Join the Team
Join the Team
- We rely on a dedicated team of lawyers, paralegals, research and staff members to work towards justice in Louisiana.
- All paid opportunities to join us are listed on this page. If you are interested in volunteering, read about other ways to get involved in our work.
Fellowships
CAPITAL DEFENSE FELLOWSHIP: FALL 2024/SPRING 2025
The Capital Appeals Project (CAP) is accepting applications for grant-based fellowships for the Fall of 2024/Spring of 2025. CAP a non-profit law office based in New Orleans, Louisiana that provides capital pre-trial, appellate, and post-conviction representation to indigent people on Louisiana’s death row. CAP provides high-quality representation in the state and federal courts throughout Louisiana, and acts as a resource to public defenders and criminal defense lawyers across the state. CAP attorneys have represented clients in state and federal courts, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court, including in Kennedy v. Louisiana, Snyder v. Louisiana, and Montejo v. Louisiana. Our work has improved the quality and standards of representation for indigent capital defendants in Louisiana over the last two decades.
CAP is seeking current law students or recent law graduates for a one-year fellowship. The fellow will help represent clients facing death by execution. The fellow will be supervised by a senior attorney, and will have a substantial role in informing the litigation strategies, reviewing records, meeting with clients, conducting legal research, drafting briefs, mooting oral arguments, and conducting mitigation investigation. The nature of our work requires frequent travel throughout the State.
Applicants should be admitted to the Louisiana Bar or prepared to sit for the Louisiana Bar Exam prior to their employment.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The application deadline is February 16, 2024.
Funding
CAP will work closely with the selected candidate(s) to pursue outside funding, as CAP does not have the financial ability to fund the fellowship. We will work with any school or grant funding organization where a candidate qualifies for funding.
How to Apply: Please email a cover letter, resume, five-to-ten-page writing sample, and three references to: Joshua Schwartz at jschwartz@defendla.org.
- We welcome the opportunity to work with prospective and recent law school graduates committed to justice for defendants on Louisiana’s death row.
- External funding sources include:
- Most external funding sources have application deadlines in the early fall.