Litigation Program Fellowship, 2027-2029

Animal Legal Defense Fund; United States; Remote; USD 72,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care (medical, dental, vision)

Paid time off: 192 hours

19 paid holidays

Sabbatical after 5 years

Parental leave: 16 weeks

401k with up to 5% match

Remote work stipend: $750

Professional development reimbursement

Job summary

Animal Legal Defense Fund seeks a Litigation Program Fellowship (Fall 2027–2029), a fully remote U.S.-based, nonprofit position reporting to a Senior Staff Attorney. The role focuses on researching, filing, and handling litigation tasks for high-impact animal protection cases.

The fellow will develop as a litigator under supervision, participate in motions, drafting, and strategy development, and coordinate with multiple teams.

Qualifications

• Graduated from law school within three years of Fall 2027 start date.
• Licensed to practice law in the state where you will reside during the fellowship (or awaiting bar results on start date).
• Strong understanding of ALDF’s mission and values.
• Ability to manage deadlines and prioritize work in a litigation setting.

Responsibilities

• Act as counsel under supervision for research, filings, and litigation tasks.
• Develop litigator skills through motions, filings, appearances, and arguments.
• Research novel legal theories and strategies for new cases.
• Manage law clerks and drafting/editing of amicus briefs for ALDF.
• Coordinate with communications and other departments on civil legal issues.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Juris Doctorate (J.D.)

Job description

All Jobs > Litigation Program Fellowship, 2027-2029

Litigation Program Fellowship, 2027-2029
Fully Remote Remote Worker - N/A

Full-time

Description

Term of Employment: Fall 2027-2029

Union: Bargaining Unit Position, Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU)

Reports To: Senior Staff Attorney

Location: Remote (U.S. Based)

Who We Are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors and other stakeholders to ensure justice for animal victims of cruelty, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, gathering data about and advocating for effective regulation of animal exploitative industries and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Litigation Program files strategic high-impact lawsuits against government agencies, individuals, and industries that exploit animals, including factory farms, puppy mills, and roadside zoos, that seek to expand the protections for animals under the law.

How You Will Make a Difference:

• Act as counsel under the supervision of a Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, or Managing Attorney, and be responsible for all research, filings, and other aspects of litigation, for assigned cases and projects. Potentially act as lead counsel where appropriate during second year of fellowship.
• Develop skills as a litigator, including through participating in motions practice, filings, appearances, and arguments, where appropriate.
• Research and develop novel legal theories and strategies, as well as fact patterns, for new cases.
• Manage Law Clerks as assigned.
• Manage drafting, editing, and submission of amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Work with Communications and other departments to answer questions on civil legal issues and procedures, and to propose, draft, proof, and/or edit content on cases and legal developments.
• Coordinate, as needed, with other programs, including with Criminal Justice Program on cases that have, or could have, both civil and criminal components, Legislative Affairs Program, Animal Law Program, and Pro Bono Programs.
• Manage pro bono and local counsel on cases with external counsel.
• Prepare and deliver presentations for professional conferences, fundraising events, etc. when needed.
• Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning Litigation Program cases, animal law civil cases in general, and legal strategy.
• Perform other duties as assigned to advance the Litigation Program and the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s strategic objectives and mission.

Please note, this job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position, which are subject to change in order to best advance ALDF’s strategic objectives and mission.

Requirements

We Are Looking for Candidates Who Have:

• Graduated from law school within three years of the fellowship start date (estimated Fall of 2027), or are looking to move from an unrelated legal practice into animal protection work.
• A Juris Doctorate degree when the fellowship begins and be admitted to practice law in the state where you will reside during your fellowship (or be awaiting bar results on the start date of your fellowship).
• An understanding of and commitment to the vision, mission, and core values of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills and can communicate effectively with members, supporters, co-workers, and other counsel.
• A positive attitude, can work cooperatively with others, and function well in a team-oriented work environment.
• The ability to travel as needed to fulfill litigation obligations, or for professional conferences, meetings, or other events as required.

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including:

• An annual salary of $71,509 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, the salary is $75,273.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, the salary is $79,036.

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published rate. Rate is determined by role, using set geographical factors.

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available
• 192 hours of PTO
• 19 paid holidays
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment
• 16 weeks paid parental leave
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment
• One-time remote work allowance of $750
• Annual professional development reimbursement of up to $1,000.

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Additional Information:

This role is included in a collective bargaining unit that is represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). Certain terms and conditions of your employment, including wages and benefits, have been negotiated with the Union and are included in a collective bargaining agreement between ALDF and the Union.

This is a U.S. based position. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.