Legal Fellowship Placement Opportunities

Who We Are:

American Oversight (AO) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. We use multiple tools, backed by aggressive litigation, to fight attacks on democratic institutions, threats to civil rights and liberties, abuses of power, and erosion of government transparency. We expose and disrupt these attacks, and the officials and networks behind them, by forcing the government to turn over records officials would rather keep secret.

Since our founding in 2017, AO has:

• Shut down Trump's bogus "voter fraud" commission.
• Revealed the Trump-sanctioned pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government by forcing the Trump administration to turn over records initially withheld from Congress.
• Uncovered rampant preventable deaths of immigrants in federal custody.
• Unmasked taxpayer-funded sham "audits" of the 2020 election.
• Obtained the fake electors' forged certificates submitted by fake electors during the 2020 election.
• Exposed networks of election denialists and subverters around the country.
• Halted the impeachment of a newly elected state supreme court justice in Wisconsin.
• Blocked state election board members in Georgia and Wisconsin from taking anti-democratic actions in secret.

We are committed to fighting threats to democracy at the federal, state, and local levels, using time-tested and innovative tools to expose misconduct, defend against attacks on marginalized communities, and demand accountability.

For more information, please visit our website: www.americanoversight.org  

About the Role:

American Oversight welcomes the opportunity to work with current 3L students (or recent graduates currently serving as judicial clerks) interested in applying for postgraduate legal fellowship placements to commence in fall 2026.

We are excited to support postgraduate legal fellowship applications of committed and motivated candidates interested in helping us expose government misconduct and abuses of power.

Please note that we are unable to offer funding; we are available to serve as a host/sponsoring employer for applications to other funding sources. 

We have had previous success with applicants seeking general fellowship funding to join our team, but we will also consider applicants seeking funding for specific project proposals.  

Once we identify a candidate who is a good fit, we will work collaboratively to complete fellowship applications, including providing any required employer information, documentation, and certifications as well as working with the candidate to refine a project proposal, if necessary. 

What You Will Do:

Fellowship responsibilities may differ depending on fellowship parameters and requirements and the status of our cases​. General fellowship responsibilities may include:​​​ 

• Review and research current events to spot potential legal issues and to identify opportunities to uncover state and federal government malfeasance or unethical conduct. 
• Collaborate with our research team to craft, review, and revise draft Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open records act requests  
• Draft FOIA and state open records act administrative appeals. 
• Conduct legal research to support our lawsuits and open records work. 
• Draft court pleadings, including complaints, motions, and briefs, or sections of briefs. 
• Participate in litigation strategy meetings, and help prepare for and observe court hearings, depositions, or other litigation events. 
• Collaborate with our communications team to prepare reports and other editorial content for our website based on the findings of our investigations. 

 What You Will Bring: 

• Fellows should either be current 3L students expected to graduate from an ABA-accredited law school by June 2026, or recent graduates of an ABA-accredited law school currently serving as judicial clerks. 
• Commitment to take a bar exam by summer 2026 and expectation to be admitted to the bar of D.C. or a state by winter 2026-2027.  
• Commitment to public-interest advocacy and an interest in litigation. 
• An interest in American Oversight’s mission of government accountability and transparency. 
• Exceptional writing, research, and oral communications skills. 
• Sound judgment and ability to analyze situations and information. 
• Strong organizational and project-management abilities. 
• Ability to work collaboratively. 
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity. 
• Previous exposure to litigation, knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act, state open records laws, and/or government ethics laws is helpful but not required. 

We encourage individuals to apply even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.  

What We Offer:

For funded legal fellows, American Oversight can supplement your fellowship with a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes 80% of health, dental, and vision premiums paid by the organization, a retirement plan with a matching contribution, and remote office reimbursements for personal devices and wireless connectivity.

Location:

American Oversight is a remote-first organization, however our fellows must work from one of the following locations: CA, DC, DE, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, VA, or WI.

Our office in Washington, DC is an optional workspace. 

How to Apply:

Interested candidates ​​must submit a cover letter, resume, and transcript​ (attached as PDFs or Microsoft Word docs)​.​

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We will consider proposals on a rolling basis.  

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:

At American Oversight, we value and strive to hire, develop, and grow a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer, and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals to apply for opportunities at American Oversight even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.