Legal Fellow, Washington

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Washington; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, DC, is seeking post‑graduate Legal Fellows to support the Protection and Solutions Unit. The fellowship runs for 12 months, beginning September 2027, with fellows crafting a portfolio of work aligned to UNHCR’s strategic objectives.

Fellows must secure their own funding, be a 2027 U.S. law graduate or student, and have coursework in international refugee law and human rights.

Qualifications

• Must be a 2027 degree candidate or recent graduate from a U.S. law school.
• Coursework in international law; refugee law; and/or human rights; U.S. immigration law preferable.
• Preference for experience in U.S. asylum or refugee law.
• Experience with legal clinics or direct service with asylum-seekers or statelessness.
• Fluent Spanish is essential for the Americas work.
• Excellent oral and written communication; detail‑oriented; strong research and legal analysis.

Responsibilities

• Support PSU’s protection and solutions strategy with legal research and policy analysis.
• Prepare comments on proposed legislation and regulations impacting asylum and refugees.
• Draft amicus briefs and contribute to regional protection initiatives.
• Summarize displacement trends and provide pragmatic policy options for authorities.

Skills

Legal research

Policy analysis

Fluent Spanish

Oral and written communication

Attention to detail

Self-directed work style

Education

J.D. candidate or recent law graduate (USA)

International law

Refugee law

Human rights

Job description

Background

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, seeks several post‑graduate Legal Fellows to work full‑time in the Protection and Solutions Unit (PSU) at UNHCR’s Multi‑Country Office in Washington, D.C. The fellowship has a duration of one year, starting in September 2027. UNHCR will work with each selected fellow to craft a portfolio of work that will provide considerable opportunity for professional development while contributing to UNHCR’s strategic objectives. Each fellow is required to obtain external funding for the full duration of their fellowship (see details under Terms of Fellowship below), and should indicate in their initial application how they intend to seek that funding. UNHCR’s PSU team serves asylum‑seekers, refugees, and stateless persons who are in the United States or the northern Caribbean or seeking to access protection in these countries and territories. PSU seeks to ensure that law and policy in these locations are aligned with international refugee law and works with stakeholders to ensure protection for forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the area that it covers.

PSU Legal Fellowships

UNHCR Legal Fellows during the 2027-2028 cycle will be based in Washington D.C. The Legal Fellows’ work will support PSU’s overall protection and solutions strategy, with a particular focus on the United States and its engagement in the region. UNHCR advises governments on how best to align their domestic asylum system with international standards. To this end, PSU provides comments on proposed legislation and regulations, submits amicus briefs on select international legal issues, and shares information on displacement trends, both globally and regionally. In addition, PSU focuses on regional protection issues, i.e. in the Americas, following U.S. diplomatic engagement with other asylum countries throughout the hemisphere, as well as related bilateral and multilateral initiatives. In the realm of statelessness, PSU conducts trainings and presentations on statelessness and nationality to a range of audiences and provides guidance on the potential stateless status of individuals who contact the office. PSU also gathers information on the protection situation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons at different stages of the asylum process, including at land borders and ports of entry, in detention, and in U.S. immigration courts, and works to develop pragmatic policy and practice options for the relevant authorities. Additionally, PSU provides information on the laws, policies, and procedures for seeking asylum and related protection in the United States to persons of concern to UNHCR. The Legal Fellows’ areas of potential engagement include law and policy analysis at the intersection of international and domestic law, regional protection policy, monitoring of protection conditions, and individual case support.

Qualifications and Experience Required

When submitting an application, prospective fellows are encouraged to detail their experience in the immigration and refugee field as well as which skills and substantive areas of knowledge they wish to develop during their fellowship period. Fellows:

• Must be a 2027 degree candidate or recent graduate from a U.S. law school.
• Must have completed coursework in international law; refugee law; and/or human rights; additional coursework in U.S. immigration law preferable.
• Preference for experience in U.S. asylum; refugee law; and/or other topics related to refugees, asylum‑seekers, and statelessness.
• Experience with legal clinics in law school, or other forms of direct service experience with asylum‑seekers or statelessness would be particularly helpful.
• Fluent Spanish is essential for fellows working on US southern border and protection policy issues in the Americas, and is highly desirable for other areas of work.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Detail‑oriented, with strong research and legal analysis skills.
• Self‑directed, with ability to multi‑task and prioritize with minimal supervision.

Terms of Fellowship

Terms of Fellowship:

• Candidates must demonstrate a guaranteed funding source for the one‑year period of the fellowship in their cover letters. If funding is conditioned to being selected for the fellowship, candidates should indicate that in their cover letters. Candidates will not receive any form of funding or financial support from UNHCR. In recent years, many successful fellows have obtained funding through public interest post‑graduate fellowships offered by their respective law schools, though funding opportunities may also exist through other organizations.
• Candidates are responsible for their housing, their legal stay in the United States, health insurance, and any other related documentation that will be required by UNHCR.
• The fellowship will begin in September 2027 and last for 12 months.
• A fellowship does not create any expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR at the conclusion of the fellowship.
• In their cover letters, candidates may indicate their preference for a fellowship that focuses on one thematic area, or that encompasses several different thematic focus areas. Candidates may also signal in their cover letter if they have no preference and prefer UNHCR to match them with specific needs of the PSU team according to their background. Candidates who do not specify a preference will be evaluated for all fellowship positions.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

UNHCR encourages applications from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The agency values diversity, inclusiveness, and gender equity and strives to achieve full adherence to these principles in its policies and organizational culture. For more information on UNHCR’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please see the page at this https://www.unhcr.org/us/get-involved/work-us/careers-unhcr/diverse-workforce. For more information on UNHCR’s work, please visit our website https://www.unhcr.org/us/about-unhcr/unhcr-united-states-and-northern-caribbean.

Eligibility and Application Process

For external applicants: We would like to call your attention on the eligibility of International Professional (P) category: According to our Recruitment and Assignments Policy, P staff members will not normally serve in the country of their nationality, and the first regular appointment in the P category must be outside the staff member's country of nationality. In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of. In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to [e-mail]. For former UNHCR Colleagues: Former UNHCR employees who are on mandatory break‑in service or have separated from UNHCR after 1 October 2022 should create an account through this platform. Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life‑saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact.

Disability Inclusion

Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.