Jobs

Please send an email to jobs@cleaweb.org if you would like to post a position on our jobs board. Submit the job positing as a Word document or in the body of the e-mail. The postings are updated on a weekly basis.

  • 17 Dec 2015 4:46 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    Notre Dame Law School welcomes applicants for the position of Director of the Notre Dame Tax Clinic. The Tax Clinic will be part of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic program of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The Director will be a full time faculty member with responsibility for all aspects of the Tax Clinic, including client representation, law student supervision, classroom instruction, community outreach and education, and IRS compliance. The Tax Clinic will be one of five in-house clinics at the Law School. It will operate out of Clinical Law Center located a few blocks from the main campus.

    Responsibilities of the Director will include:

    Create the Tax Clinic infrastructure including a curriculum, a case management system, and relationships with community partner organizations.

    Provide low-income residents of northern Indiana with direct case representation before the United States Tax Court, the Internal Revenue Service, and state tax authorities.

    Train and supervise approximately 8-10 law students per semester, and approximately

    1-2 law students each summer, in direct client representation in such matters.

    Provide law students with practical instruction in federal and state income tax law, Internal Revenue Service regulations and procedures, and United States Tax Court rules and procedures.

    Provide law students with training in core lawyering skills necessary to carry out client representation, including interviewing and counseling, fact investigation, negotiation, drafting pleadings and agreements, and oral advocacy.

    Develop and conduct community education and outreach programs for northern Indiana organizations, their members, and fellow practitioners on a range of personal federal and state income tax matters.

    Recruit and refer cases to pro bono attorneys.

    With assistance from the University of Notre Dame, comply with all requirements of the Internal Revenue Service for Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, including reporting on financial and service activity, preparing grant renewal applications, and attending an annual national conference for Low Income Taxpayer Clinics.

    The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

    A Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school and at least 3-5 years of practice experience including both litigation experience and tax practice.

    An excellent academic record.

    A license to practice law in the State of Indiana, or be eligible and willing to waive into the Indiana bar.

    Admission to practice before the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Tax Court, or be eligible and willing to attain admission.

    A commitment to instructing and supervising law students. Prior law school teaching and particularly clinical teaching is valued.

    A working knowledge of federal income tax law.

    The ability to work collaboratively with others.

    ·A demonstrated commitment to work with low income individuals, including those for whom English is a second language.

    Term and Compensation: The position is full-time with a salary commensurate with experience, plus benefits, which include medical, dental, and retirement. The initial contract will be for a three year term beginning approximately May 1, 2016.

    Application Process and Deadline: Applicants should submit a cover letter and a Curriculum Vitae through the Interfolio system at http://apply.interfolio.com/33479

    The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications on February 1, 2016. The position will remain open until filled.

    We welcome applications from women, members of minority groups, scholars interested in teaching at a Catholic university, and others who will enrich and diversify our faculty. The University of Notre Dame is an equal opportunity educational institution and an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. This appointment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.

    For more information contact Robert Jones at 574-631-4863 or rjones1@nd.edu.

  • 01 Dec 2015 5:43 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The Supervising Attorney and Adjunct Professor ("Supervising Attorney") will teach and supervise students practicing in the Pepperdine Low Income Taxpayer Clinic ("LITC"). In the LITC, law students learn and train through law practice under the supervision of the Supervising Attorney, and the LITC provides pro bono legal services to clients to settle or adjudicate tax disputes with the IRS. The Supervising Attorney will teach the seminar component of the LITC course with an adjunct faculty appointment. This contributes to the University's mission by increasing the School of Law's capacity to teach, train and form professionals with expertise and integrity, and the LITC increases the School of Law's capacity to serve vulnerable neighbors and communities in poverty. This serves the School of Law's strategic plan by increasing capacity for experiential, clinical and formative education in diverse areas of practice.

