What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Fellow, Law School position at Vanderbilt University?
The Research Fellow is part of the Career Services department in the Law School at Vanderbilt University and works in partnership with an identified host. This position will work to develop legal research and writing skills and will expose the research fellow to a broad variety of legal fields. Work will include legal and fact research; the drafting of memoranda, contracts, correspondence, and other legal documents; and other tasks conducted under the supervision of and with feedback from the host and Career Services Assistant Dean. This position is available for a one-year term and does not lead to continuing employment. The position is paid and benefits eligible. To be considered, qualified candidates must submit their resume and a cover letter identifying a host and expressing their interest.
Vanderbilt Law School's Career Services excels in placing well-trained lawyers in public- and private-sector positions at law firms, government offices and organizations throughout the United States. This department provides avenues for not only for students, but also alumni (indefinite/lifetime support) and external employers. Employers located throughout the United States and abroad advertise positions for experienced attorneys in a list of leads cultivated and managed by career services staff. Career Services focuses on achieving 100% employment for our students who are in high demand for their outstanding legal training, combined with the interpersonal and other important professional skills they develop during law school.
Key Functions and Expected Performance:
• Perform legal document review & template updates (some with outside counsel)
o Documents include but not limited to contracts, memoranda, correspondence, government awards, institutionalawards, service/vendor agreements, subawards, MOUs, confidentiality agreements, release/waivers, etc.
• Conduct legal and factual research on various matters, addressing a wide array of issues.
• Participate in Non-Profit Governance.
• Intra-company legal advice and support legal transactions.
• Policy review and implementation support.
• Counsel engagement and project support.
• Writing legal knowledge pieces (best practices) for org-wide consumption on topics such as the basics of contract, contractnegotiation, basic intellectual property, dispute prevention strategies, etc.
• Complete additional special projects as assigned.
Supervisory Relationships:
This position does not have supervisory responsibility; the position reports functionally to assigned host and administratively to Assistant Dean for Career Services.
Qualifications:
• Recent graduate (Class of 2025) with a J.D. or recent clerkship experience is necessary.
• Ability to demonstrate maturity, creativity and initiative is necessary.
• Ability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects is necessary.
• Self-motivation and a high level of responsibility to complete tasks in a timely manner and ability to make significant progress without direct supervision are necessary.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills are necessary.
• The ability to handle urgent and sensitive issues in a timely and ethical manner is necessary.
• Developed research skills are necessary.