The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (the "Bureau"), a curricular law clinic of Harvard Law School, is seeking a temporary full-time Clinical Instructor ("CI") to supervise law students in their representation of low-income clients in civil legal matters. The Bureau was founded by Harvard Law School students in 1913 and remains student-run. The Bureau’s mission is to provide excellent, free representation to low-income and historically excluded clients and communities in the Greater Boston area and to do so in a way that responds to the systemic racial, social, and economic inequalities that are the causes and consequences of poverty. Students also run the organization, setting policy, allocating resources among eligible clients, and managing the office on a day-to-day basis.
Basic Qualifications
JD Degree required, earned at least three years ago and a minimum of three years’ relevant experience and be admitted to the Massachusetts bar or eligible for temporary admission pursuant to Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04.
Additional Qualifications
We are looking for people who have:
● Ability to work with diverse groups of people, as well as an understanding of the daily challenges faced by low-income communities of color; previous experience working with historically excluded communities
● Teaching experience and/or strong interest in clinical legal education; experience in community lawyering; willingness to learn new areas of law and modes of practice; demonstrated ability to work successfully with and mentor students of diverse backgrounds
● Willingness to work in a regularly evolving environment, with policies and practices that adapt to changes in student leadership and interests; patience and flexibility working within a student-run law clinic and supportive of student leadership
● Strong writing and interpersonal skills
● Proficiency in one or more languages commonly spoken in the Bureau’s client communities (e.g., Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin)
- ● We are particularly interested in substantial experience in civil legal aid or related legal practice in two of the Bureau’s current practice areas: family (including divorce, custody and child support, guardianship, special immigrant juvenile status findings, Hague Convention defense and early family defense), and wage-and-hour (non-payment of wages, minimum wage and overtime violations; earned sick time, and retaliation).
Working Conditions
This position is based in Cambridge, MA and will be in-person (4 days) and remote (1 day). Evening hours are periodically required to meet student, client or outreach needs.
Additional Information
This is a temporary position expected to extend from mid-March through the end of August 2023 with no possibility of extension.
To apply please email cover letter and resume to: harvardlegalaidbureau@law.harvard.edu