    The position announcement here contains more information and instructions for applicants:

    http://jobs.pepperdine.edu/cw/en/job/492699/supervising-attorney

    Please write Prof. Jeff Baker at jeff.baker@pepperdine.edu with questions about the new clinic, the position or Pepperdine’s program of clinical education.

  • 20 Nov 2015 6:40 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The Professor of the Practice and Managing Attorney is a faculty position at William & Mary Law School that teaches and supervises students of the Virginia Coastal Policy Center (VCPC). VCPC provides science-based legal and policy analysis of environmental and land use issues affecting the State’s coastal resources. VCPC educates the Virginia policymaking, non-profit, legal, and military and business communities about these subjects. It works in close partnership with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Virginia Sea Grant.

    The Professor of the Practice / Managing Attorney will be responsible for:

    - Developing a docket of legal and policy analysis projects dealing with coastal flooding, sea level rise, wetlands protection and related coastal issues.

    - Provide a practicum legal education experience to students during the fall, spring and summer terms, supervising their legal research, writing and policy work, and teaching a companion practicum seminar focused on environmental and coastal issues and advocacy.

    - Establishing and maintaining relationships with scientific experts at VIMS, local planners, state and local policy makers, and stakeholders active in environmental, land use, coastal and flooding issues in Virginia.

    - Creating and conducting interdisciplinary projects.

    - Establishing and maintaining relationships with VCPC funders.

    - Writing grants and proposals.

    - Serving as principal investigator for awarded grants, preparing required grant reports and financial reporting.

    - Organizing, as needed, conferences, symposia, and public outreach events.

    Required Qualifications :

    Outstanding academic credentials, a Juris Doctor degree and valid state bar license to practice law are required. Experience in the science and public policy of coastal issues is required. Must have five years practical experience. Client-based legal and advocacy experience is required. Superior organization, communication, research and legal writing skills are required. Experience in interdisciplinary collaboration is a must. Demonstrated experience in fundraising and grant-writing is required.

    Preferred Qualifications

    Preference given to members of the Virginia State Bar or those eligible either to sit for or waive admission into the Virginia State Bar. Prior teaching experience or experience in the direct supervision of law students or young attorneys. Demonstrated teamwork and teambuilding skills.

    To apply go to https://jobs.wm.edu/ and select position number F0773W.

    For more information contact Patty Roberts at perobe@wm.edu .

  • 20 Nov 2015 6:23 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The University of Wisconsin Law School is hiring a clinical assistant/associate professor to supervise the work of clinical students in the Wisconsin Innocence Project and provide classroom instruction in conjunction with the WIP clinic.

    As you may know, WIP was one of the first and is among the largest and most successful innocence organizations in the nation. WIP was created in 1998 and was one of the founding projects of the Innocence Network. WIP is one of the University of Wisconsin Law School’s seventeen legal clinics, nine of which are offered through the Law School's Remington Center, which has been providing clinical legal educational opportunities since the 1960s.

    In WIP, law students receive an unusually deep immersion experience in the criminal justice system as they work in the project for a full calendar year, starting in the summer and continuing in the fall and spring semesters. This level of commitment provides not only a rich learning environment, but also a unique opportunity for effective client service and case work in the large cases (both DNA and non-DNA) that comprise the project's caseload.

    This is an appointment for someone with a commitment to and the potential to engage in teaching, litigation, policy reform and scholarly inquiry into the criminal justice system and, in particular, wrongful convictions.

    The deadline for applications is Dec. 3, 2015, with an anticipated start date of August 1, 2016. The job posting is here: : http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/Weblisting/External/PVLSummary.aspx?pvl_num=84657

  • 16 Nov 2015 7:36 AM | Laura McNally-Levine

    Seton Hall Law School is looking to hire a part-time Assistant Professor of Legal Practice. The faculty member will teach in our innovative Introduction to Lawyering course and direct our Mock Trial program. The position is a part-time position, requiring approximately 3-4 days a week of work during the academic year, and lighter work during the summer.

