Law Student - Public Interest in Oakland, CA

Public Interest

Oakland, CA

Law Student - Public Interest in Oakland, CA

Law Student

No

Law Clerk Position at **MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***.

Job Title: Law Clerk 2025, Spring
Salary: Unpaid, but school credit may be available
Experience: Law student or recent law school graduate

About the Organization

**MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***. (DRC) is a nonprofit, public-interest law firm established in 1978 to protect the legal, civil, and service rights of people with all types of disabilities. We are the designated Protection and Advocacy agency for California and the largest disability rights organization in the country. Our mission is to promote and protect the rights of individuals with disabilities through advocacy, education, and litigation.

Application Deadline

Spring 2025
Deadline to Apply: November 8, 2024
Open until filled. Applications should be received by the following dates to be considered for the first round of interviews.

DRC’s Practice Areas

- Healthcare/Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Practice Group – Fully Remote: The Healthcare/HCBS practice group works to address barriers and inequities in our healthcare system to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the services and supports needed to live at home in the community. We believe healthcare is a human right and fight to preserve that right with our federal, state, and local partners. Our advocacy focuses on access to Medi-Cal programs and services including HCBS Waivers, In-Home Supportive Services, and California Children’s Services. We engage on these issues through a combination of direct representation, policy advocacy, and impact litigation.

Who We Are

**MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***. is recognized as a Gold Level Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leader by the State Bar of California! We work to promote and create a culture where people feel empowered to be their true authentic selves to do their best work for our clients and the communities we serve.

Job Description

Law students will find working with DRC a challenging and rewarding experience. Law clerks are typically assigned to one practice group within the Legal Advocacy Unit (LAU), the Investigations Unit, or the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA). Each law clerk will collaborate with their team to serve clients across the state. While we do our best to assign supervision in the same office, at times, remote supervision is necessary to provide law clerks opportunities on a particular team. Currently, all DRC employees and law clerks are working remotely. Depending on their assigned team, law clerks may gain experience with:

- Interviewing clients and consumers
- Providing counsel and advice on self-advocacy
- Legal research and writing
- Legislative analysis and writing
- Representation at mediation and administrative hearings at school districts, universities, regional centers, Social Security offices, and others
- Assisting people with psychiatric disabilities in locked facilities to ensure the enforcement of their federal, state, constitutional, and statutory rights
- Assisting clients file charges of discrimination with the . Office for Civil Rights under the Department of Education, . Department of Housing and Urban Development, and . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Assisting in the investigation of systemic and potentially life-threatening abuse and neglect in state and private facilities serving people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities
- Conducting training on the law and multicultural outreach

Summer law clerk positions are a 10-week commitment and generally begin on June 02, 2025, to August 08, 2025, for a week. Spring and Summer semester law clerk positions, and their time commitments, are driven by student interest and DRC's need. Students typically work 20 hours a week for 10 weeks. Please follow the application instructions below and include your requested time commitment and practice area in your cover letter.

Working at DRC is a rare opportunity to do what you are good at while making a difference!

Requirements

- Law student or recent law school graduate
- Strong interest in disability rights and social justice
- Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

How to Apply

Interested applicants should upload a resume, a brief writing sample (10 pages maximum), and a cover letter that includes your time commitment and office location. Interested applicants should review the DRC Practice Areas and indicate which practice group, or groups, they would be interested in working with.

Note to Post-Graduates

Law students who are interested in post-graduate positions should consider applying for DRC-hosted fellowship positions through Skadden, Equal Justice Works, and similar programs. DRC will post sponsorship opportunities as they become available. DRC also accepts law clerk applications from post-graduate individuals looking for a temporary position between taking the Bar Exam and receiving Bar Exam results (Fall and Spring). Please follow the application guidelines above and include in your cover letter your requested time commitment and practice area.

Benefits

- Gain hands-on experience in disability rights law and advocacy
- Work with a diverse and passionate team
- Make a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals with disabilities
- Opportunity for school credit (if applicable)
- Flexible work schedule

Join our team at **MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***. and be a part of our mission to promote and protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. Apply today for our Law Clerk 2025, Spring position and make a difference in the lives of others!