Law Clerk (Spring Externship)

Job Description

Job Description

We are accepting applications for Law Clerks during Spring 2027 on a rolling basis beginning October 30, 2026.

This is a hybrid position based in Oakland, CA.

About UnCommon Law

UnCommon Law fights to ensure that all people incarcerated for violent crime have access to effective legal representation and opportunities for healing. Through our unique, trauma-informed model of advocacy, we provide the space currently missing in the system for healing, accountability, and safe pathways home from prison. In developing new self-narratives, the people we serve are able to more effectively disrupt violence inside and outside prison and become leaders who change negative societal narratives about those incarcerated for violent crime. Our groundbreaking approach is changing policy and outcomes, driven by the voices and experiences of system-impacted communities.

UnCommon Law’s values include accountability, audacity, authenticity, collaboration, community, empathy, imagination, joy, liberation, and sustainability.

About the Position

The Law Clerk position provides law students the opportunity to work alongside Attorneys and Legal Assistants who represent clients in their parole hearings, as well as engage in legal research and writing projects. Law Clerks will also have the opportunity to learn about the discretionary parole process, California prisons, and the life cycle of individual journeys through incarceration and release.

The Law Clerk position is part-time (minimum 16-20 hours/week) over the quarter or semester calendar (at least 8 weeks). This position is unpaid and offers a $1,000 stipend per semester to defray some costs. A higher stipend amount is available for Law Clerks who commit to additional hours. 

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities:

• Direct Attorney support : Drafting follow-up communications and/or consultations to clients; providing feedback on client writings; supporting Attorneys in the preparation of and attendance at legal visits and phone calls; assembling Parole Packets to submit to the Board of Parole Hearings 
• Research & writing : Researching and writing memos about legal issues impacting clients or related policy; reviewing case records and prison files; compiling housing, employment, and other support resources for incarcerated clients; drafting habeas petitions
• Communications : Responding to non-client mail
• Information management : Updating contact records and maintaining our legal database

Abilities and Attributes:

• Compassion for incarcerated people and their family members, and a demonstrated interest in criminal justice reform 
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A professional demeanor and pleasant disposition
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Sensitivity to confidential matters
• A working proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Suite, and CRM software (strongly preferred)

Application Instructions

1. Please submit a resume and a cover letter describing your interest and relevant experience to our hiring portal ( Applicants who submit cover letters that are not tailored to the position or the organization will not be considered.
2. As part of our hiring process, we will request a writing sample separate from the cover letter and after an initial interview to assess writing ability. Once we receive a writing sample, we may also request professional or academic references. UnCommon Law staff will let a candidate know when to provide references, and we will reach out to references ourselves. While we appreciate the wonderful support many of our community members wish to provide for one another during the hiring process, unsolicited references via social media or other unofficial channels will not be considered in a candidate's application.
3. UnCommon Law requires candidates to provide proof of good standing from their school in the form of a letter from their dean or school’s registrar.

Please note that all correspondence in the hiring process will be through the BambooHR portal. Following the submission of your application, you should receive an automatic response (via email) thanking you for your application. If you do not receive this, please check your spam folder.

We receive a high volume of applications for all of our positions. Our hiring team strives to respond to all our applicants, however, if you have not been invited to interview within 4-6 weeks' time, we have likely chosen to not move forward with your application. 

UCL is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. UCL does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or prior contact with the criminal justice system. We strongly encourage applications from people impacted by incarceration as well as from traditionally underrepresented communities.