Fellowship

Gupta Wessler Fellowship in Appellate and Constitutional Litigation 

Gupta Wessler LLP specializes in Supreme Court, appellate, and complex litigation on behalf of plaintiffs and public interest clients. Our cases span a wide range of issues, including consumers’ and workers’ rights, class actions, administrative law, civil rights, the First Amendment, gun-violence prevention, and public health.

Each year, our firm seeks out a new attorney with exceptional writing ability, the capacity to think creatively about the law, strong advocacy instincts, and a genuine passion for public interest work. Judicial clerkship experience and experience in both public interest and appellate litigation are preferred.

The fellowship is ideally suited for a current or recent judicial law clerk interested in embarking on a career as a public interest litigator. Fellows are fully integrated into all aspects of the firm’s work and receive significant responsibility for cutting-edge appellate, constitutional, and complex litigation. They are expected to hit the ground running by researching and drafting briefs under close supervision and mentorship by the firm’s attorneys. Fellows will also play a critical role in monitoring developments in the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts, and in analyzing potential new cases for the firm.

How to apply: The application process for the 2022-2023 is now open, and we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis through September 2021. The fellowship position will be based in Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, CA. Applicants should email a cover letter, resume, transcript, list of three references, and multiple writing samples (please review the guidance below) to fellowship@guptawessler.com. Please indicate any location preference in your cover letter. We are committed to considering applicants from all schools and backgrounds, and we actively seek applications from women and underrepresented groups.

Guidance on writing samples: Writing samples are the most important part of the application process, and we encourage candidates to submit multiple samples. We prefer whole documents to excerpts. To facilitate blind review, each sample should be submitted as a separate PDF file, omitting the applicant’s identifying information (such as the applicant’s name, judge, and law school). We prefer writing samples that reflect a candidate’s most challenging and ambitious work so far, not cookie-cutter assignments. Scholarly papers are welcome but we would also like to see at least one in-depth advocacy piece or legal memorandum, such as a bench memo (if chambers policy permits, and redacted as necessary). Samples that have been edited or commented upon by others are perfectly fine so long as that fact is noted. We also like to see non-legal writing (or legal writing aimed at a general lay audience) that reveals a candidate’s interests and writing ability.