Hybrid Legal Fellow – Ishiyama Transparency in Government

at NPR

• Job title: Legal Fellow – Ishiyama Transparency in Government
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Mid level, Senior
• Salary: $41 per hour
• Degree requirement: Professional Certificate
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Washington, D C, United States

About the role

• Legal Fellow at NPR focusing on First Amendment and media law. Collaborating with NPR journalists to enhance government transparency through legal support and public records access.

Responsibilities

• Work with NPR journalists to request access to records under the federal Freedom of Information Act and state public records laws;
• Work with NPR staff attorneys and outside counsel to prepare appeals from inappropriate denials of such requests;
• Track federal FOIA and state public records requests and appeals across the NPR newsroom and the newsrooms of NPR Member stations engaged with NPR in collaborative reporting projects;
• Work with NPR staff attorneys and outside counsel to pursue FOIA, state public records act, and court-access litigation, and, time permitting, to defend content-related lawsuits against NPR and NPR journalists;
• Conduct legal research and advise NPR legal colleagues and reporters on FOIA, state public records act, court-access, and other media law issues;
• Prepare memoranda, presentations, and other materials for internal and external audiences
• Prepare training materials and work with staff lawyers and newsroom leaders to train journalists in the effective use of FOIA and state public records laws.

Requirements

• Outstanding academic credentials, including a Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school earned by June 2026.
• Bar membership in good standing in the District of Columbia, or eligibility to waive into the DC bar, by January 2027.
• Demonstrated interest in, and knowledge of, the federal Freedom of Information Act, state public records laws, court-access law, and media law, generally.
• Superb verbal and written communications skills, high ethical and professional standards, a commitment to journalism, and good judgment.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects, to set and adjust priorities, and to work under pressure.

Benefits

• access to health and wellness
• paid time off
• financial well-being
• medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings