The International Human Rights Clinic (“the Clinic”) at Harvard Law School invites applications for a Clinical Teaching Fellow. The Fellow will be a legally-trained practitioner who has earned a law degree within the past two to five years and who has demonstrated experience in, and commitment to, human rights, including experience training or mentoring law students. The Fellow’s time will be allocated 50% to work in the Clinic, and 50% to liaising with and supporting Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights (“Advocates”), the Clinic’s affiliated student practice organization.

The Clinic offers 2L, 3L, and LLM students the opportunity to work for academic credit on a variety of timely and complex human rights issues. Our work is carried out in partnership with grassroots, international, and movement-based organizations, as well as communities and individuals directly affected by abuse. Students work in small teams under the close supervision of clinicians who provide guidance, mentorship, and continual feedback.

The Fellow will work with senior clinicians to develop and execute clinical projects, and to guide and manage student teams. Clinical projects deploy a variety of strategies that teach a range of skills necessary to become thoughtful and effective human rights advocates. The Fellow will receive substantial support and mentorship from the Clinical Director and/or senior clinicians. Over the course of the fellowship, the Fellow will have the opportunity to take on increasing responsibility for designing and implementing clinical projects.

As a student practice organization, Advocates offers law students the opportunity to gain practical human rights experience from the start of their law school careers. Student volunteers, including 1Ls, work in teams on projects that are supervised by lawyers at partner organizations in various countries. Advocates is run by a student board, with 2Ls, 3Ls, and LLMs assuming leadership and project management responsibilities. Advocates also organizes on-campus events and trainings.

The Fellow will be the bridge between Advocates and the Clinic. They will liaise and work with Advocates around all aspects of its operations, including supporting student leaders as they build relationships with partner organizations, develop and manage projects, interact with supervising attorneys and student teams, address potential conflicts of interest and other risk management concerns, facilitate the annual transition between incoming and outgoing student leadership to offer continuity, and help maintain institutional memory.

This is a two-year term appointment beginning in January 2024 with the possibility of extension for a third year contingent upon organizational needs, available funding, and the mutual interests of the Clinic and Fellow.

Essential Functions:

The Fellow, under the supervision of the Clinical Director and/or senior clinicians, will work on clinical projects with teams of clinical students. Enthusiasm and interest in student mentoring and engagement, in addition to a background in human rights, is vital. During the first year of the fellowship, the Fellow will help develop clinical projects that expose students to the essential skills, practical realities, and challenges of human rights work. The Fellow will meet regularly with students, guide and review their work, and advise them on legal, strategic, and ethical questions. The Fellow may also oversee students during clinical travel, which may require the ability to be away from campus for periods of up to two weeks.

The Fellow will support Advocates student leaders as they build relationships with partner organizations and supervising attorneys; conceive, design, and establish Advocates projects; conduct conflict checks and manage associated risks; review student work product; manage administrative tasks such as reporting requirements; and interact with the law school administration. The Fellow will attend Advocates board meetings and regularly meet with Advocates leadership to mentor and problem-solve issues as they arise.

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• J.D. or other law degree within the past two to five years, including two to three years of human rights experience, as well as bar admission in a relevant jurisdiction.
• English fluency as well as additional language skills relevant to the Fellow’s particular areas of focus.
• Commitment to thoughtful, innovative, rigorous, and self-reflective human rights work.
• Passion for teaching and mentoring law students, as well as learning and developing clinical pedagogy.
• Ability and desire to work collaboratively as a member of a team, including in partnership and coalition with affected clients and communities.
• Understanding of and sensitivity to critiques of human rights, as well as ways of responding to and integrating such critiques into practice.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Outstanding legal, communication, interpersonal, analytical, writing, organizational, and time-management skills.

Additional Information:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but should be submitted no later than November 3, 2023. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure full consideration. Please submit: (1) a cover letter (no more than three pages in length) describing your relevant experience and motivation for applying, your approach to human rights work and teaching/mentoring philosophy, and the types of projects you hope to develop or work on in the Clinic, (2) resume, (3) law school transcript, and (4) writing sample (unedited, no more than 20 pages). All materials should be emailed in a single message titled “Clinical Teaching Fellow Application – NAME” to the Clinic’s Program Assistant, Ms. Sanjana Nayak, snayak@law.harvard.edu. Due to the expected volume of applications, only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

The two-year term appointment is expected to begin in January 2024, with the possibility of extension for a third year contingent upon organizational needs, available funding, and the mutual interests of the Clinic and Fellow. Annual salary is commensurate with experience but is expected to be in the range of $68,000-$78,000; the position includes health benefits and access to university facilities. Applications are especially encouraged from human rights lawyers from the Global South; practitioners with an interest in human rights in the United States; people of color; LGBTQI persons; women; and persons with disabilities. Visa sponsorship is available for non-U.S. applicants.