2026 Fall Legal Clerkship
About The Position
Our Children's Trust is seeking current law students to join their Legal Team as Law Clerks. This is an opportunity for law students to engage with cutting-edge legal strategies and collaborate with leading attorneys and scientists globally to address the climate crisis. Our Children’s Trust is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to providing strategic, campaign-based legal services to youth from diverse backgrounds to secure their legal rights to a safe climate. The organization works to protect the Earth’s climate system for present and future generations by representing young people in global legal efforts. These efforts aim to secure binding and enforceable legal rights to a healthy atmosphere and stable climate, grounded in scientific evidence. The organization supports its youth clients, amplifying their voices through targeted media, education, and public engagement, in conjunction with their legal actions. The legal work is guided by constitutional, public trust, human rights laws, and the laws of nature, with the goal of ensuring systemic and science-based climate recovery planning and remedies at federal, state, and global levels. The ultimate aim is to achieve legally-binding, countrywide and/or statewide science-based Climate Recovery Plans that will reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to below 350 ppm by the year 2100. The organization is seeking law students interested in utilizing legal means to combat climate change. OCT coordinates a global legal campaign to secure the legal right to a healthy atmosphere and stable climate for current and future generations. Since 2011, OCT has supported youth in filing legal actions in every U.S. state, against the federal government, and internationally. Through litigation, administrative petitions for rulemaking, and climate recovery ordinances, OCT assists youth in advocating for the science-based carbon emission reductions necessary to restore climate equilibrium. Law clerks will provide direct support to OCT’s legal efforts in local, state, federal, and international actions. They will have the chance to work on diverse projects, including assisting attorneys worldwide, collaborating with experts, conducting legal and evidentiary research, drafting legal memoranda, preparing legal documents such as complaints, briefs, motions, discovery requests, and declarations, preparing for oral arguments and trials, and assisting with document review. Law clerks are crucial to OCT's operations, and the organization emphasizes careful, accurate, and self-directed work.
Requirements
- Current law student
- Commitment to working at least 10 hours per week during the Fall (preference given)
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Short writing sample (no more than 7 pages) as an attachment to your cover letter
- Copy of your transcript (unofficial OK)
- 3 references (at least one legal) with email addresses and phone numbers
Responsibilities
- Assisting attorneys around the country and the world in their legal efforts
- Working with experts
- Conducting legal and evidentiary research
- Drafting legal memoranda
- Drafting, reviewing, and editing complaints, briefs, motions, discovery requests, and declarations
- Preparing for oral argument and trial
- Assisting with document review
Benefits
- Willing to support law students in securing outside funding or academic credit for their work
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
Education Level
No Education Listed