    The faculty member in this position will have two primary responsibilities:

    1) Teaching Introduction to Lawyering. This is a full-year six credit course (three credits per semester) for both day and evening 1L students. The course covers legal writing, legal research, client interviewing, client counseling, negotiation, oral argument, and professionalism. The course is taught by other full-time doctrinal and Legal Practice professors in a coordinated and collaborative manner. The faculty member’s responsibilities will include:

    · Teaching one section of approximately 15-20 students each semester.

    · Faculty member must be willing to teach some years/semesters in our evening division.

    · Working with other Lawyering faculty to create writing and simulation assignments each year. Most of this work will take place over the summer.

    · Assisting with curriculum development, which could include: contributing new ideas to the syllabus and teaching guide; leading discussions or workshops at Lawyering faculty meetings; or drafting or editing program-wide materials.

    1) Directing the interscholastic Mock Trial Board. This is a team of approximately 15-20 students who compete at local mock trial competitions. The faculty member’s responsibilities will include:

    · Conducting a yearly selection competition.

    · Training students in the trial skills needed to compete.

    · Hiring coaches to assist in preparing students for competitions.

    · Working with the Director of the Legal Practice Curriculum to manage the budget.

    Qualifications: Seton Hall seeks individuals with stellar legal writing, interpersonal, and trial skills. Candidates must have 3-5 years of practice experience and excellent academic records (including a J.D.). Teaching experience is preferred.

    Please send all resume materials to: Mark C. Alexander, Associate Dean and Professor of Law, Seton Hall University, School of Law, One Newark Center, 1109 Raymond Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102; mark.alexander@shu.edu Deadline for applications is November 15th, 2015. To apply, please visit the Seton Hall University website: shu.edu Seton Hall University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. It honors diversity and respects the religious commitments of all its employees. In turn, its employees respect Catholic beliefs and values, and they support its mission as a Catholic institution of higher education.

  • 15 Nov 2015 9:44 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University invites applications for a full-time clinical professor to direct its Indie Film Clinic. The successful candidate will join a robust clinical program at a law school long dedicated to experiential learning and public service.

    Now in its fifth year of operation, Cardozo’s Indie Film Clinic is the first law school clinic in New York to provide pro bono legal services to emerging and independent filmmakers. The clinic assists in drafting and negotiating formation, acquisition, chain of title, and sales documents and agreements for filmmakers and provides advice on licensing and fair use. Students take part in every aspect of the representation, gaining critical transactional, analytic, and client-service skills. The clinic’s client films have screened theatrically in New York and Los Angeles and in leading US and international film festivals including Cannes, Berlin, South by Southwest, and Tribeca. Several have achieved critical acclaim: “She’s Lost Control,” a narrative film, won the CICAE Art Cinema Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, and “La Camioneta,” a documentary, was selected as a Critics’ Pick by The New York Times. More information about the clinic can be found at http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/indiefilmclinic.

    The Clinic Director will be responsible for designing and overseeing all aspects of the clinic’s teaching and client-service missions. This will include supervising students in all aspects of representing a business client, preparing and teaching a classroom seminar for clinic students, and building the Clinic’s network of partner organizations, clients, and funders in New York City and beyond. The Clinic Director will be a full-time member of the faculty and expected to take an active part in faculty governance and the intellectual life of the law school.

    Applicants should have a JD degree, at least five years of experience in transactional lawyering in film or related industries, and strong interest or experience in clinical teaching. New York State bar admission is preferred.

    Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references to Professor Michael Herz at herz@yu.edu. Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

    The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is a part of Yeshiva University. Yeshiva University has a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity and affirmative action. We are committed to achieving nondiscrimination and equality of opportunity in employment and in all spheres of academic life. All University-wide decisions are based on equitable and equally applied standards of excellence.

