Enrollment in this clinic will fulfill the HLS JD pro bono requirement.

Required Class Component: Election Law Clinical Seminar (2 fall classroom credits). The clinic and course are bundled; your enrollment in the clinic will automatically enroll you in the required course.

Additional Co-/Pre-Requisites: None.

By Permission: Yes. Applications from JD students are due by July 16, 2021.

Add/Drop Deadline: August 13, 2021.

LLM Students: LLM students may apply to the clinic through the LLM General Clinic Application.

The Election Law Clinic offers Harvard Law students the opportunity to do hands-on litigation and advocacy work across a range of election law areas, with an initial focus on redistricting and vote suppression cases. Clinic offerings will include federal and state litigation projects, as well as some advocacy opportunities. Under the supervision of Clinical Director Ruth Greenwood, clinic students will work on every aspect of litigation, including pre-filing investigations, meeting and retaining clients, engaging in lay and expert discovery, briefing and arguing dispositive motions, pre-trial preparations and trial practice, as well as the appellate process. Election law cases rely heavily on political scientists as experts, so students will have broad exposure to emerging theories and methods in political science and how to communicate them to a legal audience. Students will also engage in one-off amicus brief work for cases of national importance. Professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos will provide strategic guidance and supervision for briefing, expert discovery, and appellate work.

In addition to the regular caseload, students will work on advocacy opportunities such as drafting legislation, legislative testimony, and engaging experts in the policy advocacy process at the federal and state levels. There will also be opportunities to attend national and state coalition meetings that include lawyers, organizers, and communications experts.

Application Process: Submit a resume and short statement of interest (250 words) about why you’d like to take this clinic and which semester (fall or spring) you are applying for. Applications should be sent to Ruth Greenwood (rgreenwood@law.harvard.edu) with the subject line “ELC Application 2021-2022” by July 16, 2021.