Summer Legal Clerk

The Wilderness Society (TWS) is seeking two current second-year law students for a paid summer 2025 law clerk position. open to law students of all backgrounds with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in the conservation/environmental movement and/or legal community.  The position is part of TWS’s legal team, which focuses on leveraging law and policy to defend and protect important landscapes and wildlands, ensure the benefits of public lands are shared equitably, and strengthen bedrock conservation laws and policies. 

Application Deadline: Applications will close on 10/27/2024 at 5pm PST. We hope to fill the positions by December. 

Location: This position is available to be done remotely (or in office where there is a TWS office in the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, ID, IL, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, NM,  NV, NY,  OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY 

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About the Organization:  

TWS is an equal opportunity employer and actively works to ensure fair treatment of our employees and constituents across culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. 

As an organization, we aspire to be inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are. Internally this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee, and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day. Externally this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive. We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits 

The Megan Dickie Wilderness Leadership Fund: 

The position is funded by the Megan Dickie Wilderness Leadership Fund. The fund was created in 2017 to honor and sustain Megan Dickie’s passion for wilderness, dedication to inspiring others to protect wild places, and commitment to expanding the cadre of public lands advocates. Megan was a talented TWS attorney and policy expert who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 35. The fund is designed to provide career-building opportunities for law students of all backgrounds, expanding our reach and shaping new leaders for the future of conservation. 

The position will play a vital role in supporting an inclusive organizational culture that is grounded in trust and accountability to shared goals and outcomes. TWS is committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion is incorporated in all our work. We aspire to be campaign-oriented, nimble, collaborative, innovative, transparent, and supportive of staff and law clerks – our greatest asset. 

Clerkship Overview: 

The law clerk(s) will be part of TWS’s legal team and assist with applying public land law and policy to protect and defend important conservation policies and place-based decisions for our shared public lands. The clerk(s) will conduct legal and policy research and analysis that will help advance conservation campaigns and legal strategies.  

The clerk(s) will receive a stipend for travel over the summer as well as hourly compensation of $22/hour for their work. The stipend is designed to account for travel for the summer position to visit a TWS office location and have an opportunity to visit federal public lands. The clerkship will run for 10 weeks of full-time (40 hours/week) work. 

Ideal candidates will excel at conducting legal and policy research, analyzing complex legal questions, and concisely reporting their findings. It is helpful but not needed to have some familiarity with administrative law, agency rulemaking, and the policies/practices of the executive and legislative branches of government.  

To Apply: please send a cover letter that describes the unique experiences or perspectives you would bring to TWS, resume, transcript, a short writing sample (no more than 5 pages), and 2-3 references through the online application system. The application will be open from 9/23/2024 to 10/27/2024.