Caselaw Access Project Fellow

We're Hiring

Harvard Law School invites applications for the Caselaw Access Project Fellowship, a one-year opportunity to explore technology that enhances access to and understanding of the law and improves access to justice. The Fellowship is open to justice-minded technologists and technology-minded lawyers seeking to make a positive impact at the intersection of technology and legal information.

The Caselaw Access Project has produced a unique and nearly comprehensive structured dataset of all published American court decisions. During the Fellowship year, the Fellow will work with the lawyers, librarians and programmers in the Harvard Law School Library to identify discrete opportunities to enhance or apply the data produced by the Caselaw Access Project to advance justice. The Fellow will design, prototype and iterate on a technology project (or projects) that seeks to achieve this goal. The Fellow's work will reflect a bias in favor of action and experimentation, emphasizing committed code over planning, analysis and discussion. The Fellow will be expected to do his or her own technical work, but this opportunity promises active collaboration with, and feedback from, the Library, the Library Innovation Lab and the broader community of fellow travelers.

During the Fellowship year, the Fellow will identify a discrete problem in the legal field and design, prototype and iterate on a technology-enabled solution. The Fellow's work throughout the year will reflect a bias in favor of action and experimentation, emphasizing committed code over planning, analysis and discussion. The Fellow will be embedded with the lawyers and programmers within the Library Innovation Lab and Developing Justice. And while the Fellow will be expected to do his or her own technical work, the opportunity promises active collaboration with, and feedback from, this community of fellow travelers.

Terms of the Fellowship

The successful candidate will receive a one-year appointment as a fellow in residence at Harvard Law School, which appointment includes a salary of $45,000, healthcare benefits, a computer with a suite of software development tools, and access to other Law School and University resources and amenities.

Diversity

The work and well-being of the Library are strengthened profoundly by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We actively seek and welcome applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQIA community, and persons with disabilities, as well as applications from researchers and practitioners from across the spectrum of disciplines and methods.

Terms of the Fellowship

The successful candidate will receive a one-year appointment as a fellow in residence at Harvard Law School, which appointment includes salary, healthcare benefits, office space, a computer with a suite of software development tools, and access to other Law School and University resources and amenities.

Applying

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, beginning on September 30, 2017. The Law School will extend an offer as soon as an outstanding applicant is identified.

To apply, please submit the following materials via e-mail to TechInnovation@law.harvard.edu:

  • a curriculum vitae;
  • at least two references; and
  • a statement of interest, not to exceed 1000 words, that describes: 1) the basis for the applicant's interest in the Fellowship and 2) a potential project or projects the applicant might pursue during the fellowship year.

The application should demonstrate the candidate’s technical proficiency and commitment to enhancing access to law and justice. A successful application also will describe a course of activities or experiments the candidate proposes to pursue, explain how those activities will advance justice and describe possible one-year outputs or a plan for post-fellowship sustainability.