Chief Counsel’s Office Law Clerkship and Externship Program
The Chief Counsel's Office is the California Energy Commission's full-service legal office. Its attorneys advise the Commission as it implements laws advancing the state’s 100% renewable and clean energy future. We provide the Commission with the highest quality legal work in the field, and we regularly seek dedicated law students to join our office as law clerks or externs. Clerkship terms are typically served in the summer and externship terms may be served in the summer, fall or spring. Volunteer clerkships are unpaid positions. The externship is an unpaid position for law school credit facilitated through an individual school’s externship program.
The Chief Counsel’s Office offers a 100% telework environment with excellent mentoring opportunities. Law clerks work with the Commission’s energy experts and attorneys.
Under the direction of an Assistant Chief Counsel and attorneys leading the summer clerk and extern program, externs and clerks typically conduct legal research on cutting-edge environmental and energy law topics; apply this research by drafting a legal memoranda, Commission meeting materials, and rulemaking documents; and attend workshops and meetings on innovative energy programs where diverse stakeholders provide feedback on Commission proceedings.
How to Apply
To apply please submit a cover letter indicating the position and semester you are interested in, your résumé, unofficial law school transcript, two references (at least one from a work experience), and one legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages in length to:
Lisabeth Lopez
lawclerkship@energy.ca.gov
Alternatively, you may mail your application to:
California Energy Commission
Attn: Lisabeth Lopez
715 P Street – MS 14
Sacramento, CA 95814