  • 06 Nov 2015 3:26 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    Villanova University School of Law seeks an outstanding lawyer/educator to direct and teach in its Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic. Villanova’s Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic is the oldest law school clinic dedicated to representing indigent farmworkers. The Clinic has historically focused its efforts on legal issues facing farmworkers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including but not limited to immigration, wage and hour, worker compensation, and occupational safety. The successful candidate will also co-direct Villanova’s nationally recognized Community Interpreter Program in conjunction with the University’s Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.

    This is a permanent, 12-month position governed by ABA Standard 405(c ) and will begin in June 2016.

    Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian order. Diversity and inclusion have been and will continue to be an integral component of Villanova University’s mission. The University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University’s mission and values.

    Duties and Responsibilities:

    Teaching responsibilities include teaching and supervising clinical students in the Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic and being the attorney of record in Clinic cases. In addition, the successful candidate will co-direct the Interpreter Program in conjunction with the University’s Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.

    Minimum Qualifications:

    JD required. Pennsylvania bar membership (or ability to waive into the Pennsylvania bar) required.

    Preferred Qualifications:

    • Five years of legal experience is strongly preferred, as is experience working on behalf of farmworkers, low-wage workers, or members of immigrant communities.
    • Fluency in Spanish (or a willingness and demonstrated ability to achieve fluency in Spanish rapidly) is strongly preferred.
    • Prior clinical teaching experience is advantageous, but not essential.

    All applications must be submitted online and must include:

    • Application cover letter.
    • Current and complete curriculum vitae.
    • Statement of teaching philosophy.
    • List of 3 references. We will contact the references for finalists only.
    • Unofficial academic transcripts are required to submit application. Official transcripts will be required from finalists only.
    • Review of applications will begin upon receipt and continue until the position is filled.

    https://jobs.villanova.edu/postings/8633

  • 03 Nov 2015 3:30 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The Civil Rights section of the Institute for Public Representation (IPR) invites applications for a two-year graduate fellow/staff attorney position to start in August 2016.

    What is IPR?

    IPR is a public interest law firm and law school clinic founded by Georgetown University Law Center in 1971. IPR serves as counsel for groups and individuals who are unable to obtain effective legal representation on issues of broad public importance. IPR provides third-year law students an opportunity to develop a wide range of lawyering skills by working on real cases under the supervision of faculty members and fellows (also referred to as staff attorneys). IPR’s work is divided into three sections: civil rights, environmental law, and communications law and policy. Each section is directed by a faculty member with the assistance of graduate fellows.

    There are six fellow positions at IPR, and we are now recruiting for two of these two-year positions for the 2016-2018 term, one in the civil rights section and one in the environmental law section. There will be a separate announcement for the environmental law position.

    IPR’s Civil Rights Section

    The faculty member responsible for the civil rights section of IPR is Visiting Professor Michael Kirkpatrick. Professor Kirkpatrick joined the faculty in 2014 after a 23-year career in public interest law, most recently as an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group (PCLG). Before joining PCLG, Professor Kirkpatrick was a senior trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Earlier in his career, he was a staff attorney with the Farm Worker Division of Texas Rural Legal Aid.

    IPR’s civil rights section operates as a public interest law firm, representing individual clients and other public interest organizations, primarily in the areas of discrimination and constitutional rights, workplace fairness, and open government. Beginning in the Fall of 2015, the section will expand its work into the area of voting rights. Students interview clients, develop case theories, draft and file complaints in state and federal courts, conduct discovery, engage in motions practice, and prepare appeals. Students also file FOIA requests and analyze responsive documents, and work in coalition with other public interest organizations to develop impact cases. Recent projects include:

