Position Description

Law Clerk

For over three decades, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) has played a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and management, both domestically and internationally. ELI’s mission is to protect the environment by improving law, policy, and management. For more information visit http://www.eli.org.

Law clerks work on projects involving both domestic and international environmental law. Subject areas include, among others, wetlands and watershed policy, sustainable land use, biodiversity, environmental enforcement, long-term management of hazardous waste sites, public participation, and international environmental policy. Law clerks conduct legal and policy research, conduct interviews, attend and report on events, and prepare written materials and scholarly work for publication. Part of an clerk’s experience includes opportunities to attend seminars held by ELI for law students and lawyers.

Law clerks may also assist with the editing and production of ELI’s publications, the Environmental Law Reporter (ELR), the National Wetlands Newsletter (NWN), and The Environmental Forum (TEF), as well as various books. Law clerks support editors of these periodicals by conducting research, bluebooking, monitoring and writing summaries of current events, and engaging in various tasks and special projects on an as-needed basis.

Clerk Qualifications: (1) superior research and writing skills; (2) strong academic performance; and (3) strong communication skills. Students who will have completed their second year of law school are preferred, though first-year students will also be considered.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume (including law school and undergrad GPAs), list of references, and a writing sample. Cover letters should address the candidates’ personal goals and interests, as well as their experience and interest in environmental law and policy. Application materials should be submitted to law@eli.org. Applications for spring and fall positions are accepted on a rolling basis and applications for summer positions must be received by November 15 of each year.

Click here for information on ELI’s Diversity Law Clerk program.

The Environmental Law Institute is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunity and to achieving an inclusive, diverse workplace that values every individual. Minority candidates are encouraged to apply.