects from conception to completion; strong research and writing skills, including traditional legal writing as well as creative writing for a variety of purposes and audiences; strategic thinking; attention to detail, accountability, and follow-through; excellent time management; clear and consistent communication with internal and external partners; good public speaking skills; energy and collegiality; ability and interest in working with a collaborative team to achieve project goals; strong interpersonal skills and an ability to engage effectively with other clinic colleagues and juvenile system stakeholders. Application Instructions Applicants must submit a cover letter, essay, resume, undergraduate transcript, law school transcript, the names and contact information of three references, and a writing sample. Instructions for the essay are below. All completed applications must be by 11:59pm EST on November 3, 2025 via this application portal. Applications sent by mail or email will not be accepted. An interview period will follow beginning the week of November 17th. We anticipate that applicants will be notified of our final selection in December. Essay Instructions: Please answer the following questions in your essay (and note word limits): Please describe how the Racial Justice and Youth Defense Fellowship aligns with your vision for your legal career, including what you hope to gain from the fellowship if selected and how you hope to advance racial justice in your work after the fellowship. (500 words or less) Please identify one strategy you might propose for racial justice reform in the juvenile legal system. (500 words or less) Describe an experience that highlights your collaborative leadership skills, especially one involving multiple team members of varying levels of seniority. (500 words or less) Optional: Please describe any other experience you consider relevant to this Fellowship. We endeavor to give every application a careful review. In addition to academic performance and legal experience, we focus on the individual by considering the varied experiences and abilities that indicate potential as an advocate for racial justice in the juvenile legal system. It is up to the applicant to provide as full a picture as possible. If you would like to share any additional personal perspectives, reflections, or experiences that have contributed to who you are as a person and as a future fellow-whether positive, challenging, a combination of both, or something else entirely-we invite you to do so here. (250 words or less) Applicants must submit a cover letter, essay, resume, undergraduate transcript, law school transcript, the names and contact information of three references, and a writing sample. Instructions for the essay are below. All completed applications must be by 11:59pm EST on November 3, 2025 via this application portal. Applications sent by mail or email will not be accepted. An interview period will follow beginning the week of November 17th. We anticipate that applicants will be notified of our final selection in December. Essay Instructions: Please answer the following questions in your essay (and note word limits): For more information and to apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/172209 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. jeid-24a949fda49d5846bc8168a40afa760b