The WJW Fellowship awards 10 women lawyers year-long, fully funded work placements at one of 10 leading human rights organizations across Africa. Fellows receive training, mentorship, and access to a global network of legal experts. They gain experience while providing legal advice and contributing to litigation that advances the rights of women and girls in the region.

Their inaugural cohort of fellows worked on more than 230 women’s rights cases and supported more than 1,000 women and girls with legal information on reproductive rights, gender-based violence, child marriage, and beyond. In the first four months of the fellowship, the 2025 fellows have already worked on more than 90 cases and reached over 800 students and 15 teachers during school outreach activities.

Benefits

• A paid work placement at a leading human rights organization in Africa which focuses on gender justice issues and strategic litigation
• Mentorship by WJW’s Head of Fellowships and host organizations’ supervisors
• At least one in-person convening and an extensive monthly online training program led by leading human rights experts
• Networking opportunities with leading human rights experts, lawyers, judges, activists and academics and participation in events such as Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance
• Access to the WJW Fellowship Alumni Program network for continued support, knowledge sharing and collaboration

Expectations

• Fellows are expected to:
  • Support the legal work of their host organizations which may include providing direct legal assistance to individuals, legal research, legal representation, drafting submissions, engaging in advocacy and speaking at events. The specific tasks depend on the mandate and focus of the host organization.
  • Identify and support at least one strategic litigation case designed to advance women and girls’ rights in national, regional or international courts or UN mechanisms.
  • Carry out at least two outreach activities to students at a school or university on advancing women and girls’ rights during the fellowship.
  • Engage in the Fellowship Program activities, including mentoring, training and networking opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria

• A law degree from a recognized academic institution
  • Practicing Certificate and work authorization:
    • The applicant must be admitted to practice as a lawyer in the country of the selected host organization.
    • Fellows are expected to be based in the country of their host organization, and as such, should have the right to work in the host organization’s country. Their host organizations are based in The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Tanzania.
    • Please note that regional organizations – the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), based in The Gambia, and the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), based in Tanzania – are willing to accept applications from qualified candidates licensed to practice law in other African countries. They may be able to support some international relocation costs and work permits in such cases. However, for all other organizations, costs relating to international relocation and acquiring work authorization cannot be supported.
  • Relevant work experience:
    • At least two years of post-qualification experience in the legal field. As this fellowship is for early-career women lawyers, they will be less likely to consider women with more than five years of legal experience post-qualification.
    • Experience in women’s rights and working in human rights organizations is preferred.

Application Requirements

• Interest in gender equality and women’s rights
• Commitment to the mission and goals of the Clooney Foundation for Justice and the relevant host organization
• A demonstrated ability to conduct complex legal analysis and fact-finding
• Excellent research, writing and verbal communication skills
• Self-starter with excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and human rights, and creativity in crafting strategies to advance justice in their priority areas
• Additional experience working with survivors and/or impacted communities preferred
• Experience integrating gender and child-sensitive perspectives into substantive work would be useful
• Willingness to travel
• Fluency in English required; proficiency in other working languages relevant to the countries of host organizations preferred

For more information, visit CFJ.

https://cfj.org/news/applications-now-open-for-2026-waging-justice-for-women-fellowship/