    • Litigating a complex federal Freedom of Information Act suit against the Department of Defense and the CIA on behalf of researchers seeking records on “enhanced interrogation” used in the War on Terror;
    • Litigating wage theft claims against private entities and government contractors on behalf of employees denied fair wages or overtime;
    • Litigating retaliation claims on behalf of employees terminated for asserting their rights under FLSA and DC Wage and Hour law;
    • Litigating on behalf of an individual improperly assessed a deficiency under Maryland consumer protection statutes
    • Litigating on behalf of an individual whose employer improperly denied her the lactation breaks she was entitled to under state and federal law;
    • Litigating on behalf of an individual whose employer improperly denied her disability and pregnancy accommodations, discriminated against her on account of her national origin, and illegally assessed fees against her in connection with her resignation;
    • Filing amicus briefs in four appellate cases – two pending before the United States Supreme Court, one in the DC Circuit, and one in the New York Court of Appeals;
    • Filing FOIA requests and using the responsive documents to prepare reports exposing government misconduct;
    • Preparing and arguing two appeals in federal court, one in the DC Circuit and one in the Fifth Circuit; and
    • On behalf of a public interest organization, analyzing potential APA claims related to the recall of exploding airbags and other automobile defects.

    For more detailed information about our work, applicants should review our annual reports.

    What do the Graduate Fellows/Staff Attorneys do?

    Fellows are responsible for day-to-day supervision of the students and work closely with the students on improving their lawyering skills, especially legal writing. In the civil rights section, the fellow has principal responsibility for about half of the docket and supervises all facets of the litigation. Much of the fellow’s time is spent guiding students in legal and factual research, reviewing student drafts, making suggestions for improvement, and preparing the students for oral presentations. In recent years, fellows have worked on all phases of litigation, including taking depositions, handling evidentiary hearings, and briefing cases before federal district courts, courts of appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Fellows also play a key role in case development and in planning other IPR activities. Fellows participate in case rounds and assist in teaching seminars on litigation practice and substantive law.

    Past fellows have emphasized that the IPR experience is unique in several respects:

    First, the fellows work on interesting, often cutting-edge litigation. In light of our broad agenda, we have leeway to develop cases that present unique educational opportunities for students and fellows and have a significant impact on the law.

    Second, fellows assume substantial responsibility and generally play a more important role in the decision-making process than do their contemporaries in other types of law practice. They work on a variety of cases in different stages of the litigation process and gain a broad understanding of how litigation works, from interviewing a potential client through appealing to the Supreme Court. Fellows also work closely with other IPR fellows and other public interest organizations, meeting other lawyers involved in public interest law and seeing how their organizations function.

    Third, fellows work closely with a full-time faculty member who has substantial litigation experience and expertise. As part of the Georgetown Law community, fellows are encouraged to attend seminars, workshops, and programs both on and off campus. Georgetown provides substantial support and guidance for fellows interested in pursuing academic scholarship or careers.

    Pay and other benefits

    The annual stipend for the position will be approximately $53,500, plus an opportunity to participate in group health insurance and other benefits, including unlimited free access to a state-of-the-art, on-site fitness center. The fellowship will start in August 2016 and end in August 2018. Fellows are awarded an L.L.M. in Advocacy at the completion of the fellowship. Fellows are considered full-time students and may qualify for deferment of student loans.

    What qualifications are we looking for?

    Typically, IPR fellows have had substantial experience as practicing lawyers. On occasion, we have hired recent law school graduates or graduates just completing a judicial clerkship. We are looking for applicants who demonstrate

    • a commitment to public interest law
    • excellent writing and communication skills
    • an interest in clinical legal education
    • experience or strong interest in litigation

    Fellows must be admitted to the District of Columbia Bar or take immediate steps to apply for membership (through examination or reciprocity) after being accepted for the position.

    How to apply

    Applicants should submit

    • a résumé
    • a law school transcript
    • a list of references, including contact information
    • a recent legal writing sample of any length that represents the applicant’s most challenging legal work (The writing sample should not be a collaborative work or a piece significantly edited by someone else.)
    • a brief statement (no longer than one page, single-spaced) explaining the applicant's interest in the position

    Send your application materials in a PDF file attached to an email to IPR’s Administrator, Niko Perazich, at nwp2@law.georgetown.edu.

