UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY SCHOOL OF LAW

The Environmental Law Clinic (ELC) at UC Berkeley Law offers a full-time position as Clinical Supervising Attorney for a two-year term with possibility of renewal. We seek a creative environmental lawyer with substantial litigation and administrative agency practice experience who is eager to train and mentor law students engaged in real-world advocacy projects. The Supervising Attorney will select litigation and administrative projects for the Clinic, and supervise student teams in their execution. Because ELC has a significant (although non-exclusive) focus on environmental justice issues, experience working with grassroots advocacy groups and in environmental coalition-building will be a substantial asset. The Supervising Attorney will also work closely with the Director in shaping the Clinic’s approach to its docket and skills training of students, and will contribute to its companion seminar.

ELC is a legal and policy clinic designed to train law students in innovative and effective environmental advocacy, make a real world environmental difference through high-impact projects, and address the environmental legal needs of underserved communities. The Clinic undertakes projects local to global in scale, working on such diverse issues as mitigating climate change, reducing the burden of environmentally induced disease, ensuring potable water and sanitation services for all, increasing children’s access to nature, and supporting green workforce development. The Clinic enrolls primarily JD students, but also some MPP and LLM students. The Clinic also includes and mentors a small number of undergraduate auditors in its seminar in an effort to diversify the pipeline of those practicing environmental law.

The Clinic’s work is collaborative and multidisciplinary, and involves partnerships with faculty and research staff both in the law school and across the U.C. Berkeley campus, including the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment; the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry; and the School of Public Health. Students in the Environmental Law Clinic enroll concurrently for four units of clinical fieldwork and a two-unit companion seminar; this represents roughly half their academic load for the semester. The Clinic’s classroom component involves a variety of teaching methods, and combines substantive law instruction with skills training (e.g., oral advocacy, legislative strategy, persuasive writing) that is relevant to students' Clinic projects.

The role of Clinical Supervising Attorney is a full-time, year-round, non-tenure track position. The individual hired will operate with substantial autonomy, and as part of an interactive team of Director/Staff Attorney/Fellow(s) that often co-supervise projects. The ideal candidate will have both a strong track record of conducting legal work with minimal supervision, and an equally strong desire to teach, work with, and mentor students in a highly collaborative environment. This position requires significant environmental issue knowledge and professional networks, the cultural competence to work in partnership with affected individuals and communities, and the ability to work independently. Prior experience in clinical teaching, doctrinal teaching, or law student supervision is a plus but is not required.

The Clinical Supervising Attorney will work under the day to day supervision of the Clinic Director, and may partner with the Director and/or Clinic Fellows in supervising student work on cases and projects. During the summer, when students are not enrolled in the Clinic, the Clinical Supervising Attorney will maintain and advance the Clinic's docket, and develop new projects for the Fall semester.

For more information about the Environmental Law Clinic, please visit our website at https://www.law.berkeley.edu/experiential/clinics/environmental-law-clinic/.

The Clinical Supervising Attorney will perform the following duties under the primary direction of the Clinic Director:

Clinical Supervision and Advocacy (70%)
• Develop Clinic projects, with a focus on litigation and administrative projects; 
• In collaboration with other Clinic staff, supervise several clinical student teams on their projects per semester; 
• Draft briefs, rulemaking comments, policy memoranda, legislative proposals, and issue reports as needed; 
• Manage the Clinic docket during summers;
• Assist in designing/ teaching select components of the Clinic seminar; and
• Assist in developing and maintaining relationships with clients and co-counsel.

Administrative Duties (20%):
• Participate in professional training and networking activities;
• Assist in promoting the Clinic to students and other constituencies, and organizing Clinic-related events; 
• Supervise volunteers as needed;
• Assist in alumni, foundation, and other fundraising activities.

Other Duties as Assigned (10%)

Minimum Qualifications (at time of application):

• J.D. degree or equivalent degree
• Admission to California bar

Additional Qualifications (by start date):
• Five years of civil practice and/or clerkship experience, including practice in both federal and California courts; 
• Demonstrated research, writing, and oral advocacy skills; and
• Organizational and planning skills, and ability to work independently.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Demonstrated interest in and knowledge of environmental issues; 
• Well networked with stakeholders in the environmental issue space; 
• Career intention to practice in public interest, public sector, or clinical setting;
• Experience in clinical teaching and supervision, or other teaching experience; 
• Experience or interest in environmental justice and/or community-based lawyering; 
• Comfort with technical and/or scientific material; and
• Experience writing issue reports and/or working with the media.

Application Procedure: Please visit the following link to apply: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF01644. Applications must include in pdf format a cover letter, a CV, and a legal advocacy writing sample (such as a brief, motion, or equivalent). Applicants must also provide in AP Recruit the names and contact information of three (3) references. The position is open until filled. 

Letters of reference and copies of scholarly transcripts may be requested of top candidates. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a dossier service or career center, to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

For more information about the Environmental Law Clinic, visit our website at: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/experiential/clinics/environmental-law-clinic/.

The University offers excellent health and retirement benefits which can be viewed online at http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/.

If you have questions about the position, please contact academicpositions@law.berkeley.edu.

Berkeley Law is interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their teaching or research. Qualified women and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

JOB LOCATION

Berkeley, CA

LEARN MORE

More information about this recruitment: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/experiential/clinics/environmental-law-clinic/

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENTS

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Legal Advocacy Writing Sample - Such as a brief, motion, or equivalent

REFERENCES

3 references required (contact information only)