The Bernstein Institute at NYU School of Law is excited to announce the search for a Legal Fellow/Junior Legal Advisor to work with Professor Margaret Satterthwaite and the Legal Empowerment and Judicial Independence Clinic. The Fellowship is for one year period with the possibility of extension.
Professor Margaret Satterthwaite is the current UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Faculty Director of the Bernstein Institute, and Director of the Legal Empowerment and Judicial Independence Clinic. This position will report to Professor Satterthwaite and to her Senior Legal Advisor.
About the position:
The Legal Fellow/Junior Legal Advisor will support Professor Satterthwaite in her work to advance the rule of law, access to justice, and legal empowerment.
Primary duties include:
Assist Professor Satterthwaite in her work to advance the rule of law, access to justice, and legal empowerment, a role that involves strategic thinking, rigorous research, writing and analysis, diplomatic ability, and strong collaboration skills. The Legal Fellow/Junior Legal Advisor will work closely with Professor Satterthwaite, her Senior Legal Advisor, her students, and other team members and community partners. Note: this is not a teaching position.
Provide support by:
• Documenting, investigating, and verifying information concerning attacks on judges, lawyers, and grassroots justice advocates in different countries.
• Analyzing legal frameworks, international standards, and emerging norms concerning the independence of the judiciary, the ability of lawyers to fulfill their crucial role protecting human rights, and the ability of grassroots justice advocates to contribute to access to justice.
• Researching thorny issues related to judicial independence, access to justice, and legal empowerment.
• Consulting with grassroots advocates, lawyers, judges, scholars and other key actors in the legal system.
• Developing content for speeches, op/ed pieces, blog posts, websites, and social media posts.
• Managing Professor Satterthwaite’s social media channels and newsletter.
• Co-designing and managing online and in-person events.
• Supporting the management of Professor Satterthwaite’s calendar by responding to event invitations and meeting requests.
• Supporting the management of grant proposals, budgets, and reports.
• Supervising research assistants and interns.
Qualifications:
• Postgraduate law degree (J.D. or LLM.)
• 2-5 years of experience in the practice of law or human rights (clerkships included).
• Outstanding research, verbal and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of human rights law.
• Demonstrated management, administrative and organizational skills.
• Deep commitment to human rights, legal empowerment, and collaborative work.
• Belief that the practice of law can and should be rooted in dignity and care.
Evidence of the following will be especially helpful:
• Ability to work professionally in Arabic, French, or Spanish.
• Experience working in legal empowerment, community justice or a related field.
• Strong initiative coupled with sound judgment.
• Ability to conduct multifaceted work with multi-national and/or multi-lingual teams.
• Capacity to work in high-pressure, low-resource, time-stressed environments.
• Experience or ability to effectively oversee and manage work with interns and administrative personnel.
• Experience conducting open source investigation.
• Experience puzzling through difficult strategic, ethical, and/or legal challenges related to human rights and/or access to justice.
The following will be a plus:
• Experience working in the legal/justice sector in a region outside of North America.
Salary and Benefits:
In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $60,000-$65,000. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.
The incumbent must be authorized to work lawfully in the United States on their start date (est. 30 September). The position also includes excellent NYU benefits, which include medical, dental and vision. Further information regarding benefits can be found
here: https://www.nyu.edu/employees/benefit/full-time/professional-research-staff/benefits-guide-2023.html.
Application Instructions:
Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter addressing the qualifications described above; (2) a resume or curriculum vitae; (3) two writing samples not edited by anyone other than the applicant; and (4) the names and contact information for three referees.
Submit these materials to: law.bernstein-institute@nyu.edu, with subject “Legal Fellow/Junior Legal Advisor” in the subject line of the email.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until September 15, 2023 with an immediate start date thereafter.