Jobs/Fellowships/IPIOP Clerkships

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• Fellowships |
• IPIOP Clerkships

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a leading privacy and civil liberties organization, based in Washington, D.C., working to protect the public interest and to promote the Public Voice in decisions concerning the future of the Internet. EPIC pursues public interest litigation, conducts public education, testifies in Congress, organizes conferences, coordinates grassroots advocacy, and publishes books, reports, and an online newsletter. EPIC also maintains several well-regarded Web sites, such as privacy.org, thepublicvoice.org, and privacycoalition.org.

We welcome applications for jobs, fellowships, and clerkships. Please see the listings below for current openings and application deadlines.

EPIC is an equal opportunity employer. EPIC strongly encourages women, people of color, and underrepresented populations to apply for positions at EPIC.

Fellowships

2016 EPIC Law Fellowship

EPIC invites outstanding applications for the 2016 EPIC Law Fellowship. EPIC encourages applications from law students graduating in 2016, recent graduates, and judicial clerks.

The EPIC Law Fellow will fill an integral role in EPIC's Washington, DC office. The Fellow will work on various EPIC Projects in areas such as Administrative Law, Appellate Advocacy, Consumer Privacy, International Privacy, Open Government, and State Policy. Creative, highly motivated, and accomplished law school graduates are encouraged to apply.

The EPIC Law Fellowship is a one-year position to begin September 2016.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Undertake legal research
• Draft complaints, petitions, briefs, and testimony
• Pursue Freedom of Information Act requests and identify appellate amicus opportunities
• Prepare posts for EPIC website and EPIC Alert
• Participate in legal strategy sessions and coalition meetings
• Provide support and assistance to EPIC staff and EPIC advisory board

Compensation

EPIC would be pleased to serve as a host organization for recent law graduates that have obtained funding from their law schools. EPIC is happy to work with applicants to obtain funding from their respective law schools or foundations.

How to Apply

Applicants should prepare a cover letter, resume, unofficial law school transcript, and writing sample. The writing sample should be legal in nature (brief, memorandum, or research paper) and should be the applicant's own work, not a collaborative piece or something heavily edited by someone else. Please send the complete document, not an excerpt.

Letters of recommendation are welcome and encouraged, not to exceed more than two. Applications to be submitted via email should be sent to fellowship@epic.org with the subject line "EPIC Law Fellowship."

Please direct cover letters to Khaliah Barnes, EPIC Associate Director.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• J.D. before September 2016;
• Exceptional academic background;
• Outstanding research, writing, and analytic skills;
• Passionate commitment to public interest law;
• Deep interest in EPIC's subject areas.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team environment
• Journal experience, such as law review, preferred but not required
• Masters degree in computer science or related field preferred but not required
• Clerkship preferred but not required.

Other Fellowships

Each year, EPIC seeks qualified recent law graduates to apply for fellowships. EPIC seeks to serve as a host organization for applicants for these fellowships, which are funded by outside organizations, including law schools (e.g., Georgetown Law’s Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program and Yale Law School’s Arthur Liman Public Interest Program), Equal Justice Works, the Skadden Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations. These project-based fellowships are highly competitive and seek to fund new and innovative public interest law projects. These fellowships are a chance to gain high quality public interest legal experience.

Applicants should contact EPIC describing their interests. Applicants should be aware of the outside funder organization’s deadline, and that it takes time for EPIC to evaluate and work with a candidate to develop a quality proposal. The earlier candidates contact EPIC with their proposal, the stronger the proposal can be developed.

Please direct inquiries about project-based fellowships funded by outside organizations to fellowship[at]epic.org. Please address correspondence to Khaliah Barnes, EPIC Associate Director.

EPIC Scholar in Residence Program

2016 EPIC Scholar in Residence

EPIC invites outstanding applications for the 2016 EPIC Scholar in Residence Program. EPIC encourages applications from post-graduates in law, public policy, and computer science. Terminal degree must be either a J.D. or Ph.D. Mid-career experts in the data protection field are also welcome to apply.

