Clinical Supervising Attorney and Lecturer in Law, Stanford Law School

• NOTE: This position has been deemed critical/has specific funding, has been approved by the Law School for posting, and is exempt from the hiring freeze.

Stanford Law School welcomes applicants for a term Clinical Supervising Attorney and Lecturer in Law (“CSA”) position in its Religious Liberty Clinic (“RLC”). The RLC is the nation’s only full-time clinic dedicated to teaching and training law students in and through litigation and advocacy for individual and organizational clients in support of their religious liberty. The RLC also serves as a leader of affiliated clinics at other elite law schools across the country. As a member of the RLC, the CSA will not only join its landmark program but will also be part of the thriving clinical community at Stanford, where, together with the faculty and staff, the CSA will represent clients and train law students at one of the nation’s top institutions for legal scholarship and education.

The RLC is one of eleven clinics comprising the Mills Legal Clinic—the “law firm” under which Stanford’s clinical program is housed. The RLC launched in August 2012, and it has since become a cherished fixture at the law school. The Stanford clinical program is unique in that its students participate in it on a full-time basis; the clinic is the only course a student takes during their term of enrollment. The Mills Legal Clinic occupies an entire floor in an award-winning campus building opened shortly before the RLC’s launch.

The RLC focuses on developing professional skills in a rich, dynamic, and human way. Its students are introduced to the “real practice of law” through supervised, pro bono representation of a diverse group of clients in legal disputes arising from a wide range of beliefs and practices, and in a variety of settings and forums. A typical project might involve a prisoner facing obstacles to religious observance while incarcerated; a small church, synagogue, or mosque encountering zoning challenges to its house of worship or ministries; an individual suffering discrimination in the workplace or denied public rights or resources on account of their religious beliefs or practices; or a religious non-profit seeking counsel in serving its community. Students learn and apply the law, theory, and practice of religious liberty, and they are taught to advise clients and litigate on their behalf with excellence, professionalism, and maturity. In seeking to represent clients of all faiths and build bridges among and across people of any or no religious tradition, the RLC advocates for its clients’ religious liberty as a universal human value.

As a litigation-focused clinic, the RLC involves administrative, trial, and appellate work. Most administrative and trial practice takes place in California, while the RLC’s appellate efforts include an active presence in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and amicus briefing to the U.S. Supreme Court. Because the RLC is an innovative and leading project, clinic activities also include marketing, outreach, and development. Further details about the RLC’s approach and docket can be found at its website here.

The CSA is expected to participate in all RLC activities, including client development, student supervision, and client representation, and will also assist the RLC’s faculty director with curriculum design, teaching and evaluation matters, and general clinic operations. Additionally, the CSA will be part of the vibrant intellectual community within the Law School and Stanford University, and may benefit from resources to participate in conferences, continuing education, and other professional development activities.