Fall 2025 Legal Clerkship
Fall 2025 Legal Clerkship
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Not Disclosed
Salary Not Disclosed
1 Vacancy
Job Description
Overview
FIRE offers a 15week coursecredited insemester Legal Clerkship for law students looking for handson experience working for a dynamic nonpartisan civil liberties organization. Clerks work with FIRE attorneys parttime during the academic year conducting legal research in emerging areas of law; developing arguments for active cases; preparing various litigation documents for active cases; reviewing university policies and legislative proposals; and much more.
Our Legal Clerks will be assigned to work with the following teams:Litigation: Litigation law clerks will assist our litigators working up new cases and litigating existing lawsuits defending the freedom of speech primarily through legal research writing and strategy discussions. Law clerks will gain practical knowledge of federal litigation learn more about publicinterest litigation specifically and deepen their understanding of substantive First Amendment law.
Campus Rights Advocacy: The Campus Rights Advocacy Legal Clerk will assist the departments nonlitigation advocacy efforts in defending free speech and due process on college and university campuses. Responsibilities will include investigating potential violations of expressive rights and due process conducting legal research reviewing advocacy letters and drafting publicfacing commentary on topical free speech issues. Legal Clerks should expect to have some administrative responsibilities as well. Legal Clerks will also have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of substantive First Amendment law by attending voluntary learning sessions.
Public Advocacy: The Public Advocacy Legal Clerk will support the departments nonlitigation advocacy defending free speech off campus. Responsibilities will include investigating potential violations of expressive rights conducting legal research reviewing advocacy letters and drafting publicfacing commentary on topical free speech issues.
Policy Reform: The Policy Reform Clerk would aid the Policy Reform team in its work to improve the written regulations on student and faculty expression at our nations colleges. Their duties would include drafting and editing policy analysis and recommendations for college administrators researching emerging issues affecting regulations on expression and providing input on best practices for building a better foundation for campus speech through a colleges policies and programs.
Legislative & Policy: The Legislative & Policy department lobbies lawmakers to advance FIREs positions on policy issues related to free speech. Their duties will include legal research on public policy issues affecting expressive rights drafting internal bill analyses and public commentary and monitoring legislative developments.
Legal Clerks have the opportunity to work in FIREs Philadelphia office D.C. office or remotely.
The 2025 fallsemester clerkship application will be open from May 9 to July 11. Applicants will be received and awarded clerkships on a rolling basis.
Qualifications and Responsibilities
To qualify for FIREs Legal Clerkship candidates must:
- Be rising 2Ls and 3Ls with excellent academic credentials
- Have a passion for civil liberties and public interest litigation.
FIRE Legal Clerks are responsible for working with FIRE attorneys on several fronts: conducting legal research in emerging areas of law developing arguments for active cases preparing various litigation and advocacy documents for active cases reviewing college and university policies and legislative proposals and much more. FIRE accepts applications from candidates across the United States.
Required Experience:
Junior IC
Employment Type
Part-Time
