2025-27 Brian Lewinstein EJA Fellowship Announcement

Equal Justice America (EJA) and the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) are pleased to invite graduating Berkeley Law students* to apply for the 2025-2027 Brian Lewinstein EJA Fellowship. The Fellow will work with EBCLC’s Clean Slate Clinic for a period of two years providing direct legal services to young people seeking to build careers in fields requiring licensure or some other form of criminal background clearance.

Young people make mistakes and mistakes have consequences. But, according to the American Bar Association, there are over 48,000 collateral consequences if that mistake leads to a criminal record. Many of these collateral consequences eliminate the very pathway that a young person would need to follow professionally, to provide stability for themselves, their family, and the community.

EBCLC’s Clean Slate Clinic is intentional about our efforts to disrupt the cycle that first, criminalizes low-income youth of color and then stifles their economic mobility. We see how our clients’ career aspirations can be thwarted by the complexities arising from these collateral consequences. For many young people in college and other forms of higher education, a degree or certificate punctuates the entrance into a new career. For young people with conviction histories, however, graduation or passing a licensing exam does not mean they will be able to enter one of the 30% of jobs in California that require some form of license or certification.

For a system-impacted young person seeking to make the most of their life, stable employment is the most consistent predictor of recidivism. Helping system-impacted young people to achieve their career goals is not just important for them and their families, but society.

Even after traditional forms of criminal record relief (also called “expungement”) have been granted, many licensing agencies and boards still require extra scrutiny for applicants with criminal records. In addition, private reporting agencies and even the DOJ often misreport information on an applicant’s record, which can be rectified, but only if an applicant can skillfully navigate the process.

The Brian Lewinstein EJA Fellow in Clean Slate will focus on supporting clients experiencing barriers to licensure or employment due to their criminal record. This Fellow will work in partnership with community colleges and other educational programs to provide transitional-aged youth and other clients with the guidance they need to submit appeals on time and ensure their responses are thorough. They may occasionally represent clients in administrative hearings or negotiating beneficial settlement agreements.

In focusing on this area, the Brian Lewinstein EJA Fellow will have an opportunity to become an expert in this specific and critical area of legal services. The Fellow will have the opportunity to understand how best to guide young people with criminal legal system involvement through the various licensure procedures to access pathways into remunerative, life-long careers.

The 2025-2027 Brian Lewinstein EJA Fellow will work with EBCLC’s Clean Slate Clinic. Responsibilities will include:

1. Engaging with clients at clinic who are first-time applicants for occupational licensing or other forms of employment.

2. Conduct targeted outreach and coordination with Underground Scholars, community colleges, and other programs that represent formerly incarcerated youth seeking educational and career training opportunities.

3. Attending weekly meetings and engage with Occupational Licensing Coalition to help develop and advocate for policies that remove more of these barriers over time.

4. Collaborating with other members of the Clean Slate team in the provision of direct services to transition-aged youth, unhoused young people, and people with criminal records.

5. Training clinical law students in the performance of the above duties, including substantive law and skills training, weekly individual and group case reviews, and day-to-day student supervision and support tasks.

6. Work closely with EBCLC’s Clean Slate team and the Education Defense and Justice for Youth team to provide holistic legal services and streamline communication to mutual clients who receive assistance from both legal programs.

EBCLC is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for

U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 75 staff, 100 law students a year, and a nearly $10 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 4,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

* This Fellowship is also intended for recently graduated Berkeley Law alums. The Fellow must be able to commence work with EBCLC's Clean Slate Practice in Fall 2025. Candidates that graduated in 2024 or 2023, and are spending, or will have spent, the interim year(s) in a time-limited clerkship or a public interest fellowship, will be considered so long as they can begin the Fellowship Term in Fall 2025. Questions about the Brian Lewinstein EJA Fellowship and the application process may be directed to EBCLC Clinical Director, Rebecca Oyama (royama@ebclc.org) or Jael Myrick (jmyrick@ebclc.org)

Workplace Expectations

EBCLC is a hybrid workplace. Staff may work from home or in the office, subject to safety protocols. Please note that the fellow will be expected to work in the office or attend in-person events in the East Bay in order to attend in-person clinics, meetings, seminars, and/or engage in in-person fieldwork to support our clients, policy work, and the clinical education program.

EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home.

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is part of the bargaining unit.

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process:

The position will remain open until filled. EBCLC will review applications and interview applicants on a rolling basis and will only review complete applications. A complete application must include a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for three professional references. Please submit your complete application as one single PDF file by uploading it under “Upload your Resume.” 

Apply here: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/2787731/East-Bay-Community-Law-Center/2025-27-Brian-Lewinstein-EJA-Fellowship-Announcement

   Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. degree from Berkeley Law expected in May 2025*

• Demonstrated commitment to working on criminal justice issues broadly

• Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, economic, and/or disability justice

• Strong interest in direct service and policy work

• Excellent written and oral advocacy skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest in, knowledge of, and/or experience with, criminal, employment law, and/or clean slate/records and remedies

• Interest in, knowledge of, and/or experience with, coalition-based work, policy advocacy, and movement lawyering

• Interest in law student supervision and clinical legal education and instruction

• Ability to partner and work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people of color, homeless people, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, people experiencing domestic violence, law students, service providers, government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty.

• Bilingual skills in Spanish are highly desirable.