OPIA

Many legal jobs are all about understanding, and typically avoiding, risk. So how do we, as lawyers, think about embracing risk when pursuing our own careers? Let's talk candidly about embracing taking chances, making objective-ish judgments about when a risk is worth it, some of the practical considerations of risk-taking, and the joys and hardships of a nonlinear professional trajectory. Learn from Wasserstein Fellow Hannah Fried’s personal experience: from taking the bar exam later than my classmates (which seemed wildly risky at the time!) to working on political campaigns (with their unpredictable outcomes - and predictable period of unemployment following) to starting my own organization. Lunch provided. Please RSVP

Join Wasserstein Fellow O.H. Skinner for a community discussion about his career path, a path which saw a transition from a traditional Big Law job in a major city to spending over a decade in public service in Arizona. O.H. will share lessons he learned along the way, how Big Law may (or may not) be helpful to later successes, and how to think about the long arc of your career after HLS. Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

When you imagine your future successful career in international law, where are you? While some may dream of an office in Geneva or The Hague, with a working culture much like that of law school, others envision themselves “in the field” or “on the ground”. Learning how to work in different environments, including building trust with local lawyers, activists and others, poses questions that recent law graduates are not always ready to grapple with. Questions like ‘What does ethical engagement mean in a context of neo-colonialism, conflict and inequality?’ and ‘How can I best use my knowledge and privilege to support local movements?’. Join Wasserstein Fellow Aileen Thomson, Director of the Tea Leaf Center and researcher on human rights, access to justice and transitional justice in Southeast Asia, as she discusses her career, including how she got a reputation in one INGO for closing down field offices, and how that led her to start her own business to ‘flip the model’ of research in the international development field. She will give students practical tips for integrating into a new context, and share lessons in finding your place with humility and curiosity. Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

Deadline: September 29, 2023. Learn more about the Assistant Attorney General position.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

If you’re interested in exploring a career helping people and communities fight for a fairer and more equitable marketplace, join us for a discussion with Wasserstein Fellow David Seligman. David will talk about Towards Justice’s advocacy, which involves using a variety of legal tools, including under worker rights, consumer protection, and competition laws to help their clients level the playing field. He will focus in particular on the importance of breaking down silos between different areas of law and using varied legal tools to help clients build power. Examples of Towards Justice’s work include litigation and policy advocacy on behalf of Uber and Lyft drivers asserting antitrust claims against the companies, Amazon workers and meatpacking workers seeking to protect themselves from unsafe working conditions, farmworkers fighting to dismantle their historic exclusion from labor standards laws, nurses, pilots, PetSmart workers, and tech workers challenging employer-driven debt through litigation and administrative advocacy. David will also talk about his path through clerkships, non-profit advocacy, and plaintiffs’ lawyering, and talk about the challenges (and importance) of working to find a happy, fulfilling, and sustainable path as a public interest lawyer. Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

Gun violence is the leading cause of premature death in the United States. For far too long, life-saving laws have been thwarted by powerful gun lobbies and by political leaders who refuse to take common-sense steps to reduce gun violence. Join Wasserstein Fellow Len Kamdang as he discusses his career path, the role that lawyers can play in stemming the tide of gun violence, and why YOU should join the movement. Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Sonia Carson ’12, an attorney for the Civil Division Appellate Staff at the U.S. Department of Justice. Sonia will discuss the surprising ways that real-life appellate practice differs from common stereotypes and the unique joys and challenges of representing the United States. Join her to learn how to become an appellate lawyer and why you can (and should!) begin your legal career in the public interest. Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), in which she’ll discuss using a law degree to effect policy change. Caitriona will talk about her career path from staffer in the Massachusetts Legislature to policy advocate at a non-profit advocacy organization. She’ll provide insight on how to achieve policy impact as a public interest attorney and share her experiences fighting for changes to Big Tech’s business models. Come learn about the rewarding legal career path of policy advocacy! Lunch provided. Please RSVP.

Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Jennifer Sang, partner at a boutique civil rights law firm that specializes in special education and employment. She will be discussing the unique challenges faced by low-income clients and their attorneys. Come learn about the organizations and law firms that take on this kind of work and how young lawyers can get into the field. Lunch provided. Please RSVP!

Deadline: September 15, 2023. Learn more about the Legal Fellow/Junior Legal Advisor position.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: October 10, 2023. Learn more about the Investigating Attorney Fellow position.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: Open until filled. Learn more about the Staff Attorney positions.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: Open until filled. Learn more about the Fellowship.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: October 27, 2023. Learn more about the Fellowship.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: October 1, 2023. Learn more about the Honors Attorney Program.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: September 12, 2023. Learn more about the Attorney-Advisor and the Law Clerk positions.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Deadline: Open until filled. Learn more about the Faculty position.
This job posting has not been vetted by our office and the employer has not given assurances of non-discrimination or compliance with our recruitment policies.

Both the opportunities and challenges of working in a small nonprofit are substantial. For those lucky enough to find an organization with a mission that aligns with your values, legal work can be extremely rewarding. Attorneys at small nonprofits often handle all stages of many different kinds of cases and have a wider variety of legal experience than their big firm peers. They are also involved in running and growing the organization and are responsible for seeing the organization through hard times. Join Wasserstein Fellow Mary Cromer as she talks about her career path from clerking, to working for a big green organization, to working for ACLC. She will also talk specifically about her time at ACLC and how my "work" here has been about much more than the work of running the organization's environmental justice program area. Lunch provided. RSVP below.

Join OPIA for an open Q&A session on the 3L job search. Snacks provided.

Interested in effective strategies to advance systemic social change? Join us! This lunch event — co-sponsored by the Systemic Justice Project and the Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising at Harvard Law School — will explore three core elements of systemic change: storytelling, organizing, and movement lawyering, in conversation with Blake Strode, the Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders, and Oren Nimni, the Litigation Director at Rights Behind Bars. The discussion will be grounded in a recent case that Strode and Nimni filed against City Justice Center, a St. Louis jail, for subjecting incarcerated people to excessive macing. Lunch will be provided.

OCS and OPIA would like to welcome back all returning 2Ls and 3Ls. Stop by for Lizzy’s ice cream & toppings. OCS and OPIA advisers will be on-hand to catch up and to answer any questions you may have.