    We will consider applications on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled. We will select candidates to be interviewed at our office. Although IPR will not pay candidates’ travel expenses, we will try to arrange interviews at a time convenient for the candidate.

  • 03 Nov 2015 3:22 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown Law is seeking applicants for a Graduate Fellowship in the Communications and Technology Law Clinic. The Fellow will have substantial responsibility on high profile, cutting edge cases on behalf of public interest clients, supervise and teach law students, and work closely with faculty mentors. The two-year fellowship starts in August 2016. Applications are due no later than January 15, 2016.

    The Communications and Technology Law Clinic is the country’s oldest and most respected legal organization representing the public interest in communications law and policy. Formerly known as the Citizens Communications Center, and later the First Amendment and Media Clinic, the new name reflects the expansion of our docket to include privacy, consumer protection, and free speech issues arising in a world where broadband, mobile services, and other new technologies are competing with traditional broadcast, cable, and telephone services. The Communications and Technology Law Clinic is part of the Institute for Public Representation, a clinical program that also practices public interest law in the areas of environmental justice, civil rights, and voting rights.

    The Communications and Technology Law Clinic works to foster a media environment that is open and diverse as well as responsive to the needs of the public, especially segments of the public that have been traditionally underserved. Our practice is primarily before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the federal appellate courts. We provide pro bono legal representation to organizations concerned with media reform, civil rights, privacy, children’s welfare, consumer protection, campaign reform, and other public policy issues. Some recent projects include:

    • filing a brief in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit supporting lower telephone rates for prisoners;
    • filing complaints at the FCC against television stations that fail to disclose the true identity of the sponsors of political ads;
    • filing complaints at the FTC concerning children’s websites and apps that violate laws protecting children’s online privacy;
    • advocating before the FCC and Court of Appeals for increased ownership of broadcast stations by women and people of color; and
    • participating in a rulemaking proceeding at the FCC to foster universal service and reduce the “digital divide” by including broadband service in subsidy programs for low-income households.

    For more information about our cases, visit our website and blog, http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/academic-programs/clinical-programs/our- clinics/ipr/index.cfm and instituteforpublicrepresentation.org

    The Communications and Technology Law Clinic has two Fellows serving staggered two year terms. The Fellows work closely with the two faculty members -- Professor Angela Campbell and Benton Senior Counselor Andrew Jay Schwartzman. During the Fall 2016 semester, Visiting Professor Laura Moy will direct the clinic while Professor Campbell is on sabbatical.

    The Fellows are given a great deal of responsibility for the case work. They work directly with client organizations and coalitions to develop strategy, meet with Commissioners, agency staff, and Congressional staff, and draft briefs, comments, and other legal documents. The Fellows get to experience first-hand the interplay between Congress, federal agencies, and federal courts in developing communications and technology policy.

    An important part of the Fellows’ job is to supervise the day-to-day work of three to four second and third year law students. They spend much of their time teaching students in a one-on-one setting. They help students develop a research plan, review and comment on drafts, and prepare students for meetings and oral presentations. Fellows also take an active role in planning and teaching the classroom components of the clinic. Fellows will receive training in clinical teaching at an orientation and in classes with Fellows from other Georgetown Law Clinics. Fellows receive an LL.M in Advocacy upon successful completion of their two-year fellowship.

    Qualifications

    Applicants must have graduated from law school and be admitted to the District of Columbia Bar or another state bar. Preference will be given to applicants with significant experience as practicing lawyers or judicial clerks. We seek applicants who demonstrate

    • interest and experience in media, telecommunications, privacy, freedom of speech, or related legal fields;
    • strong analytical and communication skills, both oral and written;
    • experience teaching or supervising legal work and an interest in teaching law students in a clinical setting; and
    • a commitment to serving the public interest.

