Aryeh Neier Fellowship

Human Rights Watch, Inc.; United States; Vor Ort; USD 70.000 - 80.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Human Rights Watch seeks a two-year fellow in civil liberties law, with placement across HRW and the ACLU. The fellow will conduct field research, draft reports, engage in advocacy, and assist with litigation strategies, beginning in September 2027. Must hold a J.D. and be eligible to practice law in the US.

Applications welcome from diverse backgrounds; interviews occur late November to mid-December 2026. Salary starts at $70,000 in year one with increases in year two.

Qualifikationen

• Education: Candidates must be recent graduates with a J.D. from a US law school or have a J.D. granted by June 2027.
• Experience: Academic or work experience related to some aspect of the protection of human rights and civil liberties in the United States.
• Bar exam: Take and/or pass the bar exam prior to commencing the fellowship in September 2027.
• US bar eligibility: Eligibility to practice law in the US during the second year of the fellowship.

Aufgaben

• Monitor human rights issues and developments in the United States.
• Conduct field research in the United States.
• Draft reports and/or other materials on human rights conditions.
• Engage in advocacy aimed at publicizing and curtailing human rights violations.
• Assist with the development of litigation strategies; and
• Carry out other tasks as may be required.

Kenntnisse

Analytical skills

Clear writing

Self-motivation

Independent worker

Team player

Second language

Human rights commitment

Ausbildung

J.D. from US law school

Jobbeschreibung

Human Rights Watch / American Civil Liberties Union Foundation

For over 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBT community, advancing racial justice, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties and civil rights cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach. With more than one million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., for the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)is an international human rights monitoring, research, and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in impacting and changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions worldwide.

Human Rights Watch is an independent non-governmental organization with more than 600 staff in 50 countries of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists, advocates, and academics that works to advance human rights globally. We investigate wrongs, expose the facts, design and advocate for solutions, and challenge those with power to acknowledge, respect, and protect rights. We collaborate with people claiming their rights, learn from and work with partners, and engage the public, stakeholders, and decisionmakers in education and advocacy. Human Rights Watch upholds the freedoms and defends protections that promote dignity, equity, and justice.

To ensure our independence, we refuse government funding and carefully review all donations to ensure they are consistent with our policies, mission, and values.

Human Rights Watch and the ACLU created the fellowship in 2002 with generous funding from the Open Society Institute to honor the legacy of Aryeh Neier. As executive director of the ACLU and then of Human Rights Watch, Aryeh Neier helped develop both organizations into powerful forces for justice and human rights.

A special committee from both organizations will select the fellow, who will begin their two-year fellowship in September 2027. The Fellow will most likely be placed in the New York City offices of Human Rights Watch and the ACLU, spending a year at each; however, the fellow should be open to placement in the organizations’ offices in other locations in the US as well. We aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible in both the recruitment for and onboarding of this position.

Responsibilities

• Monitor human rights issues and developments in the United States;
• Conduct field research in the United States;
• Draft reports and/or other materials on human rights conditions;
• Engage in advocacy aimed at publicizing and curtailing human rights violations;
• Assist with the development of litigation strategies; and
• Carry out other tasks as may be required.

Qualifications

Education: Candidates must be recent graduates with a J.D. from a US law school or have a J.D. granted by June 2027.

Experience: Academic or work experience related to some aspect of the protection of human rights and civil liberties in the United States.

Related Skills and Knowledge

• Take and/or pass the bar exam prior to commencing the fellowship in September 2027.
• Eligibility to practice law in the US during the second year of the fellowship.
• Exceptional analytical skills, and an ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively.
• Self-motivation with the ability to take initiative and follow through on projects to completion.
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team.
• Proficiency in one language in addition to English is preferred.
• A demonstrated commitment to human rights and justice.

Salary: The fellow will receive $70,000 in the first year, with a salary increase in the second year.

Successful applicants will be available for an interview from late November to mid-December 2026.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted to submit the following: two (2) letters of recommendation and an official law or graduate school transcript.

We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch and the ACLU are equal opportunity employers.

The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name "ACLU".

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

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An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.