Breaking into Repro: Joining the Legal Fight for Reproductive Justice
Tips on getting a repro job after law school without a fellowship
We're Melissa and Erin, lawyers and organizers at If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. As the Lawyer Engagement Manager, Melissa cultivates a political home for lawyers who care about reproductive justice and want to contribute to the movement, and as the Student Organizing Manager, Erin mobilizes our law student network, training future lawyers to be racial justice and reproductive justice activists. We're here to share some lessons we’ve learned to help you on your journey to movement and movement-adjacent work—even if you don’t land one of the reproductive health, rights, and justice movements’ competitive fellowships.
There are many pathways to reproductive justice lawyering. Erin, for example, graduated from a small private law school, and worked in retail and did document review before starting out with policy work at an environmental justice organization that, turns out, didn’t fit her well. She ultimately moved on to If/When/How thanks, in part, to the strong connections she made at our organization as a law student intern. Melissa, on the other hand, attended a large public law school before getting her Master’s in Public Health, then an If/When/How Reproductive Justice Fellowship, and then, after a three year lesson filled detour in repro adjacent work, landed a full-time job in our movement. Other lawyers at If/When/How have had similarly diverse paths—working in the media, in academia, or as public defenders, or even at big-name private firms.
It's okay if your path is just as winding and eventful as ours. We know that sometimes there's pressure to follow a specific path or get a fellowship. Find the path that works for you. Here are some things to keep in mind while beginning your career.
Your journey will be long; trust your process, find a path, and be prepared to take alternative routes.
Careers aren’t linear. It’s okay if you don’t land that clerkship or your dream fellowship right away. Try to view every experience as a building block, and look for places to apply your critical, analytical reproductive justice lens wherever you work. Working in different movements and sectors can help you better identify your strongest skills, and determine what type of supervision and work culture you need. (And if you’d like to hear about the diverse journeys of some very successful RJ advocates, check out our Careers in RJ panel recording from the If/When/How 2020 Leadership Institute for law student leaders.)
You can learn skills from all types of jobs that can make you effective in reproductive justice, so don’t limit your job hunt. Broaden your search, and maybe even look outside of jobs focused on applying your legal skill set. For example, if you're a strong writer who is skilled at making complex issues more accessible, consider joining a public affairs or policy team. In addition to ReproJobs' newsletter, check out these:
Inclusiv, a forum working to ensure staff of color are found at every professional level within the political sector
Public Affairs Jobs, amostly D.C.-oriented public affairs jobs, but you can find some gems in advocacy and in policy-oriented cities around the county
Join the Philanthropy News Digest jobs listserv
If/When/How’s Intern & Fellowship Guide
If/When/How’s Job Board
And remember, you can always volunteer on community boards, at legal clinics, and mission-aligned nonprofits along the way -- which brings us to: networking.
Grow your relationship garden.
There are a lot of problematic aspects of the role networking can play in the job market — especially for people of color. Networking can reinforce racial and economic inequity, benefiting those with privileges that afford them access to more extensive legal networks. And let’s face it, it can be outright awkward and hard to do. But relationship-building with people you share professional goals with, or whose work you admire, is important groundwork to breaking into a job where you like your work and get to advance reproductive justice.
Early in law school, seek out relationships with those working in the reproductive justice field. Don’t be afraid to cold email and introduce yourself to set up informational interviews. When you meet, be prepared with a thoughtful and clear understanding of your interests, while also keeping yourself open to other ideas and guidance. Sometimes these connections don’t work out, but don’t let that discourage you from continuing to seek out relationships and, when you really hit it off, a mentor or two.
Ask for feedback and advice in your job search. Let folks know where you are in your journey and be clear about your needs, while staying mindful of other folks’ time and capacity. Trust that a mentor will communicate their boundaries. Remember: if you never ask, then you’re doing your job search a major disservice.
Market your remote working skills.
The pandemic has permanently shifted our in-person work style, and demonstrated that many positions can be done remotely, which could increase your chances of landing a job you may not have been able to relocate for prior. Apply far and wide, then discuss with your future employer about a possible hybrid model, or covering the cost of a shared co-working space.
Pay it forward.
Once you get to a place of positional power, pay it forward. Support the movement by opening doors for others. Be approachable. Create new opportunities. Facilitate connections. Fund internships. Write letters of recommendations. Mentor. Share your story and your expertise. Invest in the movement by supporting your future peers!
In sum: let your curiosity, values, and passions lead your way, not narrow ideas of the way things should be done, or have been done in the past. And to get started on your RJ lawyering career today, sign up for If/When/How’s RJ Lawyers Network (if you’re already a J.D.) or find (or start!) your law school chapter.
Erin Panichkul (she/her) is a proud child of Thai immigrants, a lawyer, and rabbit mom. Erin is the Student Organizing Manager at If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice where she trains, mentors, and mobilizes law student leaders on reproductive justice and racial justice activism.
Melissa Torres-Montoya (she/her) is a native Californian who has spent the last decade in Washington D.C. as a policy advocate dedicated to addressing the lack of affordable quality healthcare in the United States and advancing sexual and reproductive autonomy. Melissa is the Senior Lawyer Engagement Manager at If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice where she leads the RJ Lawyers Network, an initiative that focuses on training and mobilizing legal professionals to work for reproductive justice.