Research Administration Law Clerk

OVERVIEW

Job Title: Office of General Counsel / Research Administration Internship Program

Pay: $21.00

Hours: Approx 10 hours per week

Job Summary:The University of St. Thomas is seeking a law student intern/law clerk to support research-related regulatory and compliance work in the Office of General Counsel. This position is part of the university’s NSF GRANTED-funded Research Administration Internship Program, which is designed to introduce students to the field of research administration and help develop the next generation of professionals who support research, scholarship, compliance, and sponsored projects in higher education.

The position is expected to average approximately 10 hours per week at a rate of $21/hour. Most work may be completed remotely, with occasional in-person meetings or activities as needed.

Position OverviewThe Law Student Research Administration Law Clerk will work primarily with the Office of General Counsel on projects related to the legal, regulatory, and policy environment for university research. The intern/law clerk may assist with background research, policy review, document organization, issue-spotting, and preparation of internal resources related to research compliance and administration.In addition to work with the Office of General Counsel, the intern/law clerk will participate in approximately 1–2 hours per week of programmatic activities through the Research Administration Internship Program. These activities may include a weekly cohort meeting, training modules, discussions with research administration professionals, and other activities designed to introduce interns to the broader research administration field.

General Counsel’s Office OverviewThe Office of General Counsel is a collaborative legal department that provides practical and strategic legal advice to the University's administration, faculty, and staff on a wide range of legal matters, including research and grant compliance. The Office is currently staffed by the general counsel, associate general counsel, and office paralegal. The intern/law clerk will work closely with and report primarily to the associate general counsel.

 

Possible ResponsibilitiesResponsibilities may include:• Conducting legal or policy research on issues related to university research, sponsored projects, compliance, data use, privacy, intellectual property, contracts, conflicts of interest, export controls, human subjects research, or other regulatory areas.• Assisting with review and organization of policies, procedures, templates, guidance documents, or internal resources.• Helping summarize regulatory or policy requirements for non-legal audiences.• Supporting the development of practical tools or reference materials for faculty, staff, or research administrators.• Participating in meetings with Office of General Counsel staff and research administration colleagues.• Completing training materials related to research administration and higher education compliance.• Participating in a weekly intern cohort meeting and contributing to discussions about the research administration profession.• Preparing an end-of-semester project, summary, presentation, or other deliverable related to the internship experience.

To Apply/Special Instructions for Employment 

Please submit a resume and brief cover letter describing your interest in the position and any relevant experience with legal research, higher education, compliance, policy, research, grants, contracts, or related work. In addition, please provide a 3-5 page legal writing sample.

This position is grant-funded and is contingent on continued availability of grant funding.

QUALIFICATIONS

Qualifications

Candidates should be current St. Thomas law students who have completed their 1L year and who have an interest in one or more of the following areas:

• Higher education law
• Research compliance
• Regulatory affairs
• Sponsored projects or grants administration
• Contracts
• Data privacy or data use
• Intellectual property
• Nonprofit or public-sector legal work
• Administrative law
• Institutional policy development
• University operations

The successful candidate will have a strong academic record, analytical abilities, and research and writing skills. They will follow directives and also take initiative and proactively identify needed research or work. They will be organized, dependable, detail-oriented, and able to communicate clearly with both legal and non-legal audiences.  Prior experience with research administration is not required. Training and guidance will be provided.

Program Context

This position is part of a grant-funded undergraduate and graduate internship program focused on research administration workforce development. Research administration includes the many professional roles that support research at colleges and universities, including proposal development, grant administration, compliance, research ethics, contracts, policy, finance, and institutional research support.

Through this internship, the selected law student will gain experience with the regulatory and legal infrastructure that supports university research while also learning about the broader research administration profession.

 

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for student employment, St. Thomas students must be degree seeking at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. Students must be actively enrolled at least part-time in courses for credit. For further information on eligibility please see the Student Employee Toolkit on One StThomas. 

 

The University of St. Thomas is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including

disability and protected veteran status.