Each year, MJF raises funds and solicits agencies to support student summer clerkships. This year, they are pleased to offer 17 clerkships:
In the Twin Cities Metro Area: 10th Judicial District Washington County Public Defender’s Office; Central Minnesota Legal Services; Children’s Law Center of Minnesota; Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota; Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid/Minnesota Disability Law Center; Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Housing Discrimination; Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Immigration; Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights; Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women; Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy; Office of The Federal Defender; Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services Benefits Unit; Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services Housing
In Greater MN: Anishinabe Legal Services; Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota; Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services; Stearns County Public Defender
More information on each organization is available at www.mnjustice.org.
COMMITMENT: Each clerk performs 400 hours or 10 weeks of full time legal service with the agency between the end of the spring semester 2019 and the first day of fall semester 2019 on a schedule that will be determined between the clerk and agency.
STIPEND: MJF provides to the agencies a stipend of $4,500 for Metro Clerkships or $5,000 for Greater Minnesota Clerkships. The stipend is paid by the agency to the law clerk over the course of the summer. This is taxable income to the student. The agency will withhold and forward employee payroll taxes and will issue a W-2 tax form at the end of the year. MJF is NOT the employer, the agency is.
APPLICATION PROCESS
- The online application process will open on Monday December 3, 2018
- The online application process will close on Friday January 11, 2019
- The clerkship positions will be posted in Symplicity (For purposes of the application process, Minnesota Justice Foundation will be the employer name, and the job title will be “MJF Summer Clerkship – [agency name].” There will be a separate posting for each of the 17 agencies.
- Students should read the job postings carefully for specific rules pertaining to this application process. For example:
- Contacting the agency directly is not allowed, although thank you notes are permitted following interviews. Address the cover letter to “Dear Supervising Attorney,”
- This is a grade-blind application process. Applicants cannot include GPA and/or class rank for law school or undergraduate school, or any other academic honors. Applications that include GPA and/or class rank for law or undergraduate school or any other academic honors (such as Dean’s List, Latin honors, etc.) will be rejected. After the deadline to apply passes, there will be no opportunity to revise and resubmit.
- Each agency makes its own interviewing and hiring decisions.
- Applicants will receive notice of interviews and sign-up instructions via email from Dan Winterlin at University of St. Thomas School of Law Career and Professional Development Office (winterlin@stthomas.edu) on Tuesday January 29, 2019 to sign up for slots. Signing up for interviews begins Wednesday January 30, 2019. Interview slots are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
INTERVIEW DATES: Interviews will take place at University of St. Thomas School of Law February 5, 2019, February 6, 2019, and February 7, 2019.
OFFERS: Offers will be made via email from Janine Laird (janine@mnjustice.org) the week of February 11, 2019. An agency’s first-choice candidate will have 2 days from the time of notification to accept or decline the position. Subsequent offer recipients will also have 2 days to accept or decline. Final notification for applicants who do not receive an offer will be delivered by email from Janine Laird (janine@mnjustice.org) after all offers have been accepted.
TRAINING DATES: Those selected for summer clerkships will attend a training and orientation at University of St. Thomas School of Law the third week in May 2019.
If you have questions about the MJF Clerkship program, please email MJF Staff Attorney Susan Morrow (susan.morrow@mitchellhamline.edu), CPD Assistant Director Jessica Bergman (jessica.bergman@mitchellhamline.edu), or your CPD Career Counselor.