Clinical Supervising Attorney and Lecturer in Law, Environmental Law Clinic - Stanford Law School

Stanford Law School

Environmental Law Clinic

Clinical Supervising Attorney and Lecturer in Law

The Mills Legal Clinic of Stanford Law School invites applicants for a clinical supervising attorney and lecturer position with its Environmental Law Clinic (“ELC”).  The supervising attorney will join the thriving clinical community at Stanford Law School where, together with the clinical faculty and staff, he or she will represent clients and train law students at one of the country’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education.

ELC is one of eleven clinics comprising the Mills Legal Clinic.  The Stanford clinical program is unique in that students participate in a clinic on a full-time basis; the clinic is the only course a student takes during the term of enrollment.  The Mills Legal Clinic occupies an entire floor in an award-winning, central-campus building opened in summer 2011.

The ELC works on environmental, natural resource, and energy matters representing non-profit conservation organizations, other institutions, and tribes.  The ELC’s work focuses primarily on marine resources, endangered species, water quality, public lands, climate change, and environmental justice issues.  The ELC engages in a mix of federal and state court litigation and policy advocacy work.  Students working in the clinic help investigate cases, develop strategies, advise clients, work with scientific experts, build and review administrative records, draft briefs and policy pieces, and present oral arguments. 

The ELC supervising attorney will report to, and work in collaboration with, Professor Deborah Sivas, director of the clinic, and Matthew Sanders, acting deputy director.  The supervising attorney will have substantial responsibility for the management and litigation of clinic cases in state and federal court and before administrative agencies, and will supervise Stanford Law School students enrolled in the clinic.  Student supervision includes close review and editing of student written work, preparing students for oral advocacy, and managing students’ work with clients.  In addition, the supervising attorney will help plan and teach the regular class seminar sessions, which focus on core lawyering skills. 

Mills Legal Clinic attorneys are part of the intellectual community within the clinical program and the Law School and larger university.  For example, the supervising attorney will be invited to attend weekly faculty workshops at which scholars from Stanford and throughout the world present research and works in progress.  The clinic also provides resources for its lawyers to participate in continuing education and other professional development activities.

Applicants for the supervising attorney position should have at least five (and ideally seven to ten) years’ experience in state and federal environmental law practice and be admitted to practice in California.  In addition, applicants must possess strong academic credentials, excellent writing and editing skills, an aptitude for law practice and clinic management, and the organizational, interpersonal, and teamwork abilities necessary to supervise students.  Successful teaching or student supervision experience and/or demonstrated experience or interest in environmental justice issues, including prior work with tribes, is a plus. 

Applicants should submit cover letter, resume, a writing sample, and law school transcript through https://careersearch.stanford.edu/ , referencing job number 102517.  Applications should be submitted by April 15, 2024.  The start date is negotiable but must be no later than August 1, 2024.

This position is fixed term. The supervising attorney will work in person at Stanford Law School; remote work is not possible.

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The expected base pay range for this position is $110,000-$163,000.  

Stanford University has provided a pay range representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for the position. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the qualifications of the selected candidate, budget availability, and internal equity.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Stanford Law School seeks to hire the best talent and to promote a safe and secure environment for all members of the university community and its property. To that end, new staff hires must successfully pass a background check prior to starting work at Stanford University.