Expected start and duration: Summer 2024 – Summer 2026
The Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRCP) is inviting applications for the full-time position of Clinical Teaching Fellow. HIRCP litigates issues at the forefront of immigration and asylum law and at the intersection of criminal law and immigration, while also engaging students in policy advocacy, community outreach, and direct representation.
HIRCP is comprised of four different initiatives: (1) the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic, (2) the Crimmigration Clinic, (3) the HLS Immigration Project, a student-practice organization, and (4) the Harvard Representation Initiative, a project funded by the University to provide representation to undocumented and DACAmented members of the Harvard community. HIRCP supervises, trains, and mentors over 150 law students each year.
The Teaching Fellow’s docket will include cases and clients for both clinics housed within the program: the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic and the Crimmigration Clinic, as well as supervision of the student practice organization, the HLS Immigration Project. The Teaching Fellow will engage in district court and appellate litigation, direct representation of individuals seeking immigration relief, defense against deportation, and release from immigration detention, as well as policy advocacy.
The precise shape of the Teaching Fellow’s docket will be based on community priorities, student lawyering opportunities, and close consultation with community stakeholders and others. The Teaching Fellow will work under the supervision of the Program Director and will collaborate closely with HIRCP’s faculty and with other members of HIRCP’s legal and social service team.
The position will offer opportunities for professional development and scholarship in the areas of immigration and refugee law, as well as crimmigration. The Fellow will be based at Harvard Law School and may collaborate with other programs in Harvard’s vibrant clinical community.
Job Specific Responsibilities
As the Clinical Teaching Fellow you will:
- Develop teaching, orientation, and training materials for courses on Crimmigration, Immigration and Refugee Advocacy, Strategic Litigation, and other potential immigration related courses.
- Supervise HLS clinical students on strategic litigation, policy advocacy, and deportation defense to advance immigrants’ rights in conjunction with clinical faculty.
- Manage the student practice organization and pursue collaborative projects with community organizations, service providers, and advocacy groups, among others.
- Teach students a broad range of lawyering skills including research and writing, legal and policy analysis, problem-solving, and oral advocacy.
- Deliver talks and trainings to clients, partners, and policymakers at local and national conferences and events.
- Undertake various administrative tasks within the Program, including assistance with event planning, communications, development, student outreach, and other tasks that arise.
- Provide support for other HIRCP-related projects and initiatives, as needed.
Basic Qualifications
JD within 5 years of hire date. Admission to, and good standing in, any state bar.
Additional Qualifications
We are looking for people who have:
- Experience with and passion for advocating on behalf of immigrants and asylum seekers in a variety of settings, including in federal district court and before the federal courts of appeals, as well as before administrative agencies and in immigration court.
- Experience working with a diverse client population and using a client-centered, traumainformed approach.
- Demonstrated research and writing skills, and a strong commitment to public interest lawyering.
- Effective interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
- Flexibility, a sense of humor, and ability to and interest in working on an interdisciplinary team.
- An interest in and demonstrated aptitude for supervising and advising students, as well as a demonstrated interest in teaching and proven capacity to work as a team member.
- Availability to work in-person and flexibility in workspace, as the Fellow may be assigned to workspaces in a shared or partially-open office, such as a carrel.
- Proficiency in one or more languages, as a bonus.
Additional Information
This is a two-year term appointment. We are looking to fill this role during Summer 2024.
Application Materials & Timeline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants are encouraged to submit their cover letter and resume by July 22, 2024 to hirc@law.harvard.edu. Once all the applications are reviewed, candidates will be notified whether or not they will proceed to the next stage, at which point they should expect to submit a writing sample, as well.
The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.
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.
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