THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA SCHOOL OF LAW's Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Clinic is hiring two Post-Graduate Legal Fellows. Both positions are one-year positions.
CEASE is seeking one Fellow to work in their Athens, Georgia office and one Fellow to help build CEASE’s practice in the Savannah, Georgia area. Both Fellow positions are one-year appointments. The Savannah Fellow position is grant-funded and may be extended for longer than one year, depending on continuation of grant funding and job performance. Some travel for court and other clinic-related work will be required.
Job Description
Legal Services
- The Fellows will represent survivors of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking across the sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline in a variety of civil, juvenile dependency, and post-conviction matters.
- The Fellows will serve as client-directed attorney for children under 21 involved in Juvenile Court foster care dependency proceedings and who are participants in—or eligible to participate in—the state’s first and only treatment court for survivors of child trafficking.
- The Fellows will also represent survivors in post-conviction vacatur and record restriction cases involving convictions directly resulting from or occurring during trafficking victimization, as well as in civil claims against perpetrators of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.
- As part of the University of Georgia’s mission to prepare law students for practice, the Fellows will supervise law students in providing legal services. The Fellow will work under the supervision of the CEASE Staff Attorney and Director. The Fellows are responsible for working together with the Staff Attorney and Clinic Director to ensure the effective management of CEASE’s legal practice. The Fellows will also work closely with the CEASE Clinic’s Social Work Advocate to ensure intensive case management services for clients in the area.
Community Outreach & Education
- The Fellows will be charged with building community relationships and networks through outreach, education, and other initiatives. Community outreach and education includes, but is not limited to, representing CEASE on anti-trafficking multidisciplinary teams; referring survivors to community-based services; collaborating with victim-services providers, placements, and other community members and organizations working with survivors; building a pro bono network of referral attorneys to increase post-conviction relief legal services; and developing and conducting trainings for attorneys and other advocates working with survivors.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Competencies
- Strong organizational and time management skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks, work independently, and seek guidance when appropriate.
- Advocacy skills, excellent writing skills, and experience working with varying and vulnerable clients.
- Applicant must be a current member in good standing of the Georgia Bar, or sitting for the July 2024 Georgia Bar Exam. Continuation of employment dependent is on bar passage.
- Start date for Savannah Fellow is ASAP, but no later than September 1, 2024.
- Start date for Athens Fellow is September 1, 2024.
To Apply
All applicants must apply through UGA’s HR website as follows:
For questions or more information, please contact Emma Hetherington, CEASE Clinic Director & Clinical Associate Professor at ehether@uga.edu.