Veterans Law Fellowship - Cornell Law School

Founded in 1887, Cornell Law School is a top-tier law school, currently ranked 14th by U.S. News & World Report. We offer a 3-year JD program for about 200 students per class, a one-year LLM program for about 120 students from countries throughout the world, and a doctoral (JSD) program for about 2-3 new students per year. Cornell Law School has 41 tenured and tenure-track faculty, including 20 with chaired faculty positions; and 15 clinical professors in the Lawyering Program and in clinics at the local, national, and international level. Our faculty is consistently ranked among the top in the country for scholarly productivity and influence and has pre-eminence in many areas, including quantitative and qualitative empirical legal studies, international and comparative law, and robust doctrinal scholarship in core fields. Our school is committed to being recognized as the leader among law schools at combining inspiring theoretical, doctrinal, and experiential teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a supportive, intellectually rich community, so that our graduates can achieve excellence in all facets of the legal profession.

The Veterans Law Fellowship was established in June 2024 through a generous grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Legal Services for Veterans. The fellowship provides funding for a recent law school graduate, from an ABA accredited law school, who shows exceptional commitment to the field of public interest law and, if applicable, a dedication to justice for military service members. The fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity for one New York licensed attorney to gain substantive experience in Veterans discharge upgrades, Veterans disability claims, and other civil legal issues relating to Veterans to prevent homelessness or displacement.

The fellow will work exclusively on cases for Veterans, with a primary focus on helping those at risk of becoming unhoused. The project components include policy work, community-lawyering advocacy and direct legal assistance for low-to-moderate income Veterans needing legal assistance with discharge upgrades, Veterans benefits, and homelessness prevention. The fellow will mentor law students working on brief advice and full-scope civil and administrative cases for veterans. The fellow may also collaborate with law students on research and policy papers directly related to Veterans law. Other aspects of the fellowship include:

• Serving as a liaison to the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice's Housing Subcommittee convened by the Office of Court Administration.
• Collaborating with local service providers who assist Veterans.
• Collaborating with undergraduate student coordinators to push out content on the website and connect with other online resources.
• Conducting outreach to the local courts and service providers about Veterans resources.
• Attending all Veterans Law Practicum classes and working closely with the Practicum Professors to develop and support the curriculum.
• Supervising all Veterans Law cases, in conjunction with pro bono attorneys and with students during winter and summer break in the year of the fellowship.

This grant funded appointment is for a one-year term and is benefits eligible. The position is renewable based on performance and future funding.  The selected candidate may choose to work a hybrid schedule, with part of the work taking place remotely (pending university approval if working outside New York State) and part of the work taking place in person. The fellow must be available and willing to return to Ithaca for all in-person court appearances.

Please note that the New York Convenience of employer guidelines require New York State individual tax reporting and withholdings for this position. Additional individual state income tax filings may also be required if working outside New York State.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants may be attorneys or recent graduates from an ABA accredited law school. The applicant must either be a New York State licensed attorney or plan to sit for the July 2025 New York State bar exam.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to applicants with demonstrated or stated commitment to public-interest law generally, and specifically to Veterans law and housing justice; professional, volunteer and/or subject matter expertise in substantive housing law in New York State; and experience supervising or mentoring students. 

To Apply

Please submit the following to https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28469. Additional information may be requested during the application process.

• Application Cover Sheet: This page must include the following: full name, law school, year of graduation from law school, current mailing address, phone number, email address, and date of NYS Bar Admission (if applicable).
• CV
• Statement of Interest: Please submit a statement of interest for this one-year fellowship. The statement should include the following: A description of the applicant’s specific commitment to public service and how the applicant came to focus on the area of Veterans benefits and/or housing justice; the applicant’s past experiences and work activity in the public interest broadly construed; the applicant’s aspirations for future public interest work (with a focus on serving Veterans as appropriate) and the ways in which the Fellowship will help to achieve those goals.
• Writing Sample: Please submit a writing sample of no more than 10 pages. The applicant should submit a writing sample that indicates a comfort with legal writing and analysis, as opposed to a journal article that would potentially be more focused on sociological, theoretical, economic, etc.
• Two recommendation letters from people familiar with your work.

To ensure maximum consideration, please submit all application materials by October 15, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to early applicants.

Questions may be referred to William Niebel, Managing Attorney (william.niebel@cornell.edu) or James Hardwick, Supervising Attorney (jrh373@cornell.edu).

The expected starting salary for this fellowship is $68,000.

Pay Range:

$61,008.00 - $87,000.00

Pay Ranges:

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• Academic Discipline
• Unique applicable skills.

Familiarize yourself with Cornell's COVID-19 workplace guidance as well as the university's COVID-19 services and information.

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email mycareer@cornell.edu.

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell University's Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at equity@cornell.edu.

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing mycareer@cornell.edu.

Notice to Applicants:

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law. 

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

About Us

Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery and engagement. With our main campus located in Ithaca, NY, Cornell's far-flung global presence includes the medical college's campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Doha, Qatar, as well as the Cornell Tech campus located on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New York City.

We offer a rich array of services, programs and benefits to help employees advance in their career and enhance the quality of personal life, including: employee wellness, workshops, childcare and adoption assistance, parental leave, flexible work options.