Job location: Coral Gables, FL

Employment Type: Full-time
Posted data: 2020-05-20
Req: R100036373
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Transforming Lives

The University of Miami is among the top research universities and academic medical centers in the nation, and one of the largest private employers in South Florida.

With more than 16,000 faculty and staff, the University strives for excellence, and is driven by a powerful mission to transform and impact the lives of its students, patients, members of the community, and people across the globe.

The University is committed to fostering a culture of belonging, where everyone feels valued and has the opportunity to add value. Through values of Diversity, Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence, Compassion, Creativity, and Teamwork (DIRECCT) the U community works together to create an environment driven by purpose, excellence, community, and service.

Mysun Fellow in School of Law Environmental Justice Clinic

The University of Miami School of Law’s Environmental Justice Clinic (“EJC”) invites applications for the position of the Mysun Foundation Fellow, a one-year fellowship (with the possibility of renewal), with the EJC to begin in May, 2020.

The Mysun Foundation Fellow (“Mysun Fellow”) will join the EJC team and the vibrant and supportive clinical community at the University of Miami School of Law in the dynamic and diverse location of Miami, Florida. The role of the Mysun Fellow includes the co-teaching of clinic classes, managing and supervising all aspects of student work on EJC cases/projects, coordinating with community, attorney, and university partners, assisting with administration and operations, and representing individual and group clients. This position will report to the EJC Director, and work in collaboration with the EJC team.The Environmental Justice Clinic

The EJC advocates for and seeks to empower low-and moderate-income communities who disproportionately bear the environmental, economic, and health burdens of the development, implementation, and enforcement of the law. Employing a community lawyering approach, we seek systemic change for our clients through advocacy, public policy resources, rights education, and transactional assistance. Our work sits at the intersection of civil rights, environmental, poverty, and public health law, tackling issues in South Florida including climate change, displacement, contamination, environmental health, municipal equity, and more. Increasingly, we view our work through the lens of climate change, one of the most significant social justice issues of our time, and which will be felt most acutely by the poor and marginalized.

The EJC, with partner law firms, is litigating state and federal class action lawsuits in, respectively, Styles v. City of Miami (“Old Smokey”) and Miller v. City of Fort Myers (“Dunbar”) to clean up and address the effects of toxic dumpsites on residents’ health and property interests in low-income communities of color in Miami and Fort Myers. In addition, in collaboration with stakeholders, the EJC is developing an assessment to address and mitigate the displacement of low-income communities in South Florida. Further, the EJC is researching and proposing legislative initiatives to ensure South Florida residents can make informed decisions about their housing as it relates to the effects of climate change. Lastly, the EJC is participating in policy discussions and recommending alternatives to ensure that social equity is incorporated in government efforts to address climate change.

Previous work of the EJC includes the investigation of the social equity implications of transitioning to form-based code (Miami21 and Urban Center Districts in unincorporated Miami-Dade County), paying particular attention to the disproportionate displacement suffered by low-income communities of color. This resulted in the publication of an article authored by EJC student and faculty entitled Building by Right: Social Equity Implications of Transitioning to Form-Based Code in the Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law. Additionally, as part of the anti-displacement project, the Clinic developed a community benefits agreement template and general community benefits resources tool to assist communities in their negotiation efforts with developers.

Adding to this purview, the EJC plans to increasingly integrate issues and perspectives relating to climate change and climate justice into its projects and cases. The EJC will also continue its emphasis on interdisciplinary work building on collaborations with the University of Miami’s Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and Miller School of Medicine’s Graduate Program in Public Health, as well as local, regional, and national civil rights and environmental organizations, faith-based groups, and Florida nonprofit corporations and neighborhood associations.

Mysun Fellow

The Mysun Fellow will participate in all activities of the EJC, including:

Teaching

• Assist in the teaching of seminar and practicum classes;
• Train students to improve their lawyering skills (especially legal research, writing, analysis, and oral advocacy);
• Participate in curriculum development; and
• Assist in the development and management of the syllabus.

Legal Supervision

• Supervise students by, among other things, meeting with students on a weekly basis at supervision meetings, and reviewing and providing feedback to student drafts and legal research;
• Draft motions, pleadings, briefs, policy memoranda, legislatives proposals, and other legal documentation as needed;
• Manage cases, projects, and EJC docket;
• Work with partner attorneys and law firms; and
• Design and implement litigation and other legal strategies.

Administration/Operations

• Assist in developing and maintaining relationships with clients and the communities EJC serves by, among other things, attending relevant community meetings and supervising/conducting rights education workshops, as necessary;
• Collaborate with university faculty and community partners on community education, research, and advocacy projects; and
• Represent and, as necessary, present on behalf of the EJC within the University of Miami and externally as required at conferences and workshops.

Qualifications

J.D., admission to Florida Bar (strong candidates without Florida Bar qualifications and a willingness to take the Florida bar during the summer of 2020 will be considered), 2-5 years of litigation, clinical, or other relevant work-experience; a demonstrated commitment to public interest law; strong academic credentials; and superior writing, editing, and verbal skills. The candidate is expected to be able to work independently as well as with a team and to have a passion to solve some of South Florida’s most pressing environmental justice issues.

Salary and Benefits

POSITION # TBA

Salary: The University of Miami offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental benefits, tuition remission, vacation, paid holidays, travel, bar fees, and more.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here for additional information-https://www.hr.miami.edu/careers/employment-laws-eo/index.html

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit:

• Resume;
• Cover letter that includes a statement of interest including career goals and prior experience providing legal services, teaching, and other relevant experience;
• Law school transcript;
• List of at least three references and their contact information; and
• Three writing samples (writing samples should not be collaborative work or pieces that have been significantly edited by others).

Applicants should send the materials electronically to Lauren Madigan, Sr. Program Manager, Environmental Justice Clinic, at lmadigan@law.miami.edu.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position has been filled.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here for additional information.

Job Status:

Full time

Employee Type:

Faculty

Pay Grade:

50