Veterans Law Staff Attorney

Closing Date: 31st July, 2026

Description:

Founded in 1887, Cornell Law School is a top-tier law school. We offer a 3-year JD program for about 200 students per class, a one-year LLM program for about 90 students from countries throughout the world, and a doctoral (JSD) program for about 2-3 new students per year. Cornell Law School has 41 tenured and tenure-track faculty, including 20 with chaired faculty positions; and 15 clinical professors in the legal research and writing program and in clinics at the local, national, and international level. Our faculty is consistently ranked among the top in the country for scholarly productivity and influence, and has pre-eminence in many areas, including quantitative and qualitative empirical legal studies, international and comparative law, and robust doctrinal scholarship in core fields. Our school is committed to being recognized as the leader among law schools at combining inspiring theoretical, doctrinal, and experiential teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a supportive, intellectually rich community, so that our graduates can achieve excellence in all facets of the legal profession.

Cornell Law School's Veterans Law Practicum is currently seeking applicants for a Veterans Law Staff Attorney, which is currently funded through a grant from the NY Health Foundation. The Cornell Law School Veterans Law Practicum (VLP) is a clinical legal services program providing free, full-scope representation and advice to veterans across upstate New York—a legal desert in which no other dedicated veterans law attorneys practice. The program's primary target population is vulnerable, impoverished, and at-risk veterans, including those who are at risk of suicide and homelessness. Beyond direct representation, the VLP functions as the region's veterans law resource hub: it fields legal questions and referrals from the broader veteran community, VA social workers, VSOs, and other local stakeholders who otherwise have nowhere to turn for competent counsel on these issues.

The Staff Attorney will work exclusively on cases for Veterans, with a primary focus on helping those at risk of suicide or homelessness. The project components include community-lawyering advocacy and direct legal assistance for low-to-moderate income Veterans needing legal assistance with discharge upgrades, veterans benefits, and other legal issues serving as barriers to wellbeing and stability. The attorney will also mentor law students working on brief advice and full-scope civil and administrative cases for veterans. The attorney may also collaborate with law students on research and policy papers directly related to veterans law. Other aspects of the position include:

• Serving as a liaison to the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice convened by the Office of Court Administration.
• Collaborating with local service providers who assist Veterans.
• Collaborating with undergraduate student coordinators to push out content on the website and connect with other online resources.
• Conducting outreach to the local courts and service providers about Veterans resources.
• Attending all Veterans Law Practicum classes and working closely with the Director to develop and support the curriculum.
• Supervising all Veterans Law cases, in conjunction with pro bono attorneys and with students during winter and summer break.

This grant-funded appointment is for a one-year term and is benefits eligible. The position may be renewable based on performance and future funding. The selected candidate may choose to work remotely within the United States, or to work a hybrid schedule, with part of the work taking place and part of the work taking place in person. The Staff Attorney must be available and willing to return to Ithaca for all in-person court appearances. Confirmed remote or hybrid work arrangements are subject to university approval, if working outside New York State. Preference given to candidates able to work in person or hybrid.

Please note that the New York Convenience of employer guidelines require New York State individual tax reporting and withholdings for this position. Additional individual state income tax filings may also be required if working outside New York State.

Minimum Qualifications:
Applicants must have a J.D. or equivalent from any state. Preference given to applicants admitted to the New York bar (or eligible for admission to the New York bar).

Preferred Qualifications:
Preference will be given to applicants with demonstrated or stated commitment to public-interest law generally, and specifically to Veterans law and housing justice; professional, volunteer and/or subject matter expertise in substantive veterans law; and experience supervising or mentoring students.

To Apply:
Please submit the following to https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32294. Additional information may be requested during the application process.

Application Cover Sheet: This page must include the following:

• Your full name
• Your law school
• Your year of graduation from law school
• Your current mailing address
• Your phone number
• Your email address
• Your Date of NYS Bar Admission (if applicable)
• CV

Statement of Interest: Please submit a statement of interest for the Staff Attorney position. The statement should include the following:

• A description of the applicant's specific commitment to public service and how the applicant came to focus on the area of Veterans benefits and/or housing justice and the applicant's past experiences and work activity in the public interest broadly construed.
• Writing Sample: Please submit a writing sample of no more than 10 pages. The applicant should submit a writing sample that indicates a comfort with legal writing and analysis, as opposed to a journal article that would potentially be more focused on sociological, theoretical, economic, etc.
• Two recommendation letters from people familiar with your work.

To ensure maximum consideration, please submit all application materials by July 31, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to early applicants.

Consistent with Cornell's practice, appointment to academic positions requires candidates to disclose relevant information about their prior employment including whether they have been found to have violated institutional or employer policies related to or governing unlawful discrimination and harassment, academic and research misconduct, or financial misconduct.

Questions may be referred to James Hardwick (jrh373@cornell.edu), Director and Adjunct Professor of Law.

The expected starting salary for this position is $80,000.

Pay Range:
Refer to Posting Language

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