Careers at the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution

(Click here to find the posting as a PDF.)

Title: Legal Fellow

Start Date: September 3, 2024 (negotiable)

Location: New York, NY

Reports to: Executive Director

The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College (“IIP”) invites candidates to apply for our 2024 Legal Fellowship. Recent law graduates and current law students who will obtain their law degree by August of 2024 are eligible to apply. This will be an externally-funded fellowship position, and we will collaborate closely with candidates to craft a competitive funding application.

This one-year fellowship sits at the cutting edge of prosecution reform, with a focus on legal research, policy implementation, and public advocacy. The IIP’s recent initiatives have focused on police accountability, reproductive justice, restorative justice, bail reform, crimmigration, and prosecutorial discretion, just to name a few. Our fellow will be an integral part of our dynamic, small team that partners with elected prosecutors and the communities they serve to advance a more equitable and effective criminal legal system on a national scale.

The 2024-2025 Fellowship will commence in September 2024 (negotiable) with the term ending in August 2025 (negotiable). The Fellowship is based in New York City, with a hybrid work schedule (two days in-person per week, three days remote), subject to some flexibility.

About the Fellowship:

On any given day as an IIP Legal Fellow, our fellow might:

• Collaborate directly with elected prosecutors to develop conviction integrity units;

• Engage in a convening of field-leading experts developing strategies on juvenile justice reform;

• Draft an amicus brief supporting reform-minded prosecutors facing attacks on their discretion;

• Author an op-ed for a national publication on ways that prosecutors can promote racial justice;

• Develop a policy guide for prosecutors on protecting immigrant rights; or

• Conduct research on sentencing reform initiatives in key prosecutorial offices.

We are eager to work with fellows on policy and practice areas that they are passionate about, and we encourage candidates to highlight their interests in their application materials.

About the IIP

The IIP’s unique advocacy model provides a collaborative national platform for prosecutors, policy experts, and directly impacted community members to examine the most persistent challenges in the criminal legal system, and to generate and implement actionable solutions that prioritize community-centered standards of safety, equity, and wellness.

The IIP organizes convenings and webinars on issues of critical importance for criminal legal reform; publishes rigorous and impact-oriented policy research and guides; conceives and manages policy implementation projects; and provides direct technical assistance and support to prosecutors in a range of policy areas.

Core Responsibilities

Depending on the applicant’s specific interests, core elements of the fellowship may include:

• Conducting legal research and analysis and drafting reports on a variety of criminal justice reform topics;

• Writing and publishing engaging, impact-oriented research on policy issues;

• Drafting amicus briefs on issues of critical concern to the broader prosecution reform movement;

• Authoring engaging op-eds on relevant topics within the criminal justice reform space;

• Facilitating policy implementation projects in prosecutors’ offices;

• Collaborating directly with elected prosecutors, line prosecutors, local government stakeholders, community advocates, academics, and/or policy experts to advance shared policy priorities, including through working group models and individualized engagement; and

• Planning and organizing conferences, webinars, and symposia on areas of critical importance to the criminal justice reform movement.

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate is a recent law school graduate or 3L graduating by Spring 2024 who has:

• Passion for reforming the criminal legal system and is well-versed in criminal justice reform topics;

• Strong legal research and writing skills;

• Knowledge about the role of prosecutors in the legal system;

• Ability to write clearly and persuasively for both legal and non-legal audiences; and

• Experience in prosecution, public defense, and/or policy advocacy (this is a plus, but not a requirement).

The IIP is an equal opportunity employer. It is the the policy of the IIP to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

To Apply

Email Executive Director Rachel Marshall (Rmarshall@jjay.cuny.edu) and Policy Attorney Chantelle Williams (Chawilliams@jjay.cuny.edu) with the subject “Legal Fellowship 2024-2025” and the following materials (in PDF file format):

• Cover letter, which should outline potential project ideas and policy areas of interest;

• Resume/CV;

• Unofficial or official Law School Transcript;

• List of three References; and

• Writing sample of 5-10 pages (preferably on a topic relating to the criminal justice system, if possible).

Funding

Applicants must be pursuing external funding opportunities, and the IIP is eager to assist applicants in their applications. The IIP may be able to provide limited additional financial support in addition to a fellowship, but this is not guaranteed.Item description

Position

The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College (“IIP”) invites candidates to apply for our 2024 Fall Legal Clerkship. This fall legal externship sits at the cutting edge of prosecution reform, with a focus on legal research, policy implementation, and public advocacy. The IIP’s recent initiatives have focused on police accountability, reproductive justice, restorative justice, bail reform, crimmigration, and prosecutorial discretion, just to name a few. Our fall legal extern will be an integral part of our dynamic, small team that partners with elected prosecutors and the communities they serve to advance a more equitable and effective criminal legal system on a national scale.

The Fall Legal Externship is based in our midtown office in New York City, with a hybrid work schedule (two days in-person per week, three days remote), subject to flexibility.

About the IIP

The IIP’s unique advocacy model provides a collaborative national platform for prosecutors, policy experts, and directly impacted community members to examine the most persistent challenges in the criminal legal system, and to generate and implement actionable solutions that prioritize community-centered standards of safety, equity, and wellness.

The IIP organizes convenings and webinars on issues of critical importance for criminal legal reform; publishes rigorous and impact-oriented policy research and guides; conceives and manages policy implementation projects; and provides direct technical assistance and support to prosecutors in a range of policy areas.

Core Responsibilities

● Conducting legal research and analysis on a variety of criminal legal reform topics;

● Writing and editing engaging policy papers on impact-oriented research on policy issues;

● Assisting with the drafting of amicus briefs on issues of critical concern to the broader prosecution reform movement;

● Identifying engaging op-ed topics on current issues within the criminal legal reform space;

● Collaborating directly with elected prosecutors, line prosecutors, local government stakeholders, community advocates, academics, and/or policy experts to advance shared policy priorities, including through working group models and individualized engagement;

● Helping with policy implementation projects in prosecutors’ offices;

● Assisting in the planning and organizing of conferences, webinars, and symposia on areas of critical importance to the criminal legal reform movement.

Qualifications

Candidates should be rising 2L or 3L students. Our ideal candidate is:

● Passionate about reforming the criminal legal system and well-versed in criminal legal reform topics;

● Strong legal research and writing skills;

● Knowledgeable about the role of prosecutors in the legal system;

● Able to write clearly and persuasively for both legal and non-legal audiences.

● The IIP is an equal opportunity employer. People of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, gender identities, criminal justice involvement, national origin, and world views are encouraged to apply.

To Apply

Email Executive Director Rachel Marshall (Rmarshall@jjay.cuny.edu) and Policy Attorney Chantelle Williams (Chawilliams@jjay.cuny.edu) with the subject “Fall Legal Externship 2024” and the following materials (in PDF file format):

● Cover letter;

● Resume; and

● Writing sample of 5-10 pages.