Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Counsel, Reproductive Health Law Advising
at Lawyering Project
🏢 About Lawyering Project
The Lawyering Project is a unique legal advocacy organization that combines traditional impact litigation with movement lawyering to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. Unlike many groups, it focuses on eliminating laws that restrict abortion access and perpetuating reproductive oppression, with a strong emphasis on client-centered compliance advice in the post-Roe landscape. Working here means being at the forefront of protecting and expanding reproductive freedom through innovative legal strategies.
About This Role
As Senior Counsel, you will provide critical legal advice to healthcare providers and supporters navigating the complex post-Roe legal environment, ensuring they can continue to offer reproductive health services. This role involves supervising other attorneys and mentoring staff, while also representing the organization at conferences and in working groups. Your work will directly impact the ability of providers to deliver care and patients to access services, making it both challenging and deeply rewarding.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve reviewing a new state law restricting abortion and drafting a compliance memo for a network of clinics, followed by a virtual meeting with allied organizations to coordinate advocacy strategies. You might also supervise a fellow's research on a legal issue, then prepare for a conference presentation on best practices for provider counseling in restrictive states.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Lawyering Project Is Looking For
- A seasoned attorney with 7+ years of experience, including significant client management and compliance advising, particularly in healthcare or reproductive rights contexts.
- Deep knowledge of reproductive health law, including abortion regulations, HIPAA, and state-level restrictions, with ability to provide actionable compliance advice.
- Strong supervisory and mentoring skills, comfortable leading a team of attorneys, fellows, and interns in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
- Excellent legal writing and research skills, with experience drafting memos and client advisories on complex, evolving legal issues.
📝 Tips for Applying to Lawyering Project
Tailor your resume to highlight specific experience in reproductive health law and compliance advising—use keywords like 'post-Roe,' 'abortion restrictions,' and 'provider counseling'.
In your cover letter, explicitly name a recent challenge in reproductive health law (e.g., abortion pill access, interstate travel) and how your expertise would help clients navigate it.
Showcase any supervisory experience in your application materials—mention how many staff you've managed and examples of successful mentorship.
Include links to published legal memos, briefs, or client advisories you've authored, especially those related to healthcare or reproductive rights.
Research the Lawyering Project's recent cases and campaigns (e.g., their work on medication abortion or shield laws) and reference them in your cover letter to demonstrate genuine interest.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Emphasize your commitment to reproductive justice and your alignment with the organization's movement lawyering approach.", 'Highlight your experience providing compliance advice to healthcare providers in a rapidly changing legal landscape.', 'Demonstrate your ability to supervise and mentor junior attorneys and fellows, with specific examples.', 'Mention any experience working with coalitions or representing organizations at public events, as this role includes external representation.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Review the Lawyering Project's website, especially their 'Our Work' and 'Cases' pages, to understand their current priorities and litigation strategies.
- → Read recent news articles about post-Dobbs legal challenges (e.g., mifepristone access, shield laws) to understand the landscape they operate in.
- → Look up key staff members (e.g., Executive Director, other Senior Counsel) on LinkedIn to understand their backgrounds and the organization's culture.
- → Familiarize yourself with the concept of 'abortion deserts' and how the Lawyering Project addresses healthcare access gaps.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't submit a generic cover letter—failing to mention the Lawyering Project's specific mission or recent work suggests lack of genuine interest.
- Avoid downplaying the political sensitivity of the role; this is a high-profile area, and you need to demonstrate comfort with public advocacy and potential backlash.
- Don't neglect to highlight your compliance advising experience—this role is heavily focused on practical guidance, not just litigation theory.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Lawyering Project!