Children’s Law Center of California offers several hands-on experiential learning experiences for students and recent graduates. Please see the information below for each program:
Summer Law Clerk Program
CLC’s “Summer for Strengthening Families” summer law clerk program is available to currently enrolled law students at all experience levels (rising 2L, 3L, and evening years). The summer term runs ten weeks, from May to July. Summer law clerks can expect to be matched with an attorney and work on all aspects of client representation, including case review, client interviewing, and appearing on the record for those who are eligible for the California State Bar’s Practical Training of Law Students (“PTLS”) certified law clerk program. Summer law clerks are paid at a competitive hourly rate and are provided three days of sick time. CLC reviews applications from August to March, focusing primarily on 2Ls during the fall and 1Ls during the spring. To apply, please email clerkships@clccal.org.
Post-Bar Law Clerk Program
CLC’s Post-Bar Law Clerk program is available to recent law school graduates who plan to take the first offering of the California Bar Examination available to them after completing law school. The Post-Bar Law Clerk program is available to takers of the July exam and is 14 weeks in duration, from August to November. Like summer clerks, Post-Bar Law Clerks can expect to be matched with an attorney and work on all aspects of client representation, including case review, client interviewing, and appearing on the record. Post-Bar Law Clerks are expected to participate in the California State Bar’s Practical Training of Law Students (“PTLS”) certified law clerk program. Clerks in the Post-Bar program are paid a pro-rated salary and provided benefits. CLC posts the position on our careers page in October of the year before the Post-Bar class; for example, CLC posted the job announcement for the 2024 Post-Bar class on October 10, 2023. For more information, please email clerkships@clccal.org.
Post-Graduate Legal Fellowship Program
CLC has enjoyed previous success in working with law students to successfully apply for legal post-graduate fellowships, including those sponsored by the Skadden Fellowship Foundation and facilitated by Equal Justice Works, and is committed to further exploring fellowship opportunities to continue bringing innovation to our advocacy models. Fellows work at CLC on a pre-determined project, designed in coordination with CLC attorneys, social work investigators, and management and sponsored by a third party (law firm, grant, law school, etc). The application process is typically two-fold: first, students apply to CLC as a host organization to partner with; and then, when successful, CLC and the student co-apply to a sponsor for funding. Fellowship terms are fixed (one, two years); CLC has committed to making up the difference in sponsor funding with what a staff attorney with comparable experience would make in salary. Participation as a Fellow does not guarantee further employment in a staff attorney role once the contract terms of the Fellowship have expired. CLC typically puts out a call for fellowship proposals in May or June of the year before the expected fellowship term. For more information, please email clerkships@clccal.org.
Spring/Fall Undergraduate Intern Program
CLC has two cycles for undergraduate students to gain experience at our organization: the fall and the spring, mirroring traditional academic scheduling. Interns may be paired with an attorney, social work investigator, or support staff to assist with case-related responsibilities. Interns may continue, on a case-by-case basis, to continue their internship with CLC into another term (from fall to spring) when appropriate. Interns are unpaid; CLC works with the intern’s law school to ensure school-specific standards are met regarding academic credit earning. Internships applications are typically posted on our career page. For more information, please email internships@clccal.org.