BERKELEY LAW is hiring a full-time, year-round, non-tenure track Clinical Supervising Attorney for its Death Penalty Clinic.

The Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic:           

The Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic is one of the few clinics nationwide engaged in the defense of indigent clients facing the death penalty.  Under the direct supervision of clinical faculty, clinic students learn first-hand the responsibility and skills required to defend individuals in capital cases.  Students gather life history documents, conduct fact investigation, interview witnesses, and collaborate with experienced capital investigators and a variety of forensic experts.  They research and draft legal pleadings, and assist in hearings and trials in courts ranging from state trial courts to the United States Supreme Court and in jurisdictions as diverse as Alabama, California, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia.

Students are enrolled in the Death Penalty Clinic for the entire academic year.  They also take a required companion seminar taught by the Clinic faculty.  More information on the Death Penalty Clinic can be found here: www.deathpenaltyclinic.org.

Job Description for Clinical Supervising Attorney:

The role of Clinical Supervising Attorney is a full-time, year-round, non-tenure track position.  The individual hired will operate with substantial autonomy, and as part of an interactive team of Death Penalty Clinic faculty that often co-supervises projects.  The ideal candidate will have both a strong track record of conducting legal work with minimal supervision, and an equally strong desire to teach, work with, and mentor students in a highly collaborative environment.  This position requires significant capital defense experience and professional networks, the cultural competence to work in partnership with affected individuals and communities, and the ability to work independently. The majority of the Clinical Supervising Attorney’s docket will be capital cases in which the Clinic partners with lawyers and non-profits, such as the Southern Center for Human Rights, the Georgia Capital Defender Office, and the Texas Defender Service, among others.  Prior experience in clinical teaching or law student supervision is required.

The Clinical Supervising Attorney will work under the day-to-day supervision of the Clinic faculty (the Director and Associate Director), and may partner with clinical faculty in supervising student work on cases and projects.  During the summer, when students are not enrolled in the Clinic, the Clinical Supervising Attorney will continue to maintain and advance the Clinic’s docket, and, if necessary, develop new projects and cases for the upcoming year.

The Clinical Supervising Attorney will also assist in teaching the Clinic’s companion seminar, including teaching one or two class sessions each semester; helping student prepare for case rounds presentations; and providing feedback and critique to students on their performance in case rounds.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical Supervision and Advocacy (80%)

• Intensive training and supervision of six to eight clinic students per semester;
• Assist in litigating capital cases, mostly in the South, at trial, on appeal and/or in post-conviction (state and federal);
• Develop Clinic projects, including vetting new Clinic cases and negotiating co-counsel agreements with outside counsel;
• Draft petitions, motions, briefs, and other pleadings; conduct appellate oral arguments and trial–level hearings in state and federal court;
• Travel to wherever the Clinic’s cases are being litigated, often with students, to visit clients, conduct investigation, participate in court proceedings, and meet with co-counsel
• Assist clinic faculty in managing the Clinic docket throughout the year;
• Assist in designing/ teaching select components of the Clinic seminar;
• Work with other clinical faculty and clinical fellows to improve the clinical curriculum; and
• Assist in developing and maintaining relationships with clients and co-counsel.

Administrative Duties(15%):

• Assist in organizing programmatic events, such as conferences, workshops and speaker series;
• Participate in professional development, training, and networking activities;
• Assist in promoting the Clinic to students and other constituencies, and organizing Clinic-related events; and
• Supervise volunteers as needed.

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

Minimum Qualifications (at time of application):

• J.D.

Additional Qualifications (by start date):

• Admission to practice law in at least one state (California bar not required);
• At least one year of experience in clinical teaching or law student supervision; and
• Ability to travel multiple times a year.

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least five years of criminal defense experience, including at least three years of capital defense experience;
• Experience investigating or supervising the investigation of capital cases at the trial or post-conviction level;
• Experience defending capital cases in the South;
• Career intention to practice in public interest, public sector, or clinical setting;
• Excellent legal research and writing skills;
• Ability to work well under pressure, both independently and as part of a team; and
• Substantive knowledge in the areas of capital punishment, evidence, and criminal procedure. 

Salary and Benefits: 

The salary range is $87,505-$101,477, depending on experience. The University offers excellent health and retirement benefits which can be viewed online at http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/.

Application Procedure:

Please visit the following link to apply: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF02081.  Applicants must provide in AP Recruit the names and contact information for three (3) references.  The position is open until filled. 

Letters of reference and copies of scholarly transcripts may be requested of top candidates. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a dossier service or career center, to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters. 

For more information about the Death Penalty Clinic, visit our website at: www.deathpenaltyclinic.org

If you have questions about the position, please contact academicpositions-law@berkeley.edu.