PUBLIC RIGHTS PROJECT FELLOWSHIP LOCATIONS
Locations
During the 2021-23 cycle, fellows will have the opportunity to work in the Offices of the Harris County Attorney, Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights & Equity Department, Massachusetts Attorney General, Oakland City Attorney, Philadelphia District Attorney, Pima County Attorney, Travis County District Attorney, and Washtenaw Prosecuting Attorney.
Harris County Attorney’s Office (TX)
In Harris County, the third largest county in the United States, the Public Rights Project fellow will help launch the newly formed Affirmative Litigation Division. The fellow will work across other legal teams and directly handle investigations, community outreach, and litigation in ongoing affirmative matters and cases. Examples of affirmative litigation work include:
Strategically expanding the affirmative litigation docket with a focus on environmental justice, consumer protection, and civil rights cases;
Engaging federal legislation and regulations as well state legislation and policy to identify opportunities for advocacy on behalf of the county or as part of a coalition of local governments; and
Reviewing and exploring important case developments throughout the country to bolster and develop an amicus practice within the county attorney’s office.
Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights & Equity Department (CA)
The Public Rights Project fellow will have the opportunity to help make history by building the legal operation of the City of Los Angeles’ first Civil Rights Department. The fellow will be placed specifically in the Discrimination Enforcement division, which investigates citizen discrimination complaints regarding private commerce, education, employment, and housing. Examples of enforcement work include:
Investigating housing and employment cases with an eye towards identifying systemic and pattern discrimination issues;
Engaging in community outreach to develop a strategic pipeline of community-informed and impactful work; and
Developing policies and protocols to support complainants throughout every stage of the process.
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (MA)
As the Chief Law Enforcement office in Massachusetts, the Attorney General’s Office possesses broad authority to protect the rights of residents. Within the Civil Rights Division, the office enforces anti-discriminaiton laws as well as the exercise of civil rights in housing, employment, places of public accommodation, schools, and various other settings. In this placement, the Public Rights Project fellow will focus on:
Algorithmic discrimination affecting access to housing, employment, and economic opportunities including goods, services, and credit;
Housing discrimination evidenced by fair housing testing performed by partner organizations; and
Racial profiling in police work as part of the enforcement of a newly enacted police reform statute.
Oakland City Attorney’s Office (CA)
In the Oakland City Attorney’s (OCA) Office, the fellow will be placed in the Community Lawyering and Civil Rights (CLCR) unit primarily, with cross-staffing planned on Housing Justice Initiative (HJI) and Neighborhood Law Corps (NLC) cases and campaigns as well. The fellow’s work will include the following priorities:
Partnering on or leading existing and new investigations and lawsuits on environmental justice, workers’ rights, racial justice, and housing justice;
Developing proactive and progressive non-litigation enforcement strategies (e.g. new local laws and policies);
Forming close relationships with community leaders to deeply focus on the life, health, and safety issues that matter most to the community OCA serves; and
Coordinating with partners across non-profit and philanthropic sectors to advance the missions of the units.
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office (PA)
The Public Rights Project fellow will be placed in the Worker Protection sub-unit within the Economic Crimes Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. The fellow will work to further develop an emerging docket that is focused on pursuing the prosecution of wage theft and other economic security crimes. As part of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Public Rights Project fellow will:
Prosecute cases involving wage theft and other violations against vulnerable workers;
Evaluate whether potential cases are appropriate for prosecution and work with DA detectives to conduct investigations;
Develop a pipeline of cases for enforcement through community outreach and engagement; and
Strengthen community partnerships and foster a deeper connection to worker rights advocates through community events, public trainings, and other endeavors.
Pima County Attorney’s Office (AZ)
Pima County has recently elected a new County Attorney that replaced a previously unbroken 40-year-long administration. The Public Rights Project fellow will work in both the Fraud unit to protect the finances of ordinary workers and consumers in the county, as well as address mass incarceration and racial disparity in the criminal justice system in the Conviction and Sentence Integrity unit. Examples of the fellow’s work include:
Protecting the economic security of workers and consumers through impact litigation, individual prosecutions, mediation, and diversion;
Develop a pipeline of cases for enforcement through community outreach and engagement; and
Strengthening community partnerships and fostering a deeper connection to worker rights and consumer protection advocates through community events, trainings, and other endeavors.
Travis County District Attorney’s Office (TX)
In Travis County, the Public Rights Project fellow will be placed in the Special Prosecutions Division. Newly elected DA Jose Garza has made the development of wage theft enforcement a main priority for his office by targeting the most powerful bad actors and focusing on connecting the community. The fellow will focus this work by:
Investigate and prosecute cases involve wage theft and other violations against vulnerable workers;
Develop a pipeline of cases for enforcement through community outreach and engagement; and
Strengthen community partnerships and foster a deeper connection to worker rights advocates through community events, public trainings, and other endeavors.
Washtenaw Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (MI)
Placed in the office of newly elected Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit, the Public Rights Project fellow will help to create the office’s first-ever Economic Crimes Unit, which would focus on wage theft and corporate abuse. The fellow will help to bolster the office’s civil litigation and advocacy capacity, including through the development of amicus briefs for state and national issues. Among other things, the Public Rights Project fellow will:
Investigate and prosecute cases involve wage theft and other violations against vulnerable workers;
Develop a pipeline of cases for enforcement through community outreach and engagement; and
Issue spot and cultivate advocacy opportunities for civil enforcement and litigation, especially in the economic security and consumer protection realms.
