Disability Rights Legal Center debuts Kirkland & Ellis Justice Fellowship

The Disability Rights Legal Center just announced the creation of The Kirkland & Ellis Justice Fellowship, a two-year position to head up the center's newly formed Community Advocacy Program. The goal of the program and the fellowship is to provide members of the disability community with critical information and resources about their civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws.

Given the complexity of legal issues, the DRLC is creating its first-ever fellowship to address the myriad of complex legal issues facing people with disabilities today. The fellowship will also give the next generation of attorneys an opportunity to engage in social justice work at the beginning of their legal careers. The fellowship is named in honor of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in recognition of the DRLC's long-standing pro-bono and co-counseling relationships with the firm, and for Kirkland's generous funding of this new fellowship.

The fellow will work at DRLC's Los Angeles office with other staff in the program, as well as DRLC's clinical law students and pro bono attorneys. He or she will also be responsible for outreach to legal organizations, service providers and other attorneys in order to facilitate meaningful referrals for callers and educate the community about DRLC's services. The goal of the program and the fellowship is to provide the disability community with critical information and resources that will connect them with relevant service providers, provide limited representation on smaller legal matters, facilitate self-advocacy and identify systemic issues appropriate for DRLC impact litigation. Importantly, the fellow will develop at least one area of expertise, such as housing rights for people with disabilities, rights of people who use service animals, the education rights of youth in the delinquency system, or the intersection of race and disability. The fellow will give trainings and write articles in this area of expertise to further the civil rights of people with disabilities in the disability and legal communities. Interested applicants should apply no later than July 8th via DRLC's website.