Job Type
Full-time
Description
Law Clerk – Summer 2026
Make a difference! We fight for the rights of people that have disabilities....JOIN US!
We encourage those who are d/Deaf or Disabled to apply.
Location:
Remote and hybrid (must live in California for the duration of the paid clerkship). Even if working remotely, law clerks are assigned to the geographically closest DRC office to their place of residence. DRC regional offices include the following: Berkeley, Fresno, Los Angeles, Ontario, Sacramento, and San Diego.
Salary Range (Depends On Law School Year)
1L: $22.00
2L: $23.00
3L: $24.00
Paid, volunteer, and for-credit positions are available for current law students.
DRC has limited funding for clerks who cannot secure funding from their law schools. If possible, we ask all clerks to apply for funding through their law schools and outside sources before requesting DRC funding. Please note, DRC reimburses law clerks for work-related travel expenses and provides a stipend to offset monthly commute costs such as parking and public transportation.
How To Apply
Interested applicants should upload a resume, a brief writing sample (10 pages maximum) and a cover letter that includes your time commitment, and geographic location. Interested applicants should also review the DRC Practice Areas below and indicate which practice group, or groups, they would be interested in working with.
Application Deadline
Open until filled. Application should be received by April 3, 2026
Who We Are
Disability Rights California (“DRC”) is a nonprofit, public-interest law firm, established in 1978 to protect the legal, civil, and service rights of people with all types of disabilities. We are the designated Protection and Advocacy agency for California and the largest disability rights organization in the country.
Our Culture
Disability Rights California is recognized as a Gold Level Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leader by the State Bar of California! We work to promote and create a culture where people feel empowered to be their true authentic selves to do their best work for our clients and the communities we serve.
Requirements
Law Clerk Position Summary
Law Students Will Find Working With DRC a Challenging And Rewarding Experience. Law Clerks Are Typically Assigned To One Practice Group Within The Legal Advocacy Unit (LAU), The Investigations Unit, Or The Office Of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA). Each Law Clerk Will Collaborate With Their Team To Serve Clients Across The State. While We Do Our Best To Assign Supervision In The Same Office, At Times, Remote Supervision Is Necessary To Provide Law Clerks With Opportunities On a Particular Team. Currently, All DRC Employees And Law Clerks Are Working Remotely Within California. Depending On Their Assigned Team, Law Clerks May Gain Experience With
- Interviewing clients and consumers.
- Providing counsel and advice on self-advocacy.
- Legal research and writing.
- Legislative analysis and writing.
- Representation at mediation and administrative hearings at school districts, universities, regional centers, Social Security offices, and others.
- Assisting people with psychiatric disabilities in locked facilities to ensure the enforcement of their federal, state, constitutional, and statutory rights.
- Assisting clients file charges of discrimination with the U.S. Office for Civil Rights under the Department of Education, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Assisting in the investigation of systemic and potentially life-threatening abuse and neglect in state and private facilities, serving people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.
- Conduct training on the law and multicultural outreach.
The Summer law clerk program is shaped by both student interest and DRC’s program needs, for a 10-week commitment and generally begins in June until mid-August, for a 37.5-hour week.
Summer law clerk positions, and their time commitments, are driven by student interest and DRC's needs. Students typically work 37.5 hours a week for 10 weeks. Please follow the application instructions below and include your requested time commitment and practice area in your cover letter.
DRC’s Practice Areas
- Advocacy and Community Engagement (ACE) Practice Group – Fully Remote: The ACE Practice Group houses many of DRC’s legal advocates who, under the supervision of attorneys, primarily engage in short-term legal advocacy for people with disabilities in the following areas: special education; rights under the Lanterman Act; civil rights; and social services programs, including health care programs. ACE PG staff also develop substantive legal training and materials geared toward educating people with disabilities, their advocates, and professionals.
Law clerks with the ACE PG could have the opportunity to provide direct client services alongside legal advocates and attorneys, which can include the following: drafting legal memos; developing publications, drafting pro-per documents; or co-representing clients in certain state/fair hearings. Law clerks would also have an opportunity to develop substantive legal training and partake in legal clinics/outreach events focused on helping historically marginalized communities.
- Equal Access and Housing Practice Group (EAHPG) – Fully Remote: EAHPG is a diverse, statewide team of passionate attorneys developing and implementing impactful strategies – litigation, policy, and community support – to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. Our current priorities include:
- challenging discrimination in private and public programs;
- confronting the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness;
- protecting and increasing affordable, accessible housing;
- ensuring access to transit;
- access to higher education;
- access to websites and other electronic information;
- access to courts; and
- addressing the intersectional needs of people with disabilities.
