Massachusetts Veterans Jobs

Clinical Fellow, Family Advocacy Clinic

Staff Exempt Boston, Massachusetts

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Description

This is a clinical teaching position within Suffolk’s nationally ranked Clinical Programs. This position is designed for someone who wishes to launch a career in clinical education under the mentorship of a talented and experienced team of clinicians. The Fellow will be among a group of several clinical fellows developing their clinical skills through teaching, supervision, and grant-funded activities in Clinical Programs. During this Fellowship, the Fellow may have the opportunity to co-teach clinical seminar modules alongside full-time faculty. The Fellow will gain experience with clinical supervision and familiarization with clinical pedagogy. The Fellow will work with one or more members of the clinical faculty to develop clinical teaching skills. The Fellow will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and programs on teaching, scholarship and publication, and other topics.

The Fellow will be embedded within the Family Advocacy Clinic (FAC), collaborating closely with the FAC faculty director. The Fellow will devote half of their time to co-supervising approximately 10, full-year clinical students attorneys as part of a collaboration with a DV agency, HarborCov . Through the collaboration, FAC students represent low-income clients in family law and DV litigation, and participate in legal reform and community education activities. The Fellow will supervise students in divorce, custody, support, paternity, and restraining order cases. Through supervision and mentorship, the Fellow will help student attorneys develop professional habits and essential lawyering skills, such as client interviewing and counseling, case theory development, fact investigation, drafting, advocacy, and resolving ethical dilemmas in practice. The Fellow also will co-teach some modules of the weekly FAC seminar, and assist with course planning and managing the docket.

In addition to the FAC and HarborCov responsibilities, the Fellow will spend approximately half of their time as a community liaison, helping to launch a brand-new Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Innovation Clinic, in collaboration with the American Arbitration Institute. Students in the ODR Innovation Clinic will design an online ODR system for relatively simple Massachusetts divorces that is accessible to low-income clients. As the Project’s Community Liaison, the Fellow would engage in community outreach to gain input from, and identify the needs of, relevant community stakeholders, including Massachusetts Probate and Family courts and legal services providers (such as Greater Boston Legal Services, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Women’s Bar Foundation), the family law bar, as well as those in the field of dispute resolution. The Fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with a cross-section of Suffolk faculty specializing in legal innovation and technology and ADR.

Qualifications:

• Must be a member in good standing of the Massachusetts bar and qualified to represent clients in Massachusetts State Courts, or able to waive into the Massachusetts Bar under SJC Rule 3:04 prior to the commencement of the Fellowship;

• At least three- five years of civil litigation/legal services experience in family law (broadly defined) is required;

• Experience working with domestic violence (DV) survivors is strongly preferred, but not required;

• Experience collaborating with court personnel, legal service providers, within the access to justice community, and with other family law practitioners is strongly preferred, as a significant part of this role will include serving as a community liaison;

• Experience working directly with clients from racially, ethnically, and/or socioeconomically diverse backgrounds is strongly preferred;

• Excellent oral and written communication skills;

• Teaching experience is preferred but not required, as is experience participating in a law school clinic;

• Fluency in Spanish would be a benefit in this role.

  Hours and Duration : This position will begin on or about September 1, 2024. The position is ideally a full-time position working approximately half-time on both grant-funded projects described above. We will consider applicants for part-time positions within only one of the grants (approximately 20-25 hours per week). The position is a 12-month contract with the opportunity to renew for up to 3 years.

  Required Application Documents: Cover Letter

  Resume or CV

  List of three references

  Teaching Evaluations (if applicable)

Suffolk University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, genetic information, or status as a veteran in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs, activities, or employment. As an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, the University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.