Legal Director and Clinical Supervising Attorney, Gilbert Global Justice & Human Rights Center

University of Southern California•Los Angeles, CA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Southern California, Gould School of Law seeks a highly motivated Legal Director and Clinical Supervising Attorney to help establish and operate its new Justice & Accountability Initiative, a core pillar of the Gilbert Global Justice & Human Rights Center. This is a fixed-term position with an initial contract term of one year, renewable for additional one-to-three-year terms full-time, based on funding. The position will report to the Center’s Faculty Director. The Gilbert Center's mission is to engage students, scholars, and practitioners in education, research, and projects that promote respect for human rights while strengthening international law and institutions for preventing atrocities, holding perpetrators accountable, protecting refugees, and providing transitional justice for impacted communities. The Center will train the next generation of human rights advocates, engage in critical scholarship, and develop impactful policies and programs. It will leverage partnerships with USC's Shoah Foundation Institute, USC's Center for Advanced Genocide Research, and other units, as well as collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organizations, the United Nations, and other global stakeholders. The International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) trains students in real-life cases to advance global justice for atrocity crimes, refugee rights, and fair trial rights. The Justice & Accountability Initiative (JAI) will prioritize research and projects on atrocity prevention, accountability, and transitional justice, including documenting crimes, drafting legal instruments, and engaging in strategic litigation. The Initiative will also provide tools and training for advocates. The Center supports conferences, symposia, and travel associated with its programs. The Legal Director will work with the Center’s Faculty Director to launch the Justice & Accountability Initiative, focusing on atrocity prevention/accountability, refugee protection, transitional justice, and human rights, particularly in contexts of rising authoritarianism. The ideal candidate will have strong entrepreneurial skills, be self-motivated, well-organized, a collaborative leader with management experience, and possess superb legal research and writing skills, excellent communication skills, and a passion for educating, mentoring, and supervising law students.

Requirements

J.D from an ABA accredited U.S. school
Excellent academic record which includes education in international law, specifically international criminal law, and international human rights law and institutions
Membership in the California Bar or another U.S. bar certification
At least five to seven years’ experience pursuing litigation for justice and accountability for atrocity crimes or serious human rights abuses including before the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court or other international criminal justice courts and tribunals, human rights mechanisms and national courts through universal jurisdiction or other domestic statutes
A strong record of collaboration in litigation with local counsel, law firms, or human rights organizations and advocates
Experience working with families of victims or survivors of atrocity crimes or serious human rights abuse
At least two years’ experience supervising junior attorneys
Demonstrated management and organizational skills
Experience presenting at public events on key legal and policy issues for advancing accountability and justice for atrocities
Project development experience
Atrocity accountability work experience specifically focused on corporate accountability, justice for crimes of gender-based violence or refugee protection in particular
Clinical legal education or teaching experience
Advanced degrees from schools in the U.S. or globally in international law and human rights
Prior experience working in the university setting
Fund-raising experience
Legal publications
Fluency in languages other than English
Cover letter and resume

Responsibilities

Lead case-building, legal strategy, investigations or open-source evidence collection work for atrocity prevention and accountability projects.
Develop key intergovernmental, government and private sector partnerships.
Manage legal work and supervise students in the Center’s International Human Rights Clinic.
Mentor students interested in careers in human rights and international criminal justice and help place them in relevant internship/externships.
Design and teach Executive Education, CLE accredited courses for professionals—judges, prosecutors, journalists and pro bono law firm attorneys.
Engage in research that advances legislation and policies on accountability, prevention and transitional justice for atrocity situations.
Lead high-level convenings that advance thought leadership and strategies for advancing justice for atrocity situations.
Advance and grow the center through fundraising efforts, including grant-writing and donor relations.
Assist with final exam administration and proctoring at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters and commencement each year.
Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.