    Pay and Other Benefits

    The Fellowship pays an annual stipend of at least $53,500, and includes group health insurance, unlimited free access to a state-of-art, on-site fitness center, and other benefits. The fellowship starts in August 2016 and ends in August 2018.

    How to apply?

    Persons interested in applying should submit a

    • resume;
    • law school transcript;
    • list of references, including contact information;
    • personal statement (not longer than two pages, double-spaced) setting forth the reasons for seeking the fellowship position; and
    • a recent legal writing sample that represents the applicant’s most challenging legal work. The writing sample should not be a collaborative work or a piece significantly edited by someone else.

    Applications can be submitted anytime until January 15, 2016. Please put the application materials into pdf form and email them to IPR’s Administrator, Niko Perazich, at nwp2@law.georgetown.edu. We will select candidates to be interviewed at our office. Although IPR will not pay candidates’ travel expenses, we will try to arrange interviews at a time convenient for the candidate.

  • 03 Nov 2015 3:11 PM | Laura McNally-Levine

    The Institute for Public Representation (IPR) invites applications for a two-year graduate fellow/staff attorney position to start in August 2016 in its Environmental section.

    What is IPR?

    IPR is a public interest law firm and law school clinic founded by Georgetown University Law Center in 1971. IPR serves as counsel for groups and individuals who are unable to obtain effective legal representation on issues of broad public importance. IPR’s work is currently focused in three areas: civil rights/general public interest law, environmental law, and communications law and policy. IPR provides third-year and occasionally second-year law students an opportunity to develop a wide range of lawyering skills by working on real cases under the supervision of faculty members and fellows (also referred to as staff attorneys).

    There are six fellow positions at IPR, and we are now recruiting for two of these two-year positions for the 2016-2018 term, one in the civil rights/general public interest law area and one in the environmental law area. There is a separate announcement for the civil rights/general public interest law position.

    IPR’s Environmental Practice

    IPR’s work in environmental law primarily focuses on individuals and communities, many of whom are in the Washington metropolitan area, who suffer a disproportionate share of environmental harms and enjoy fewer environmental amenities than other parts of the area in question. Our clients include neighborhood associations, regional, local, and tribal environmental organizations, community activists, and Indian tribes. IPR also represents national organizations on environmental issues of national importance arising under the federal environmental laws. We have worked on litigation involving the full array of federal, state, and local environmental laws as well as civil rights and administrative law, and have appeared in federal and state courts and before local zoning boards, public service commissions, and agency hearing examiners. In addition to litigation, our environmental advocacy extends to federal and District of Columbia rule-making and permitting processes, and frequently involves working to support coalitions of groups concerned with these issues. Much of our work is precedent setting. 

    The nature of IPR’s environmental projects varies from year to year depending on client need, attorney interest, and resource availability. Because IPR conducts a clinical legal education program for twenty-four Georgetown law students each semester, eight of whom work on environmental projects, another key factor in selecting projects is their appropriateness for clinical teaching. Additional information about IPR’s projects is available on-line here.

    The students, most of whom are in their third year of law school, work at IPR full time and receive credit for an entire semester of law school work. The students work on projects under the supervision of an environmental graduate fellow/staff attorney and faculty member. The students and graduate fellow/staff attorneys also participate in seminars dealing with issues of federal administrative and litigation practice, various substantive fields of law, and issues of professional responsibility as well as team project meetings in which students present some issue that has arisen in their project to their fellow students and supervisors. Fellows/staff attorneys are offered an opportunity to co-teach seminars with a faculty member.

    Students have the chance to develop a wide range of lawyering skills as well as to consider how their personal values relate to their professional careers. In addition to the graduate fellow/staff attorneys, the professional staff of IPR includes three full-time members of the law school faculty. The faculty members oversee work on projects and are responsible for teaching the seminars and grading. The faculty member responsible for the environmental projects is Professor Hope M. Babcock. Professor Babcock has directed IPR’s environmental program for twenty-four years and has over forty years of experience in environmental law. She was formerly general counsel of the National Audubon Society and served in the Carter Administration in the U.S. Department of the Interior. She also teaches environmental and natural resources law at Georgetown.

