Legal Fellow (Spring 2027) - Wikimedia Foundation

Legal Fellow (Spring 2027) - Wikimedia Foundation

Are you a current law student or recent graduate passionate about free knowledge and open source? The Wikimedia Foundation is seeking a Legal Fellow for Spring 2027 to gain immersive in-house experience in Internet law and free knowledge organizations.

About the Role

You will tackle a wide range of legal issues, from complex copyright and international freedom of expression to corporate compliance. Fellows are assigned challenging projects based on their interests and strengths, including legal research, drafting licensing agreements, and developing policies. You will spearhead individualized projects under the guidance of an attorney, participate in meetings, and learn the practical aspects of in-house law at a web-based company.

Fellowships are 18 weeks long. The Foundation will work with your university to facilitate academic credits and/or funding where possible.

Requirements

• Commitment to Free Knowledge: High energy and passion for the Wikimedia Foundation's mission, including free culture, digital rights, open source, and Creative Commons licensing.
• Adaptability & Problem-Solving: A good sense of humor, ability to excel in a fast-paced, multitasking environment, intellectual curiosity, and flexibility to tackle ambiguous problems creatively. Strong research backgrounds are preferred.
• Community Engagement: Experience working with large online user communities, or a strong desire to do so. Experience with wikis or Wikimedia projects is a plus.
• Collaboration: Ability to thrive in a transparent, collaborative environment with diverse teams. Multilingual candidates are a plus.
• Communication Skills: Excellent writing skills adaptable to communicating complex legal concepts to diverse audiences. Experience or coursework in drafting agreements and policies is preferred.
• Legal Coursework: Completed coursework in some or all of the following areas: internet law, freedom of expression (domestic and international), intellectual property, contract drafting, international law, privacy, data security, and/or licensing. Experience in these areas is heavily preferred.

Pluses

• Being an active Wikimedian (please share your username in your cover letter).

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization behind Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world where everyone can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We are a remote-first organization with staff in over 40 countries.

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As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values a diverse workforce and strives for an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds and do not discriminate based on protected characteristics.

The anticipated annual pay range for this position for applicants based within the United States is US$37.42/hourly to US$45.6/hourly. Pay will be adjusted for applicants located outside the US based on the country of hire. Compensation is based on skills, experience, and location.

We are currently able to hire in the following locations: US States (list provided in original posting), and Countries (list provided in original posting).

If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact recruiting@wikimedia.org or +1 (415) 839-6885.