The mission of the Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic is to tackle problems endemic to the administration of the death penalty, seek justice for indigent clients facing capital punishment, and offer a rich opportunity for hands-on training to law students. The majority of the Clinic’s docket consists of capital post-conviction litigation. However, the Clinic also works on cases at the trial and appellate stages, and represents amicus curiae in the state and federal courts. The Clinic faculty are Director Elisabeth Semel and Associate Director Ty Alper.
The Death Penalty Clinic’s paralegal has primary responsibility for developing and maintaining the Clinic’s document management system, assisting faculty, fellows, investigators, and students in working with the documents, and collaborating with them in identifying facts contained in the documents that are relevant to the Clinic’s litigation. Additional responsibilities include: collaborating with faculty, fellows, investigators and students to plan fact investigation for the Clinic’s cases; participating in some field investigation; managing extensive record requests; utilizing a number of resources to locate witnesses; assisting with the preparation and filing of pleadings; and selecting and supervising undergraduate volunteer interns.
The position is full-time with a start date of July 15, 2009. The annual salary range is $51,000 to $55,000. Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and training, paralegal experience in the area of criminal law, with a strong preference for capital case experience, and expertise in the use of computer applications such as Word and Excel, and advanced database programs such as CaseMap, Access, and FileMaker Pro.
To submit your resume and cover letter, you must click here to reach the University of California at Berkeley’s employment website. The Clinic’s current paralegal, Mara Hickey, is available to answer questions. However, please review the information on the employment website before contacting her. For more information about the Death Penalty Clinic generally, click here.