The ACLU of Massachusetts today launched a new legal fellowship for promising attorneys who seek to pursue a career in civil rights and civil liberties. Recipients of the Ellen Paradise Fisher-Franklin M. Fisher Legal Fellowship will work closely with ACLU staff at the cutting edge of freedom in the Commonwealth and beyond.

“We’re proud to partner with the ACLU of Massachusetts to make this fellowship possible, and we’re thrilled at the prospect of supporting talented new attorneys eager to make their mark in the world of civil rights and civil liberties,” said Ellen Paradise-Fisher. “Now more than ever, we need the best and brightest in the legal profession to focus their skills on strengthening our democracy and finding new, innovative ways to make us more free.”

The new legal fellowship enables the ACLU of Massachusetts to directly support novice attorneys as they develop their practice in areas such as voting rights, free speech, racial justice, immigrants’ rights, police accountability, and government surveillance. In working with ACLU staff across departments, fellows will also develop expertise in non-litigation advocacy, such as public education, legislation, and investigations.

“For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked relentlessly to move freedom forward in the courts, the legislature, and in our communities,” said Carol Rose, executive director at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “In order to continue this vital mission, it’s essential that we support new attorneys who are committed to building a fairer and more just society, and who seek to exemplify the legal profession’s highest moral and ethical ideals. We’re immensely grateful to Ellen Paradise-Fisher and Franklin Fisher for their generous support, their partnership, and their commitment to making this vision a reality.”

Applications for the Paradise-Fisher Legal Fellowship are now open to third-year law students and recent graduates.

For more information about this fellowship, go to: www.aclum.org/paradisefisherfellow

For more information about the ACLU of Massachusetts, go to: http://www.aclum.org