Policy Law Clerk
Children's Law Center is seeking candidates for the 2024 fall term. This position is a hybrid role, with some expectation of in-person work at Children's Law Center's office. The deadline to apply is June 28th, 2024.
Who We Are
Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures. A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.
Our greatest assets are our people. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the organization’s mission through their leadership, result-orientated mindset and commitment to cultural humility. We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community. Children's Law Center's continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes.
Program Description
Children’s Law Center (CLC) hosts a comprehensive, hands-on internship program. Law clerk and intern positions are available during spring, summer, and fall semesters. Law clerk applicants must be current law students or recent law school graduates. All positions are unpaid and can be taken for credit. Hours are flexible. Generally, spring openings are posted in October, summer positions are posted in November and fall openings are posted in May.
Children’s Law Center’s Policy Program works with the Mayor, District Agencies, and the DC Council to develop citywide recommendations that ensure local policies, legislation, funding, and programs meet the needs of all District children.
Position Summary
The Policy Program seeks law students or recent law school graduates for clerkship positions. Policy clerkships offer clerks: the opportunity to engage in important oversight activities related to local agencies’ performance and budget; exposure to legislative processes such as lobbying and observation of hearings at the Council; legal analysis, research, and writing to support CLC policy positions in a variety of forums; and more.
Law clerks may have a broad range of responsibilities including, but not limited to, researching and writing about legal issues, interviewing clients and witnesses, attending external meetings, attending the DC Council’s legislative meetings and committee hearings, and assisting with the drafting of written testimony. CLC Policy clerks are unpaid and are supervised one-on-one by a Senior or Supervising Policy Attorney.
Requirements and qualifications include: excellent analytical ability, strong oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, basic understanding of the local legislative process, commitment to working in support of low-income populations, and willingness and enthusiasm to complete all tasks.
Application Instructions
Children's Law Center is seeking candidates for the 2024 fall term. This position is a hybrid role, with some expectation of in-person work at Children's Law Center's office. The deadline to apply is June 28th, 2024.
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume as one PDF file via CLC's careers page (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).
Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an email to Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org. In your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three business days to receive a response to your request.
Hybrid Working Conditions
Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule. Employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week. At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or Wednesday. The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety. Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.
Background Checks
Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.
EEO
Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. We invite you to visit us here to learn more about our company and our career opportunities (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).
DEI Statement
Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist community, where all members can create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work toward racial and social justice for children and families in DC.