Yale Law School is hiring a Fellow to prepare an assessment of potential litigation strategies challenging industrial animal agriculture’s animal welfare, labor, environmental and other negative externalities. The fellow’s work will be supervised by Jonathan Lovvorn and Doug Kysar, and will support the Animal Agriculture Accountability Project (AAAP), an academic and NGO partnership that seeks to accelerate the enactment and enforcement of state and local legal policy interventions to hold industrial animal agriculture accountable for its harms to people, animals, and the environment. This is a unique opportunity to work with a broad coalition of advocacy organizations committed to ending factory farming, and to guide the future strategic direction of litigation campaigns to advance this goal. The AAAP Fellow will receive a one-year appointment, commencing as soon as possible.
The Fellow will oversee the development of a deep-dive assessment of litigation strategies for challenging the factory business model in state and federal courts, including (1) an assessment of past, current, and potential future litigation strategies challenging industrial animal agriculture’s animal welfare, labor, environmental and other negative externalities, and the creation of a database cataloging such litigation; (2) an evaluation of which litigation strategies best advance the goal of elevating the public’s understanding that 90% of meat and dairy is produced in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, which are extremely damaging to workers, animals, and the planet; and (3) recommendations regarding the cost, time, and likelihood of success of the most promising litigation strategies.
The Fellow will collaborate with project faculty; supervise student work in support of the project at Yale and other universities; coordinate with partner NGOs in the environmental, food policy, labor, civil rights, and animal protection community; and serve as a primary point of contact with philanthropic foundation leaders who have requested this assessment to guide their grant-making. The position is preferably based at Yale Law School in New Haven, but remote work in Yale-approved states will be considered for strong candidates.
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
- Graduation with a distinguished academic record from a U.S. law school;
- Experience in one or more areas of law relevant to industrial agriculture, including food law, environmental law, climate law, animal law, agricultural law, and/or other relevant areas of practice;
- Experience with public interest litigation or scholarship concerning such litigation, including experience researching and writing legal briefs, administrative petitions, or other writing and publications concerning public interest litigation;
- Comfort interpreting scientific literature and technical concepts;
- Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for teamwork;
- Capacity to work hard, efficiently, and independently; and
- Commitment to public service or social justice work.
The Fellow will receive a competitive salary commensurate with experience level plus Yale University benefits. Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States.
Application materials should be sent to Jonathan.Lovvorn@yale.edu and Doug.Kysar@yale.edu and include the following:
- Cover letter describing the candidate’s qualifications and including a statement of the applicant’s interests and experience;
- CV or Resume;
- Sample of recent legal writing; and
- Names and contact information of three references.
We strongly encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the legal profession and the animal and environmental protection movements.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Additionally, in accordance with Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment, and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.
Inquiries concerning Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).