Clinical Fellow, Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, Harvard Law School

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School is inviting applications for a full-time Clinical Fellow. The position will be based at the Harvard Law School campus in Cambridge, MA (with potential flexibility for limited remote work between semesters, depending on the fellow’s circumstances). Expected start date is July/August 2025, with some flexibility depending on the chosen candidate.

About the Clinic:

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic typically works with scientists, medical professionals, nonprofit and public interest organizations, and state, municipal, and tribal government clients on environmental, natural resource, and energy issues at the federal, state, and local level. The work includes writing comments and briefs about federal and state laws and regulations, drafting climate change mitigation and adaptation regulations and policies, preparing guidance documents and manuals for non-lawyers, drafting model legislation, and preparing policy papers. The Clinic also routinely holds moot courts for environmental advocates. The Clinic’s current core areas of work are:

• Supporting the transition to a carbon-free energy system
• Assisting states, municipalities, tribes, and NGOs in developing innovative climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies
• Developing legal and regulatory strategies to respond to and mitigate the biodiversity crisis and facilitate responsible land management
• Advocating for strong, science-based federal and state environmental regulations
• Advancing access, equity, and environmental justice
• Assisting Tribal and Native American communities in environmental and natural resources matters.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Given the breadth of the Clinic’s work, the Fellow should be interested in, and able to, dive deeply and relatively quickly into new areas of law.

The Clinical Fellow will work with the Clinic Director and Clinical Instructor on a broad array of environmental, energy, and natural resource cases and projects and assist with the supervision of the students working in the Clinic. The Fellow’s work will involve a mix of litigation, administrative advocacy, policy work, legislative drafting, and client advising. The Fellow will typically have a portfolio of multiple ongoing projects and tasks. Specifically, the Clinical Fellow will be expected to do some or all of the following:

• Participate in researching, writing, and editing briefs, research and policy papers, comment letters, petitions for rulemakings, complaints, legislation, and other case and project documents;
• Investigate and develop new Clinic projects and follow up on inquiries for the Clinic’s assistance;
• Assist in the development of educational materials (e.g., research guides), seminars, and webinars offered by the Clinic;
• Collaborate with students and engage in student outreach;
• Assist with event planning and organizing; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

The fellowship offers ample opportunity for professional development through working closely with Clinic faculty, staff, students, clients, and partners; developing expertise in particular issue areas; gaining experience with a broad range of advocacy and client counseling strategies; and collaborating with and mentoring law students. The Clinic Fellow will be part of the intellectual community at Harvard Law School and will have opportunities to attend workshops and conferences.

Qualifications:

Required

• J.D. (earned within the last three years) and admission to state bar
• Willingness to seek admission to the Massachusetts bar under Rule 3.01

Preferred

• Some specialized knowledge and/or experience in environmental law, administrative law, energy law, federal Indian law, and/or local government law
• Clerkship(s), litigation experience, legislative or policy experience, or advanced degrees in relevant disciplines are valued

The ideal candidate will have strong legal research, writing, and editing skills, have strong interpersonal skills, good time management, and be comfortable working both independently and in teams.

Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Terms of Employment:

This is a one-year term appointment with the possibility of renewal , subject to funding, and departmental need.

Salary:

Compensation for the fellowship (which includes salary and benefits) is commensurate with experience. The base fellowship salary amount (not including benefits) is expected to be in the range of $60,000-$80,000.

To Apply:

Please submit the following materials by email to Jacqueline Calahong (jcalahong@law.harvard.edu):

• A cover letter describing your interest in the position and relevant experience;
• Resume/CV;
• Law school transcript;
• One or two writing samples (preferably independently-authored articles, briefs, memoranda, comment letters, or white papers);
• The names of three references.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with application review starting early March 2025.