Come Join Just Security! 2025-26 Postgraduate Legal Fellow Positions

Just Security invites expressions of interest for Postgraduate Legal Fellow positions from recent law school graduates (within approximately five years of graduation, including class of 2025) who are applying for fellowships or other sources of external funding.

Who We Are & What You’d Do

Just Security is a leading resource for educating policymakers, lawmakers, legal professionals, journalists, civil society organizations, and interested citizens on the most important challenges in the fields of security, democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and law. In the decade since its establishment, Just Security has become a trusted voice, providing analysis and informational resources in a timely, engaging, and accessible format.

Applicants should have very strong editing and writing skills and an interest in contributing to our mission of promoting cutting-edge thinking on security, civil liberties, human rights, and the rule of law. Fellows work with a small, collegial team of Just Security senior editors in soliciting, editing, writing, and producing articles and other informational resources, and may work on other special projects based on individual interests as needed.

For applicants applying for fellowships that require a specific project, please indicate this in  your cover letter, noting any relevant areas in which you have particular interest. One project Fellows frequently undertake is developing Just Security content in a specific topic area. In addition to general editorial work, such Fellows devote a portion of their time to tracking news, soliciting and editing articles, and writing articles themselves on their specific fellowship project topic. Topics should be sufficiently broad to provide enough work for the Fellow, including, but not limited to democracy, human rights and international law, climate, or AI and emerging technologies.

Fellowship start dates and location are flexible. We work across time zones, allowing for the possibility of remote work on a schedule appropriate for your location. Some overlap with US ET time zones is beneficial, and we have found it can be helpful to spend in-person time at NYU, particularly because fellowships are intended to help develop professional networks, although this is not required. For fellows who work hybrid or in-person, office space at NYU Law School is available.

How to Apply

To ensure there is time to develop an application together, please apply no later than 4 weeks before the earliest fellowship deadline you are considering.

To express interest, please email a consolidated PDF to Editorial Assistant Maya Nir (mnir@justsecurity.org) and Managing Editor Megan Corrarino (mcorrarino@justsecurity.org) containing:

  1. A brief cover letter explaining your interest in Just Security, whether your fellowship requires a specific project and, if so, any initial ideas for the area in which you would like to work (we can also help you define this further), and ideas for prospective funding source(s), including any relevant application deadlines.
  2. A resume.
  3. Law school and any other graduate-level transcript(s). Graduating students or applicants who feel like it would otherwise be helpful to their application are also welcome to include undergraduate transcripts, although these are not required.
  4. Names and contact information for two references.

Candidates are expected to take the lead in applying for funding, and final determinations will be dependent on securing sufficient funding. Fellows are hired as research scholars at NYU Law School, through which they also receive employee benefits. Just Security can provide selected candidate(s) with a letter of support, assistance in developing a project proposal, and other support according to the application needs of the funding source(s) the candidate has identified.

Education/Experience Requirements:

  • J.D., LLM, or other graduate-level law degree.
  • Very strong analytical, writing, and editing skills.
  • Demonstrated interest in one or more areas of Just Security’s subject areas, such as but not limited to national or international security, international law or policy, U.S. constitutional law, democracy and rule of law, human rights, climate, or AI and emerging technologies.
  • Some relevant professional experience, which may include experience gained before law school or while in school, or during a judicial clerkship.

Primary Duties:

Work with a small, highly collegial team to:

  • track daily news for developments relevant to Just Security’s readership and work with editorial team members to identify and develop opportunities for coverage, including in the Fellow’s specific project area;
  • recruit and work with high-level guest authors;
  • edit articles written by guest contributors;
  • mentor, supervise, and provide guidance to student staff editors and help train students and other colleagues;
  • write short articles or other informational resources for publication, including developing thought leadership in the Fellow’s project area; and
  • otherwise contribute to the work of Just Security.

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