Access to Justice Fellow

cedp; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) plan

Technology stipend

Language salary differential

Job summary

The Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) in Denver is seeking an Access to Justice Legal Fellow to expand access to legal support for low-income tenants facing eviction. The fellow will partner with legal teams to build community-centered interventions and increase representation.

This role involves working closely with clients and stakeholders, developing legal resources, and contributing to housing stability initiatives. Competitive compensation of $65,000 pre-bar admission.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated passion for housing justice and public interest law.
• Strong desire to center client and community needs in legal advocacy.
• Ability to travel within the Denver metro area.

Responsibilities

• Communicate with clients in a timely and respectful manner.
• Establish a recurring legal eviction clinic.
• Provide direct legal services to tenants facing housing instability.

Skills

Interpersonal communication skills

Project management abilities

Creativity in legal interventions

Community lawyering interest

Education

JD earned in 2026 or 2027

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Suite

Case management systems

Job description

About the Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) & CED Law

Our Mission

We partner with low-income and working people to build economic and racial equity. We do this by confronting economic abuse and investing in community wealth. We use an ever-evolving set of legal, economic and advocacy tools to challenge and dismantle unjust systems, building quickly towards a world where all people have what they need to live and thrive.

Our Organization

The Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Colorado-based nonprofit. Launched in 2020 as the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, our organization was formed to keep our neighbors housed during the pandemic. Working with clients, we built a deeply integrative approach to eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed.

Our team now serves more than 1,000 people per month, bringing together housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy-experts, organizers, and technologists to serve our clients. We have served more than 68,000 low-income Coloradans across 54 counties, distributing more than $280 million in emergency assistance. We have also contributed to the passage of major legislation to prevent eviction, stop economic abuse, and make credit and life‑saving medication cheaper. CEDP’s model has been cited as a best practice by the White House and HUD in 2022-2023, think tanks like the Urban Institute, and in the media.

Building on our work to stop evictions, CEDP has further expanded its integrated services model to include disaster response, predatory towing, debt collection, benefit access & navigation, long‑term rental assistance, and homelessness response. Similar to CEDP’s work on rental housing, these efforts offer a continuum of care that includes navigation and advisory services, targeted payments, legal support, and the ability to participate in advocacy.

More about the Access to Justice Fellow Role

Our practice is seeking an Access to Justice Legal Fellow to partner with our Clinic and Community Law teams to expand access to justice for tenants facing housing instability in Colorado. This fellowship will focus on building innovative, community‑centered legal services that help low‑income tenants navigate eviction proceedings, understand their rights, and access meaningful legal support at critical moments in the eviction process.

We believe that housing stability is foundational to individual and community wellbeing. Yet many tenants — particularly low-income families, seniors, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, survivors of violence, and communities historically excluded from legal resources — face eviction without access to legal counsel or information about their rights. We are seeking a fellow who is excited to partner with us to develop creative, community‑responsive legal interventions that strengthen housing stability and increase access to representation.

The fellow will work closely with the Clinic Supervisor and Community Law Supervisor, who will provide mentorship, training, and supervision throughout the fellowship. Together, we will collaborate to develop and submit applications to one or several fellowships, including the Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, and any law school‑specific public interest fellowships. If selected, the fellowship position would begin at CED Law in early Fall 2027.

We welcome applicants who are interested in shaping and co-designing a project with us. There is no need to have a fully developed proposal before reaching out. Big picture, this project could focus on:

• Partnering with jurisdictions in the greater Denver metro to establish and operate a recurring legal eviction clinic for tenants facing housing instability
• Developing a “Lawyer for a Day” courthouse program to provide limited‑scope legal assistance and representation to tenants navigating eviction proceedings
• Creating partnerships with community organizations to deliver accessible “know‑your‑rights” training on housing and eviction law to vulnerable populations
• Expanding access to legal information and representation for tenants in underserved communities and legal deserts
• Supporting highly vulnerable tenant populations, including seniors, families with young children, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, and individuals with disabilities
• Advancing innovative and community‑centered approaches to eviction prevention and housing stability
• Strengthening partnerships among courts, legal services organizations, and community‑based organizations to increase access to justice for tenants
• Gathering and analyzing data on tenant needs, service delivery, and eviction outcomes to inform evidence‑based interventions, strengthen program effectiveness, and support long‑term housing stability efforts

In this role you will

• Communicate with clients in a timely, respectful, empathetic, and trauma‑informed manner
• Build relationships with community organizations, courts, and partner agencies to support housing stability initiatives
• Help establish and implement a recurring legal eviction clinic in partnership with greater Denver metro jurisdictions and community stakeholders
• Assist in developing a “Lawyer for a Day” model to support tenants appearing in eviction court
• Provide direct legal services, limited‑scope representation, and/or legal information to tenants facing housing instability, as appropriate to the fellowship project
• Develop and facilitate community education and “know‑your‑rights” presentations related to housing and eviction law
• Set and complete project goals identified in partnership with supervisors and in accordance with fellowship requirements
• Develop knowledge of Colorado housing and eviction law and apply it to direct services, trainings, and systems‑level problem solving
• Coordinate with supervisors and stakeholders to ensure timely project implementation, case tracking, reporting, and fellowship deliverables
• Sharpen project management, relationship‑building, public speaking, and community lawyering skills
• Contribute to a collaborative, equity‑centered legal practice focused on expanding access to justice and preventing housing instability

Position Requirements

• Work collaboratively with CEDP (the host organization) to develop and submit fellowship application(s)
• JD earned in 2026 and currently entering a clerkship position or JD expected to be earned in 2027
• Demonstrated passion for housing justice, economic justice, public interest law, and/or access to justice
• Strong desire to center client and community needs in legal advocacy and program design
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to engage with diverse stakeholders
• Strong organizational and project management abilities
• Ability to work in a collaborative, fast‑paced, and community‑centered environment
• A supportive, client‑focused, and solutions‑oriented attitude
• Creativity, initiative, and willingness to think outside the box in designing sustainable legal interventions
• Interest in community lawyering, public speaking, and partnership‑building
• Ability to travel within the Denver metro area and surrounding jurisdictions for community events, court appearances, meetings, and trainings
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and case management systems preferred
• Other language skills are not required but are a strong plus and may be eligible for an additional language salary differential

Additional Details

• Candidates must reside in Colorado, ideally within the greater Denver Metro area. The position includes competitive pay, flexible time off, benefits package (including medical, dental, vision), and 401(k).
• A competitive salary of $65,000 per year pre‑admission to the Colorado bar and $75,000 post‑admission. CEDP will top up any Fellowship grant awarded to these amounts.
• All employees receive a technology stipend of $720 per year.
• Employees who utilize two languages or more at work are eligible for a $2,000 salary differential per year added to the salary grade listed above. Language assessment will be conducted by the organization as a requirement to receive the differential.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by July 10th, 2026.
• The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by July 24th, 2026.
• As in‑person work is required, all employees at CEDP & CED Law are expected to maintain current vaccination status in keeping with CDC recommendations.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

CEDP is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.