Legal Associate

Description

Do you want to take the lead on drafting amicus briefs filed in the US Supreme Court and defending individual liberty? The Cato Institute invites graduating law school students and recent graduates to apply for our Legal Associate Program at the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies. Legal associates are given the independence and trust to take the initiative at every stage of the brief-writing process. This includes developing arguments, communicating with party counsel, researching, and drafting. 

Legal associates receive intensive, one-on-one training and feedback to develop their legal writing skills. Cato amicus briefs are routinely filed in the US Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, and state supreme courts. The job is ideal training for a career in pro-liberty litigation. 

In addition, legal associates assist in other projects, such as editing the Cato Supreme Court Review and researching and writing for other Cato strategic initiatives. Associates are fully immersed in the intellectual life of the Cato Institute and have opportunities to meet and assist scholars in a wide range of issue areas.

Students are encouraged to take the bar exam before beginning employment, though this is not a requirement. Employment will begin in the Summer of 2025 and last for one year—dates are flexible and partly depend on when current associates depart. 

We will accept applications through February 28, but earlier applications will be considered sooner, and slots may fill up.

About Cato

The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization—a think tank—dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.

Founded in 1977, Cato owes its name to Cato’s Letters, a series of essays published in 18th- century England that presented a vision of a society free from excessive government power. Those essays inspired the architects of the American Revolution. And the simple, timeless principles of that revolution — individual liberty, limited government, and free markets – turn out to be even more powerful in today’s world of global markets and unprecedented access to information than Jefferson or Madison could have imagined. Social and economic freedom is not just the best policy for a free people, it is the indispensable framework for the future.

The Cato Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Responsibilities

• Supreme Court amicus briefs
• Research memos
• Policy papers
• The Cato Supreme Court Review. 

Requirements

• JD degree
• An interest in libertarian theory
• Strong writing and communication skills

How to apply

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:

• Cover letter: Please indicate if you have access to outside funding through your law school or elsewhere.
• Resume
• Writing Sample
• (Unofficial) Law School Transcript.

Benefits

All Cato employees are provided:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer contribution to a Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Generous vacation and sick days
• Paid parental leave
• Employer-provided life and disability insurance 
• 401(k) employer match
• Transit/ Parking benefits 
• Pet discount plan