The EPIC Scholar in Residence will provide a unique opportunity to pursue work at one of the leading privacy research centers in the world. EPIC routinely advises Congress, courts, and international organizations about emerging privacy and civil liberties issues. EPIC also litigates significant privacy cases in federal and state courts. The EPIC Library contains several thousand volumes on privacy and related fields, as well as Congressional materials on the development and enactment of US privacy law. EPIC also has an extensive collection of documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, concerning government surveillance, monitoring and related programs. The EPIC staff has broad expertise in privacy, from national security and domestic surveillance to consumer protection, student privacy, data protection, and international law. EPIC routinely meets with outside experts, including leading government officials in Washington, DC. EPIC is actively engaged in many of the most significant issues and provides a vibrant intellectual setting for those interested in privacy and data protection.

The EPIC Scholar in Residence will be encouraged to participate in the work of EPIC, to meet with outside experts, and to conduct research and writing at EPIC. The expectation is that the individual will produce substantial published work.

Compensation

The EPIC Scholar in Residence will receive an office and access to EPIC’s Library and research materials.

Duration

The typical period for the Scholar in Residence will be a single semester, though longer or shorter periods may be considered.

Experience and qualifications

• J.D. and/or Ph.D.
• Prior publications
• Specific interest in the work of EPIC
• Journal experience, such as law review, preferred but not required

How to Apply

Applicants for the EPIC Scholar in Residence Program should provide a cover letter, resume, two letters of recommendation, and examples of prior publications. Applications to be submitted via email should be sent to fellowship@epic.org with the subject line "EPIC Scholar in Residence." Letters should be addressed to EPIC President Marc Rotenberg.

Internet Public Interest Opportunities Program (IPIOP) Clerkships

Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Washington, DC

The EPIC Internet Public Interest Opportunities Program (IPIOP) is an intensive legal internship with EPIC that is held during the summer, fall, and spring terms. IPIOP seeks outstanding law students interested in public interest issues related to the Internet to spend a summer or a semester at the EPIC office in Washington.

Description: Learn about the legislative process, public interest litigation, the Freedom of Information Act, online activism, and emerging Internet issues.

The IPIOP Program gives law students the opportunity to actively participate in valuable programs in Internet law, policy, and legislation. IPIOP clerks also attend weekly seminars led by eminent scholars and practitioners in the field of Internet policy. The goal of the program is to provide opportunities for clerks to experience first-hand the new and exciting intersection between Internet law and public policy.

Washington, D.C. provides an ideal location for an introduction to Internet law and policy. IPIOP clerks attend agency proceedings, policy meetings, Congressional hearings, and visit many landmarks in the Nation's Capital.

Legislation: IPIOP clerks research and draft memoranda on critical issues before Congress, and attend hearings. Clerks learn about the legislative process, which is the critical opportunity for public interest organizations to make a case directly to lawmakers, to engage in discussion about the details of proposed legislation, and to establish connections with critical committees and decision makers.

Government Oversight: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a powerful tool for public interest organizations to learn about otherwise inscrutable governmental activities and to promote public oversight. Each IPIOP clerk researches, drafts, and submits a FOIA request on a controversial issue to one of many governmental agencies. Clerks also assist in litigating pending FOIA matters.

Litigation: Clerks assist EPIC staff in developing litigation strategy in key cases with significant impact on critical Internet issues. Clerk activities in this area include drafting memoranda, meeting with attorneys, and attending court hearings.

Collaboration: IPIOP works in association with public interest litigators and law school clinics across the country. A distinguished Advisory Committee oversees the work of IPIOP.

Qualifications: Energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Currently enrolled in law school. (Students enrolled in non-US schools are welcome to apply.) Excellent writing and communication skills. Strong interest in civil liberties issues relating to the Internet, particularly free speech, privacy, open government, and democratic governance.

Application: Submit a letter of interest, resume, writing sample, law school transcripts, and three references as a combined PDF to ipiop@epic.org. Please use the email subject line “EPIC IPIOP Clerkship” and indicate semester or summer, e.g., "Fall 2015," "Spring 2016," or "Summer 2016."

Applications will be evaluated as they are received. You are encouraged to apply early, as we will be accepting on a rolling basis.

Compensation: Law schools routinely fund IPIOP clerkships. Upon law school approval, IPIOP clerks may also receive course credit for their time spent with EPIC. EPIC is happy to work with applicants to obtain funding from their respective law schools.

IPIOP Experiences

Ruchika Agrawal, Stanford (IPIOP Science Policy Fellow) "Profiles of Success."

Mark Pike, William & Mary (Summer 2007) "An EPIC Summer"

Caitriona Fitzgerald, Northeastern Law School (Spring 2007) "On the Cutting Edge"