Urban Debate Advocacy Fellowship for Recent Graduates

The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL), the national leadership organization of the urban debate movement, seeks to facilitate participation in organized debate activities for as many urban students as possible. Urban students of color and women with great creativity and potential for future careers in the law unfortunately face many challenges in learning the communication and academic skills they need to enter law school and start legal careers. To counter these challenges, many firms have turned to academic debate in urban schools as an effective mechanism to open a larger, more diverse pipeline of students who are interested in, and well-prepared for, law school and legal practice.

NAUDL is offering a pro bono public interest fellowship to 3Ls and recent law school graduates whose firms are deferring their start dates. Associates who are deferring their start dates can make a valuable contribution in the interim to the NAUDL and urban debate.

The Urban Debate Advocacy Fellow will provide legal advice and assistance to local Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs), run legal education seminars with UDL students, prepare submissions to federal and local governments on matters of public interest, and conduct other legal work, including drafting documents. The pro bono fellows will focus on legal research and writing, advocacy, non-profit governance issues, and policy development, and will be helping to bring debate to thousands of additional students nationwide. The length of the fellowship can vary with availability, ranging from several months to an entire year.

If interested in becoming an Urban Debate Advocacy Fellow, please contact Eric Tucker at the NAUDL at EricTucker@urbandebate.org or 312-427-0152.