Wardenski P.C. Justice Catalyst Fellowship New York, NY · Full time Company website

Apply for Justice Catalyst Fellowship

Wardenski P.C. is a boutique, mission-centered, plaintiff-side civil rights law firm that challenges discrimination in education, housing, and health care, with a focus on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The firm is based in New York with a second office in Washington, DC. The firm routinely co-counsels with national civil rights organizations and other plaintiff-side law firms in litigating our cutting-edge public interest cases across the country.

Overview

Wardenski P.C. is seeking to host a Justice Catalyst Fellow for 2027-2028. Justice Catalyst administers one-year, potentially renewable, project-based fellowships for graduating law students, or graduates up to two years out of law school. We are seeking inquiries from current third-year law students and recent law school graduates (graduation date of December 2024 or later) who are interested in applying for a fellowship at the firm. The firm will work with the selected candidate to develop and submit a project proposal to Justice Catalyst during its Fall 2026 application cycle.

Our Work

The firm represents individual and organizational plaintiffs in federal and state civil rights lawsuits across the country. Our current litigation docket includes the following cases:

• Talbott v. United States (D.D.C.), a class action challenge to the Trump Administration’s ban on military service by transgender individuals;

• Gordon v. Aetna (D. Conn.), a putative class action challenge to Aetna’s categorical insurance coverage exclusion on gender-affirming facial surgeries for transgender people;

• Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh v. AION Management (D. Del.), a fair housing lawsuit brought by three nonprofit fair housing organizations against a multi-state property management company for refusing to consider assigned parking as a reasonable accommodation for tenants with physical disabilities;

• Capasso v. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (N.Y. Supreme Court), a suit against a major cancer center by a transgender woman who experienced years of misgendering and other gender-based discrimination as a patient; and

• Parsons v. Hellas Condominiums (D. Maine), a fair housing lawsuit against a Maine condominium association by a homeowner who was denied reasonable accommodations for her disability.

Other examples of the firm’s recent work and accomplishments are available on our website at https://www.wardenskilaw.com/news.

Description

The firm is seeking inquiries from eligible law students and law graduates who are interested in working with us to develop a fellowship project proposal that will support and expand the firm's civil rights litigation docket. We are particularly interested in project proposals in three of our core practice areas - education, fair housing, and health care - that intersect with one or more of Justice Catalyst's priority issue areas (including government accountability, economic justice, consumer rights, and workers' rights). We anticipate that a fellow would work on developing at least one new case within their project area and supporting the firm's related active litigation matters.

Potential applicants should familiarize themselves with the Justice Catalyst Fellowship program and application process before submitting inquiries to the firm.

The firm will work with one or more selected candidates to submit a prospectus to Justice Catalyst between September 1 to September 30, 2026, and, for any candidate who is invited to submit a full application by Justice Catalyst, to assist that candidate in submitting a full fellowship application by the December 1, 2026 deadline.

Please note that Wardenski P.C. is not eligible to sponsor fellows from other major legal fellowship programs because it is a private plaintiff-side firm.

Qualifications

We welcome inquiries from students who will be in their final year of law school in the 2026-2027 school year and from recent law school graduates (graduation date of December 2024 or later). Successful candidates must have:

• A demonstrated commitment to a career civil rights litigation;
• Strong legal research, writing, editing, and communication skills; and
• A demonstrated ability and willingness to take initiative and work both independently and collaboratively with the firm’s attorneys, interns, staff, co-counsel, and clients;
• Willingness to take the New York bar exam or otherwise seek admission to the New York bar.

Work Location

The fellow will be based in the firm’s office in New York, NY. This will primarily be an in-person position, with potential hybrid work options.

Compensation

The fellowship salary will be $76,000 for graduating law students. The firm will supplement the salary for fellows with at least one year of post-JD work experience. The fellow will also receive health, dental, vision, and other benefits.

Application Instructions

Please submit a request for application sponsorship by uploading the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A 1-2 page cover letter describing (1) why you are interested in a pursuing a career as a civil rights attorney, (2) your relevant professional, academic, or personal experiences in one or more of the firm’s core issue areas (LGBTQ+ equality, students’ rights, fair housing, and health equity), and (3) a short summary (100-200 words) of your potential project proposal and how it aligns with the firm’s work and one or more of Justice Catalyst's priority issue areas; and

• Your current résumé (maximum of 2 pages).

Applicants selected for an interview will be asked to submit a list of references, a legal writing sample, and a law school transcript.

We will review inquiries on a rolling basis beginning on August 1, 2026. Early applications are encouraged, and priority will be given to applications received by August 31, 2026. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Nondiscrimination Policy

Wardenski P.C. is an equal opportunity employer. The firm does not discriminate in hiring or employment on any basis protected by New York City, New York State, District of Columbia, or federal law, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, sex/gender (including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and related medical conditions, and childbirth and related medical conditions), age, disability, religion/creed, disability, immigration or citizenship status, status as a veteran or active military service member, credit information, family responsibilities, homeless status, marital status, matriculation, personal appearance, political affiliation, or status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking.

Wardenski P.C. values diverse, inclusive workplaces and will give equal consideration to all applicants. The firm encourages applications from people of color, indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with nontraditional educational backgrounds (including first-generation law students), and people from other backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession.