Law School Students
The Oregon Law Center accepts applications from interested law students for our law clerk positions throughout the year. Opportunities are available in the summer as well as during the academic year.
Qualified applicants will exhibit abilities and interest in poverty law issues. This may be demonstrated through coursework, employment, volunteer activities, internships or other appropriate experience. Applicants must have excellent research and writing skills, good communication skills and be highly motivated. Spanish communication skills are highly desired, but not required.
Our law clerks assist with the litigation of cases throughout the state in all areas of poverty law, including housing law, family law, public benefits and health care, employment and farmworker law, immigration law, and civil rights. We represent clients in individual matters as well as impact litigation and advocacy. Law clerks have opportunities to conduct client and witness interviews, prepare clients for legal proceedings, assist with drafting of legal documents, research current and emerging areas of law, participate in community outreach and education, and represent clients at administrative hearings.
OLC is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive organization and a healthy work environment for all staff, including law clerks. We strongly encourage people from diverse backgrounds and communities to apply for a position with us. Many of our employees come from backgrounds that have not always been represented in the legal field or have not been socially or economically privileged. This helps them be more effective advocates for our clients and contributes to our strength as an organization.
OLC encourages law clerk applicants to seek funding from the Oregon State Bar or other sources. If other funding cannot be obtained, a stipend may be available, depending on our resources.
To apply, please send cover letter and current resume to Ed Johnson, Director of Litigation via email.
As part of your cover letter, please address the following:
OLC is committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon. Our client communities include people of color, farmworkers, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. It is essential to our work to serve clients that we also work to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.
How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to: (1) serve our diverse client communities effectively, (2) work effectively with colleagues from backgrounds different than your own, (3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients and some colleagues face, and (4) contribute to our efforts to achieve racial justice? Feel free to provide examples, and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences, as you respond to this question.
