Employment

Paralegal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Full Time)

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP) protects and advances the constitutional and civil rights of people incarcerated and detained in Pennsylvania through litigation, advocacy, and legal assistance. PILP is a legal aid organization that provides free civil legal services to over 100,000 people housed in jails, prisons, immigration detention centers, halfway houses, juvenile detention facilities, and state hospitals.

Our organization is committed to ensuring that incarcerated and detained people are treated humanely, have access to medical and mental health care, are safe from violence and sexual abuse, receive accommodations for their disabilities, have the ability to observe their religion, and more. PILP’s litigation is primarily in the federal courts.

PILP is based out of three offices located in Philadelphia, Lewisburg, and Pittsburgh. This position is for the Pittsburgh office. PILP staff work on a hybrid schedule. It is expected that the paralegal will be physically present in the Pittsburgh office at least 3 days a week and work a total of 35 hours per week.

PILP is flexible on a start date but would like the position to start no later than late fall 2025.

Responsibilities:

Intake and triage letters from clients and prospective clients.
Respond to requests for legal assistance and informational resource requests.
Print, copy, and send correspondence through prison mail systems.
Maintain client files on Sharepoint and the LegalServer case management system.
Answer calls from incarcerated individuals and their families.
Evaluate potential claims and requests for legal assistance (under the supervision of an attorney).
Review medical and institutional records and other documents.
Conduct legal calls with incarcerated individuals.
Provide support to attorneys including scheduling legal calls and visits, requesting records and preparing legal documents.
Travel to carceral facilities and courthouses throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Participate in statewide staff and other meetings.
Conduct administrative duties, including ordering supplies and managing the postage system.
Should the successful candidate be interested, additional responsibilities may include assisting with community outreach, development and fundraising work, and working on other special projects.

Qualifications:

Strong technological skills and computer literacy and the ability to learn new technology and systems
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, specifically Word and Excel
Proficiency in Adobe Pro
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work independently to complete designated tasks without strict oversight.
Willingness to work collaboratively with legal and non legal staff.
Flexibility to integrate into existing organizational systems and work structures.
Proficiency in a second language is a plus and will be given additional consideration.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Commitment to public interest work and the role of PILP in safeguarding the rights of incarcerated and institutionalized people.

Salary/Benefits:

PILP salaries are based on a salary scale. The starting salary for a paralegal is $38,000, and for a person with 3-5 relevant years of experience, the salary is $43,700 - $46,500.

PILP offers a very generous and competitive benefits package including 100% employer paid medical, life, and short/long-term disability benefits, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution (vests after 6 months of employment), cell phone stipend, and a generous leave package, which includes 12 paid holidays and 15 vacation and 15 sick days for full-time employees.

Opening/Closing Date:

PILP will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

To Apply:

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, resume and two professional or academic references to jobs@pilp.org, with the subject line “PILP JOBS: Paralegal.”

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP) is an equal opportunity employer. PILP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual or gender identity, age, national origin, disability, medical condition, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

PILP values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds to apply. PILP invites applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how their unique background and/or experiences (professional as well as relevant lived experiences) would motivate them to work towards PILP’s mission, and would contribute to the vitality and perspective of our organization.

Seeking to Sponsor Applicants for Post-Graduate Legal Fellowships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP) seeks to sponsor applicants for project-based postgraduate legal fellowships to start in the Fall of 2026. Applicants should be law students graduating in the Spring of 2026, current law clerks, or other recent law school graduates.

PILP will select an applicant to sponsor, and then together the applicant and PILP will propose a project idea to fellowship funders. PILP does not provide fellowship funding. The purpose of this job posting is to help PILP select a candidate to support in the fellowship funding process. Applicants are welcome and encouraged to propose their own project ideas, but applying to PILP with a project proposal is not required.

PILP protects and advances the constitutional and civil rights of people incarcerated and detained in Pennsylvania through litigation, advocacy, and legal assistance. PILP is a legal aid organization that provides free civil legal services to over 100,000 people housed in jails, prisons, immigration detention centers, halfway houses, juvenile detention facilities, and state hospitals.

PILP is based out of three offices located in Philadelphia, Lewisburg, and Pittsburgh. This position is for the Pittsburgh office. PILP staff work on a hybrid schedule. It is expected that the legal fellow will be physically present in the Pittsburgh office at least 3 days a week.

