January 2010 through June 2010
POSITION SUMMARY:
The WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (“LSC”) is the community law office and largest clinical program of Harvard Law School (HLS), serving over 100 HLS students annually (see below). Among its many clinics, the LSC offers a Domestic Violence/ Family Law Clinic to students each semester. The primary work of the Domestic Violence/ Family Law Clinic is its collaboration with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, called the Passageway Health Law Collaborative (PHLC). Through this innovative health-law collaboration, law students and LSC attorneys provide comprehensive legal services to low- to moderate-income victims of domestic violence. The PHLC, with its multi-disciplinary and holistic service model, is staffed primarily by two LSC staff attorneys, one of whom is going on temporary leave from January 2010 through June 2010. In order to fill this temporary vacancy, the LSC is looking to hire a temporary family law attorney to be responsible for implementing the PHLC and supervising students in the Domestic Violence/ Family Law Clinic, beginning January 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2010.
The temporary family law attorney will provide direct legal assistance to low- to moderate-income victims of domestic violence in the area of family law, and closely supervise and mentor student attorneys in that case work. The attorney’s (and students’) caseload will include family law cases involving issues of domestic violence, paternity, custody, support, visitation, asset division, removal, and restraining orders. The attorney will also conduct client intakes, deliver legal trainings for hospital-based staff and patients, and provide technical assistance and program support to hospital-based social workers. The attorney will work collaboratively in a team setting with hospital-based staff at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and affiliated health canters, as well as with the staff and clinical instructors at LSC.
The WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School has a dual mission of providing high quality legal services to low-to moderate-income residents in the greater Boston area, while offering Harvard Law students hands-on lawyering experience in a heavily supervised setting. Our students work side-by-side with experienced practitioners on their casework. You may learn more about the LSC at http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical/lsc/.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Provide full representation and limited assistance to low- to moderate-income victims of domestic violence in the area of family law.
- Work closing with, and provide technical assistance to, hospital-based social work staff.
- Conduct legal trainings and presentations for hospital-based staff on various areas of law.
- Directly supervise law students on cases, including reviewing and editing all written work, preparing students for court appearances and meetings, and providing constructive feedback.
- Participate in student trainings on substantive law and practice skills.
- Prepare detailed written evaluations of students’ work, as well as in-person performance evaluations at mid-semester and the end of the semester.
- Attend and participate in weekly clinical class at Harvard Law School.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Law degree and admission to Massachusetts Bar.
- At least three years family/ DV law experience, which may include internship or student clinical experience.
- Experience supervising and/or teaching students in a clinical setting, preferred.
- Strong writing, legal analysis, legal research and oral advocacy skills.
- Litigation experience, including motions practice and trial preparation.
- Experience working with domestic violence survivors, social justice issues, diverse communities, and social change preferred.
- Strong people skills, including ability to communicate and work well with diverse groups and individuals.
- Spanish language skills preferred.
COMPENSATION: $28,000 plus benefits.
JOB STATUS: Full-time, six-month contract to begin January 1, 2010 and end June 30, 2010.
SUPERVISORS:
Director of Family Law Unit, Lecturer on Law, Robert Greenwald, Esq.
Staff Attorney, Clinical Instructor, Nnena E.J. Odim, Esq.
TO APPLY:
Apply online through the Employment @ Harvard Website: http://www.employment.harvard.edu/. (Requisition # 37908)