Description:
Who we are:Center for Food Safety (CFS)'s mission is to empower people, support farmers, and protect the Earth from the harmful impacts of industrial agriculture. We defend and promote your right to safe food and a clean environment through groundbreaking legal, scientific, and grassroots action.
For over 25 years, we have created a new food future, fostering a more powerful food movement against the harmful industrial agricultural system while promoting organic, ecological, and regenerative alternatives. We've won high-profile lawsuits to protect public health and endangered species from pesticides like Monsanto's Roundup and dicamba. We prevented the introduction of genetically engineered wheat, rice, potatoes, and more to the market and secured meaningful labeling to ensure that we all know what's in our food. We succeeded in instilling animal welfare requirements into the organic standards and protected the oceans from industrial aquaculture. And much more: Our groundbreaking legal cases that protect pollinators, farmworkers, and farming communities, and the earth from the devastating impacts of industrial farming, are a landmark body of case law on food and agricultural issues, transforming our food system.
About the role:
CFS is seeking motivated law clerks interested in doing meaningful litigation and policy work on behalf of the public and the environment. Clerks' responsibilities vary each year but typically include performing legal research, drafting pleadings, attending hearings, drafting comments and petitions to administrative agencies, and supporting attorneys in litigation. Clerks are also expected to do minor administrative tasks as needed. Law clerks work closely with attorneys and staff to gain practical litigation and policy experience in a small nonprofit setting. A stipend of $6,800 for the Portland office and $8,500 for the San Francisco office is available, but candidates are encouraged to apply for any outside stipends or funding. CFS will cover the difference between any funding received and its own stipend amount. The position may also be taken for academic credit.
CFS has offices in San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon. Working in-office is optional and hybrid work is encouraged, with flexibility as to what days are remote versus in person. Clerks are expected to conduct remote work and participate in virtual meetings. Working in the office is optional, and hybrid work is encouraged, with flexibility as to what days are remote versus in person.
Qualifications:
Clerks must have completed at least one year of law school and be available to work for a total of 10 weeks over the summer. Demonstrated commitment to practicing public interest law related to food, agriculture, or the environment is a plus. Relevant coursework in administrative and environmental law is strongly preferred but not required.