Responsibilities:

Litigate statutory and constitutional civil rights claims on behalf of incarcerated people, primarily in federal court.
Conduct visits to prisons and other institutions to meet with clients and monitor ongoing conditions of confinement.
Work closely with PILP’s attorneys, paralegals, and clients to investigate and develop potential cases.
Provide legal advice and pro se assistance to incarcerated people through letter intake and legal calls/video visits.
Collaborate with staff in all three offices on advocacy and legal strategy.
Develop relationships with community partners.
Be engaged with the legal and local community on issues pertaining to incarceration and other related legal issues.

Qualifications:

Excellent research, analytic, legal writing, oral advocacy, and communication skills.
Strong work ethic, initiative, sound judgment, and creativity.
Federal litigation experience (including as a judicial law clerk), especially on the legal rights of the incarcerated, civil rights, or constitutional law, is a plus.
Prior experience working on racial justice issues is a plus.
Willingness to travel and work outside of normal business hours.
Proficiency with technology, including Microsoft Office Suite (i.e., Word, Excel, Sharepoint).
Commitment to public interest work and the role of PILP in safeguarding the rights of incarcerated and institutionalized people.
Awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and orientations due to PILP’s diverse client base.
Bilingual capabilities, especially Spanish, are a plus.
Anticipated admission to the Pennsylvania Bar, or admission to another state bar and willingness to apply for admission to the Pennsylvania bar.

Opening/Closing Date:

PILP will be interviewing and selecting candidates on a rolling basis.

To Apply:

Please send a cover letter, resume, legal writing sample, references, and law school transcript to the email: jobs@pilp.org, with the subject line “PILP JOBS: Fellowship Sponsorship.”

PILP values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds to apply. PILP invites applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how their unique background and/or experiences (professional as well as relevant lived experiences) would motivate them to work toward PILP’s mission, and would contribute to the vitality and perspective of our organization.

Positions for Law Students

SEMESTER AND SUMMER POSITIONS FOR LAW STUDENTS

We are now accepting applications for Spring and Summer 2026.

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP) seeks to ensure equal access to justice for indigent institutionalized persons in Pennsylvania. PILP provides civil legal services to over 100,000 persons housed in jails, prisons, detention centers, and state hospitals. There are three offices, located in Philadelphia, Lewisburg, and Pittsburgh. We engage in direct representation, legislative and administrative advocacy, and providing incarcerated persons with legal reference materials and referrals. Our litigation is primarily in the federal courts.

PILP’s litigation docket includes cases involving physical and sexual assault, disability rights, transgender rights, freedom of religion, mental health and medical care, and other conditions of confinement. PILP is currently involved in class actions relating to mental health care at Allegheny County Jail, unconstitutional conditions in the Philadelphia jails, and solitary confinement in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Other currently active cases involve denial of transgender healthcare, religious accommodations, excessive force, inadequate medical care, and denial of medication for opioid-use disorder, among other issues.

Position Description:

The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices of PILP welcome law students to apply for semester externships and summer internships. Semester externships are generally part-time, with the precise number of hours typically determined by law schools’ requirements. Summer internships are full-time, generally for a minimum of ten weeks.

Law student interns and externs are responsible for legal research and writing, reviewing and answering intake letters, case development and investigation, assisting with discovery, and other related duties. Interns and externs are supervised by one of the attorneys and taken to client meetings, depositions, and court whenever appropriate.

PILP has previously been an approved site for credit-based externships at multiple law schools. Please familiarize yourself with your law school’s policies and procedures regarding externships before applying for a semester position. As for summer internships, while PILP is unable to offer paid internships, PILP encourages students to seek outside funding through work study, law school,or foundation public interest fellowships, or similar programs.

Application Process:

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and current academic transcript (if available). 1Ls who do not yet have law school grades are welcome to apply for summer internships without submitting a transcript. Applicants should submit their materials to Matthew A. Feldman at mfeldman@pilp.org (Philadelphia) or Alexandra Morgan-Kurtz at amorgan-kurtz@pilp.org (Pittsburgh). Applicants willing to work in either office should submit their materials in a single email to both offices and note any preference in office. Remote, hybrid, and in-office arrangements will be considered.

Applications are reviewed, and positions filled, on a rolling basis.