    What Do the Graduate Fellow/Staff Attorneys Do?

    The graduate fellow/staff attorneys are responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the students, and work closely with the students on improving their lawyering skills, especially legal research, writing, and analysis. Much of the staff attorneys' time is spent guiding students in conducting legal and factual research, reviewing student drafts, making suggestions for improvement, and preparing the students for oral presentations. The staff attorneys have their own opportunities to engage in oral and written advocacy on their projects, including the chance to argue before federal, state, or administrative judges. They take an active role in project development and in planning other IPR activities.

    IPR’s fellowship program offers a particularly rewarding opportunity for recent law graduates completing judicial clerkships or lawyers with two to three years of relevant work experience. Past graduate fellow/staff attorneys have emphasized that the IPR experience is unique in several respects. 

    First, the fellowship program offers an opportunity to work on interesting, often cutting-edge projects. Because all of our projects are handled on a pro bono basis, we have leeway to choose projects that are important, interesting, and present educational opportunities for both students and graduate fellow/staff attorneys.

    Second, graduate fellow/staff attorneys assume substantial responsibility for projects at an early stage of their careers and generally play a more important role in the decision-making process than do their contemporaries in other types of law practice. They also have an opportunity to work on a variety of cases, at different stages of development, so they gain a broader understanding of how cases are developed and how the litigation process, in particular, works. Graduate fellow/staff attorneys work closely with a broad range of public interest organizations, meeting others who are involved in public interest law and seeing how their organizations function.

    Third, graduate fellow/staff attorneys acquire a good practical working knowledge of both specific subject matter areas and of the federal, state, and local administrative and judicial process.

    Fourth, graduate fellow/staff attorneys have an opportunity to work closely with experienced, full time faculty members, who have substantial litigation and substantive expertise. For those with an interest in clinical teaching, graduate fellow/staff attorneys get first-hand experience in clinical supervision, and also participate in, and often co-teach, seminars. As part of the Law Center community, graduate fellow/staff attorneys are urged to attend faculty workshops and other programs, and to participate in a variety of on- and off-campus activities.

    Pay and other benefits

    The annual stipend for the position will be at least $53,500 plus an opportunity to participate in group health insurance and other benefits, including unlimited free access to a state-of-art, on-site fitness center. The fellowship will start in August 2016 and end in August 2018. Georgetown University Law Center awards an LL.M in Advocacy to each fellow upon completion of their two-year term.

    What Qualifications Are We Looking For?

    We are looking for applicants who demonstrate the following:

    •  a commitment to public interest law
    • prior work experience in environmental law or a judicial clerkship
    • strong legal writing and communications skills and experience and/or interest in helping others improve their legal writing, research, and analytical skills
    • an interest in (and aptitude for) clinical legal education

    Graduate fellow/staff attorneys must be members of the D.C. Bar or take steps to apply for membership in the D.C. Bar (through examination or reciprocity) upon being accepted for the position.

    How to Apply?

    Applicants for the fellowship should submit the following:

    • a resume and law school transcript
    • a list of references, including contact information
    • a recent legal writing sample of any length that represents the applicant’s most challenging legal work (The writing sample should not be a collaborative work or a piece significantly edited by someone else.)
    • a brief statement (not longer than one single-spaced page) explaining the applicant’s interest in the position.

    Send your application materials in a PDF file attached to an email to IPR’s Administrator, Niko Perazich, at nwp2@law.georgetown.edu. The application deadline is Monday December 7th 2015.

    After reviewing the application materials, we will select a small number of applicants to be interviewed at our office. While IPR cannot pay applicants’ travel expenses, we will try to arrange interviews at a time most convenient for the applicant.

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