EAHPG works to prevent the displacement of people with disabilities, particularly those in low-income communities and communities of color, by operating a statewide, phone-based legal clinic. The team is interdisciplinary: attorneys and non-attorney advocates work in collaboration with social workers to provide holistic advocacy to people with disabilities on issues impacting their housing (discrimination, accommodations, habitability, barriers to housing, landlord/tenant disputes, and more.). EAHPG’s goal is to build power in communities and support clients to advocate for their rights as tenants through advice, brief services, and select cases for representation in negotiations and administrative hearings. To reach more underserved communities. EAHPG also creates resources (publications, videos, etc.) and provides education and outreach across the state.
- Fair Hearing Project (FHP) – Fully Remote: FHP provides representation at administrative hearings for monolingual Spanish-speaking regional center consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). FHP will be limited to service denials that will result in serious harm to the client and will partner with community-based organizations to identify clients who have already exhausted self-advocacy strategies. Staff will collaborate with the Legal Advocacy Unit and the Office of Clients Rights Advocates to ensure that DRC offers a comprehensive advocacy strategy to address the needs of the Latinx IDD community. FHP is specifically looking for a law clerk who is fluent in Spanish.
- Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Practice Group – Fully Remote: The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Practice Group works at the intersection of impact litigation, individual representation, policy advocacy, collective action campaigns, and other systemic reform efforts to advance the civil and human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our current priorities include:
- Dismantling the structural racism and discrimination experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving services and other support from the state of California and local/regional providers.
- Advancing the core principles of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. ex rel. Zimring and the rights of disabled people to live, work, and play in their communities.
- Expanding access to alternatives to legal processes like conservatorships that strip people of their decision-making rights, such as Supported Decision-Making, Self-Determination, and other supports that advance the autonomy, preferences, and choices of intellectually and developmentally disabled people.
- Building relationships with and developing advocacy strategies alongside organizations led by intellectually and developmentally disabled people and their families.
- Investigations Unit (IU) – Hybrid: IU uses our access authority as the designated Protection and Advocacy Agency to conduct individual investigations and monitoring in nursing homes, jails, immigration detention centers, state psychiatric hospitals, state developmental centers, and community settings. The Investigations Unit pursues systemic reform through public policy measures. It effectively negotiates solutions for people with disabilities and rarely needs to engage in litigation. The Investigations Unit’s projects include advocating for greater oversight of nursing homes, monitoring the detention of adults and immigrant children with disabilities, and working to end the over-policing and criminalization of people with disabilities.
- Mental Health Practice Group (MHPG) – Fully Remote: MHPG advocates for Californians with a mental health diagnosis. We work in institutions to keep individuals free from abuse and neglect and protect their legal rights in mental health facilities, including county-funded facilities and state hospitals. We work in jails, juvenile facilities, and detention centers to improve conditions, eliminate unnecessary isolation and segregation and secure adequate medical and mental health treatment. We work to increase community mental health treatment and housing
for individuals, to avoid unnecessary institutionalization or homelessness. We also work to protect the rights of patients, including the right to confidentiality, due process, and voluntary treatment.
- Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) - Mostly Remote: OCRA advocates for people with developmental disabilities who are regional center clients, including people who reside in state developmental centers and community facilities. OCRA is a team of zealous advocates and disability generalists who are building a culture of teamwork and working for a world where all disabled people have power, are treated with dignity and respect, and make their own decisions. As part of this dynamic team, law clerks will provide helpful information, advice, and representation on a wide range of legal topics. Examples include regional center eligibility and services, special education, Social Security, IHSS, and living in the community.
- Pathways to Work – Fully Remote: Pathways to Work provides advocacy services to people experiencing disability-related barriers to employment. Through the Client Assistance Program (CAP), we assist people with difficulties seeking or receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Department of Rehabilitation, independent living centers, or other programs funded by the Rehabilitation Act. Pathways to Work also assists people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in addressing barriers in work, such as reasonable accommodation and transportation.
- Youth Practice Group (YPG) – Fully Remote: YPG ensures students with disabilities benefit from the vast array of educational services and support guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. YPG works to remove barriers for students with disabilities so they can learn, play, and participate in extracurricular activities in neighborhood schools with their peers. Our work includes due process and compliance complaints, litigation, and systemic advocacy.
Working at DRC is a rare opportunity to do what you are good at while making a difference!
Note To Post-Graduates
Law students who are interested in post-graduate positions should consider applying for DRC-hosted fellowship positions through Skadden, Equal Justice Works, and similar programs. DRC will post sponsorship opportunities as they become available. DRC also accepts law clerk applications from post-graduate individuals looking for a temporary position between taking the Bar Exam and receiving Bar Exam results (Fall and Spring). Please follow the application guidelines above and include your cover letter, writing sample, and your requested time commitment and practice area.
If you require an accommodation due to a disability to complete this application OR you are experiencing issues submitting your application and accompanying materials, please e-mail: talent@disabilityrightsca.org
Salary Description
1L: $22.00 2L: $23.00 3L: $24.00
