Who We Are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, gathering data about and advocating for effective regulation of animal exploitative industries and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. 

What You’ll Be Doing:

The Legislative Affairs Program Fellow will develop resources and execute strategic legislative activities to advance priority animal protection legislation. The Legislative Affairs Fellow is responsible for the day-to-day management of assigned projects, including ensuring the completion of all necessary outreach, research, and writing. The Legislative Affairs Fellow is exposed to a wide range of policy initiatives where they will gain experience with - and knowledge of - animal protection issues, legislative campaigns, and advocacy work at the local, state, and federal level.

You Will Be Responsible For:

Legislative Affairs Program Fellowships further the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system.

• Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning legislation including tracking and analysis.
• Develop skills through participating in legislative campaigns at the local, state, and federal level.
• Manage drafting, editing, and submission of support/opposition memos and testimony on behalf of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Work with Communications and other departments to answer questions on Legislative Affairs Program work and to propose, draft, proof, and/or edit content on legislation.
• Coordinate, as needed, with other programs, including the Litigation Program, Criminal Justice Program, Animal Law Program, Transparency and Regulatory Affairs Program and Pro Bono Programs.
• Prepare and deliver presentations for professional conferences, fundraising events, etc. when needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned to advance the Legislative Affairs Program and the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s strategic objectives and mission.

We Are Looking For Candidates With:

• Juris Doctor, excellent performance in law school, and admission (either anticipated or already granted) to practice law in at least one state;
• Excellent organizational and prioritization skills and ability to meet deadlines;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Excellent legal research and writing skills;
• Solutions-oriented mindset;
• Exceptional interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with others in a team-oriented work environment;
• Experience with basic software applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and internet browsers;
• Commitment to working with integrity;
• A commitment to building and participating in an inclusive workplace;
• Understand and be committed to the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund;
• The ability to travel periodically for staff meetings and retreats (estimated 1-3 trips annually);
• Bilingual in English/Spanish is a plus.

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including: 

• Starting annual salary of $71,509 for most geographic locations.  
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, starting pay is $75,273. 
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, starting pay is $79,036. 

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rate. Rate is determined by role, using set geographical factors. 

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available. 
• 192 hours of PTO. 
• 19 paid holidays. 
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.  
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.  
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment. 
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion). 
• One time remote work allowance of $750. 
• Annual professional development reimbursement of up to $1,000.

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.    

Additional Information:

The Legislative Fellow position is a full-time, exempt position, beginning in Fall of 2026 and lasting for approximately two years. This is a bargaining unit position.

This is a U.S. based position. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Hired individuals will also be required to provide a personal United States address and to work primarily from that address.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position is February 17, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.