"Clinical Supervising Attorney - Death Penalty Clinic - School of Law"

Position overview

Position title: Clinic Supervising Attorney

Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay at appointment. See the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/represented-july-2025-scales/t15-f.pdf. The starting full-time salary for this position is salary point 19, currently $140,169.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: Fall 2026

Position duration: Initial one-year term with eligibility for renewal

Application Window

Open date: February 11, 2026

Next review date: Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Mar 16, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Death Penalty Clinic was founded in 2001 on the principle that the right to a fair trial and equal protection under the law are core societal values. Through individual representation and impact litigation, the clinic puts this principle into practice. Our mission is to help students develop outstanding legal skills and to serve clients facing capital punishment. Our students gain a strong social justice orientation and the skills necessary to provide vigorous, professional, and high-level representation to their clients.

For more than two decades, clinic faculty and students have advocated on behalf of clients facing capital punishment in state and federal proceedings in states such as Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas. In some cases the clinic directly represents clients throughout post-conviction and clemency proceedings. In others, the clinic serves as co-counsel to investigate or litigate aspects of the capital case in which the clinic has particular expertise. The clinic has also filed amicus curiae briefs in the United States Supreme Court and California Supreme Court in cases involving challenges to discriminatory jury selection, race discrimination in the administration of the death penalty, and methods of execution.

The companion seminar engages students in the relevant substantive capital punishment law; habeas corpus practice and procedure; and the fundamentals of death penalty litigation, including fact investigation, interviewing skills, and the development of mitigation evidence.

Duties

Under the supervision of the Clinic Director and in collaboration with any future Clinical Supervising Attorney, the Supervising Attorney will be responsible for:

Clinical Supervision and Advocacy (80%)

• Train and supervise six to eight Clinic students per semester
• Collaborate with Clinic faculty and external co-counsel on projects/cases and with Clinic faculty on vetting new Clinic cases/projects
• Develop and maintain Clinic relationships with clients, partners, co-counsel, and other stakeholders.
• Travel for case work and offsite meetings as needed with Clinic students to work on Clinic cases.
• Collaborate with Clinic faculty in managing the Clinic docket without students during summers.
• Teach one to two Clinic seminar classes per year

Administrative Duties (15%)

• Attend Clinic administrative meetings and collaborate with Clinic faculty in organizing programmatic events, such as conferences, workshops and speaker series.
• Promote the Clinic to students and other constituencies
• Engage in media relations and development, including speaking at public events and with the press.
• Participate in professional development, training, and networking activities

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

• Perform other duties as needed

UC Fieldwork Supervisors are academic appointees in an organized bargaining unit and are exclusively represented by the American Federation of Teachers - Unit 18.

Program: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/experiential/clinics/death-penalty-clinic/

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• Candidate must hold a J.D. or equivalent international degree

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

• Admission to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction
• At least three (3) years of postgraduate experience in capital defense litigation and/or law school clinical teaching in a capital defense setting

Preferred qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in clinical teaching or other law student supervision
• Excellent research, writing, and oral advocacy skills
• Demonstrated analytical, organizational, and planning skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Career intention to practice in public interest, public sector, and/or clinical setting
• Experience working with diverse communities, clients and other stakeholders

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Legal Advocacy Writing Sample - Approximately 10 to 15 pages in length and consist of a pleading or section of a pleading that you substantially wrote and filed in a capital case.
• Teaching Statement - A one-page statement discussing your approach to clinical teaching that considers any specific skills you bring and goals you want to achieve with your students.

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)