2021 Summer Law Clerk Program Application Announcement
2021 Summer Law Clerk Program
(Stipend: $4,000)
Position Overview: Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA) is currently accepting applications for our 2021 Summer Law Clerk Program. Over the course of the summer, current law students will use state and federal laws to protect and restore local water quality within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This is a 10-week clerkship opportunity, with a paid stipend offered for living expenses.
Responsibilities & Learning Opportunities: CLA Summer Law Clerks are given significant responsibility in various tasks including: conducting legal research and writing, providing litigation support, assisting CLA staff in evaluating requests for legal assistance, participating in community events and stakeholder meetings, developing content for our website and newsletter, and thinking creatively and strategically about how to use the legal system to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. Throughout the summer, CLA staff take Summer Law Clerks on regular field trips to learn about the watershed, meet partner organizations, and understand water quality best management practices firsthand. *Field trips are dependent on Covid-19 circumstances.
Location & Time Commitment: Chesapeake Legal Alliance is located in historic downtown Annapolis, Maryland. Summer Law Clerks are expected to spend approximately 35-40 hours per week working on CLA projects for approximately 10 weeks. Under normal circumstances, we ask students to join us in our Annapolis office full-time for the first few weeks, after which Summer Law Clerks may work remotely 2-3 days per week.
Covid-19: CLA is currently successfully operating on a 100% remote platform. The health of our Summer Law Clerks, staff, and community is our number one priority, and we are prepared to hold our 2021 Law Clerk Program either in-person, or 100% remotely, depending on the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic leading into the summer. If the program is remote, Summer Law Clerks will participate in and have access to staff, partner, and stakeholder meetings, webinars, hearings, and phone calls, along with remote research and writing projects. While we would much rather work with our Summer Law Clerks in person, we will ensure that each clerk’s remote experience will be educational, personal, and fun.
Qualifications: Candidates must be current law students with excellent writing and research skills and must provide their own transportation. Experience and/or a demonstrated interest in environmental and administrative law, with a focus on water quality issues, is highly desirable.
Values of Diversity and Equity: CLA is dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace for those of all ages and backgrounds. We celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity, such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, and religious and political beliefs. Diversity creates an awareness of, and respect for differences, and ultimately translates into increased understanding. We especially encourage members of communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply to join our team, including people of color, women, LGBTQ people, those from economically disadvantaged communities, and differently abled people. Chesapeake Legal Alliance is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, color, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
To Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Molly Brown at interns@chesapeakelegal.org. Applications will be accepted beginning in January 2021. Positions in our summer program are filled on a rolling basis. To learn more about CLA or our current opportunities, visit us at www.chesapeakelegal.org.
