Legal Fellow, Charles Ogletree Reparative Bar Association

Company Description

The Charles Ogletree Reparative Bar Association (ORBA) is launching a competitive, one-year legal fellowship for early-career attorneys who want to help shape the future of reparative justice law in the United States. This is more than a job—it’s an invitation to stand at the frontier of a growing movement for racial repair, working closely with reparations-focused movement lawyers, legal scholars, and commissions across the country.

Under the visionary leadership of Professor Justin Hansford—Howard Law faculty member, founder and head of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, co-founder of the African American Redress Network, and international leader in the reparations space—the Fellow will help build the intellectual, educational, operating, and organizing infrastructure of a new professional home for reparations lawyers.

Job Description

As ORBA’s inaugural Legal Fellow, you will be at the center of a pioneering effort to build the field of reparations law. Your work will span five pillars:

• Praxis: Collaborate with cutting-edge lawyers and develop in-depth case studies on pioneering reparative justice efforts.
• Education: Support curriculum development with partners and help teach the next generation of reparations lawyers.
• Network-Building: Serve as a public face of ORBA—engaging with law firms, other bar associations, and social justice organizations to grow our national network.
• Strategy Development: Work alongside Professor Hansford and a set of national advisors to articulate a forward-looking strategy for reparations law in a shifting legal landscape.
• Public Engagement: Attend key conferences, produce thought leadership, and represent ORBA in national forums, alongside Professor Hansford.

Qualifications

We’re looking for an exceptional attorney with 2–3 years of post-graduate experience ready to take a leadership role in the legal arena of the reparations movement. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Outstanding writing skills: Whether drafting legal memos, op-eds, or white papers, you express complex ideas clearly and compellingly.
• Strong project management: You keep things moving, manage multiple workstreams, and follow through with excellence.
• Gravitas and professionalism: You’re comfortable engaging senior lawyers, professors, and policymakers as a peer.
• Commitment to racial justice and collective liberation: You bring both technical skill and deep alignment with the movement’s values.

Additional Information

GDI is an incubator for transformational social impact ventures that are scaling the next generation of system-changing solutions. GDI serves as ORBA's incubation partner, supporting the bar association's strategy and organizational development. 

This is a full-time, 12-month position beginning September 1st, 2025. The fellow will receive a $125,000 professional award for the one-year appointment.

This fellowship is a launching pad for a future leader in reparative justice. If you want to help shape the legal frameworks of a thriving, multiracial democracy—apply now.

Please share a CV and cover letter. In the cover letter please indicate your motivations to apply for this role, and your personal experience with the racial justice and/or reparations movements.