Opportunities

The Law, Environment & Animals Program (LEAP) at Yale Law School invites applications for a full-time Litigation and Program Fellow for the 2025-26 academic year.

The Fellow will work closely with LEAP’s executive director, legal director, and faculty director to both (1) support and grow the program’s cross-disciplinary initiatives, research, student engagement, and academic programming and (2) be a key contributor to a cross-cutting research initiative focused on the potential for U.S. litigation to hold animal agriculture corporations accountable for their role in the climate crisis.

LEAP is a multidisciplinary program at Yale dedicated to two overarching goals. First, we aim to inspire impactful learning and scholarship about the deep legal, scientific and moral questions that humanity’s treatment of other animals raise. Second, we aim to empower Yale scholars and students to advance positive legal and political change for animals, people, and the environment upon which they depend. The Fellow will be an integral team member of this creative program. A major focus of the Fellow’s work in 2025-26 will be LEAP’s Climate Change & Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative.

Principal responsibilities include: 

• Act as an integral member of the Climate Change & Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative team under the supervision of the LEAP legal director, helping to develop an emerging area of legal activity through research, writing, strategic decision making, relationship building, public education, and collaborating with subject matter experts at Yale and beyond.
• Contributing research, writing, and operational support to existing and new LEAP research initiatives and collaborations, including managing LEAP’s student fellow community and student research grant program.
• Planning, overseeing, and coordinating engaging LEAP educational events, including in-person speaker events, conferences, and periodic lunch and dinner events. Responsibilities include proposing and inviting speakers; publicizing events; coordinating meals, travel, and IT needs; processing and monitoring expenses, and ensuring adherence to budget and university requirements. 
• Drafting and managing LEAP communications, including writing website articles, maintaining the LEAP website, and email communications.
• Drafting and editing substantive written material.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

The Fellow will receive a one-year appointment and a competitive salary plus full Yale University benefits.

Requirements:

The Fellow must reside in the New Haven area and begin the appointment in summer 2025.

J.D. preferred. In addition to applications from attorneys and graduating law students, LEAP encourages applications from exceptional candidates with demonstrated research ability with other degrees (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., or other).

Required skills and abilities: 

• Excellent communication and writing skills. Ability to create clear and compelling materials, including research memos, email announcements, and articles.
• Excellent and detail-oriented project management and organizational skills. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Close attention to detail and ability to make sure nothing fall through the cracks with multiple projects and requests.
• Strong interpersonal skills. The fellow will be an ambassador of LEAP, and will be responsible for establishing and maintaining professional relationships with students, faculty, staff, and internal and external contacts.
• Capable at all aspects of event and meeting planning and execution in a university setting, including developing and assembling meeting materials, coordinating Zoom and other technology with IT, inviting speakers, hosting speakers, and coordinating event logistics. Ability to occasionally work a flexible schedule, adjusting hours and days as needed for events.

How to apply: 

Interested applicants should send their résumé and a cover letter describing their interest to Viveca Morris, LEAP Executive Director, at viveca.morris@yale.edu. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled (early applications encouraged).

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or Email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.