For law students considering a impactful career path in public service, understanding the role of a Government Lawyer is crucial. These legal professionals operate within the framework of government, serving the public interest across a diverse range of legal domains. Harvard Law School offers a unique opportunity for aspiring government lawyers to gain practical, hands-on experience through its Attorney General Clinic. This program provides invaluable insights into the workings of a state Attorney General’s Office, preparing students for future roles in government and public service.
This clinic, expertly led by Lecturer Jim Tierney, offers placements across the Fall, Winter, and Spring terms, though students can participate in only one term initially. For those seeking deeper engagement, the option to continue their winter work remotely during the spring as advanced clinical students is available, provided the placement and supervisor agree on sufficient workload.
Hands-on Experience in the Attorney General’s Office
The Fall and Spring Government Lawyer: Attorney General Clinic at Harvard specifically partners with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Here, clinical students directly contribute to the office’s mission through crucial legal tasks. Responsibilities primarily involve in-depth legal research and the drafting of legal documents, directly supporting the work of various divisions within the Attorney General’s Office. These divisions offer a broad spectrum of legal specializations, including the Criminal Bureau, Government Bureau, and Public Protection Bureau, exposing students to diverse areas of public law.
During the Winter term, the clinic expands its reach, offering placements in State Attorney General Offices nationwide. This full-time immersion experience is carefully structured to align student placements with their professional aspirations, although specific placements cannot be guaranteed due to the competitive nature of the program and office needs. Winter term placements span a variety of divisions within State AG offices, encompassing crucial areas such as environmental law, criminal trials and appeals, human trafficking, civil defense, opinion writing, and consumer protection. Past winter placements have seen students contributing in states across the country, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas, offering a truly national perspective on the role of a government lawyer.
Diving into Diverse Legal Areas: Divisions within the Attorney General’s Office
To illustrate the breadth of experience available, here’s a closer look at some of the divisions within the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, which serves as a primary placement location for the clinic:
Criminal Bureau
- Appeals Division: This division engages in a wide range of criminal and civil cases. Their work includes handling appeals and post-conviction matters originating from the Attorney General’s Criminal Bureau’s trial-level prosecutions. They also manage federal habeas corpus petitions challenging Massachusetts convictions, appeals in federal courts, and the defense of officials within the criminal justice system against civil suits related to their official duties. Further, they defend the constitutionality of criminal statutes and address challenges to criminal justice system rules and procedures.
- CyberCrime Division: This division tackles sophisticated white-collar crimes, from public corruption and embezzlement to large-scale consumer fraud, computer hacking, and trade secret theft. They also address complex cyberstalking and online child exploitation cases. Beyond prosecution, they focus on public education for internet safety and training law enforcement in white-collar crime investigation. They also collaborate with law enforcement, the private sector, and academia to bolster the Commonwealth’s critical infrastructure security.
- Public Integrity Division (PID): PID focuses on investigating and prosecuting serious misconduct by public officials and entities. Their cases aim to address issues with broad impact, protect vulnerable populations, and restore public trust in governmental institutions.
- Enterprise and Major Crimes Division: This division manages complex, multi-jurisdictional criminal cases and proactively investigates traditional criminal enterprises like organized crime and drug trafficking, as well as emerging criminal organizations such as street gangs. They prioritize the use of electronic surveillance to prosecute sophisticated criminal operations.
- Environmental Crimes Strike Force: This interagency unit prosecutes environmental crimes that harm the state’s environment or public health. Comprising prosecutors, environmental police, and experts from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Strike Force addresses violations ranging from illegal hazardous waste disposal to failures in reporting spills and asbestos mismanagement.
Government Bureau
- Trial Division: This division represents state entities, officials, and employees in litigation, particularly in contract disputes, real estate issues, torts, civil rights claims, employment disputes, and environmental damage claims. They also review state contracts, leases, and other legal documents for approval.
Public Protection Bureau
- Civil Rights Division: This division enforces state and federal anti-discrimination laws across employment, housing, education, healthcare, public accommodations, and more. They address discrimination based on race, origin, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, and disability. They also enforce the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, protecting individuals from bias-motivated violence and threats, and litigate issues related to freedoms of speech, religion, privacy, and reproductive rights.
- Health Care Division: Focused on consumer protection in healthcare, this division aims to improve healthcare access, quality, and affordability, while promoting public health. They investigate complaints against health insurers, providers, and pharmaceutical companies, litigating cases to protect consumer rights.
- Consumer Protection Division: Enforcing the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, this division investigates unfair and deceptive business practices. They act to stop these practices, secure restitution for consumers, and impose penalties, focusing on major consumer transactions like homes, cars, education, and healthcare, with a special emphasis on protecting vulnerable consumers from fraud.
- Environmental Protection Division: This division represents the Commonwealth in environmental litigation, both proactively enforcing environmental laws and defensively challenging regulatory actions. They also ensure state agencies comply with environmental laws under the Clean State initiative. Note: This division often prefers students with some background in environmental law.
headshot of Jim Tierney
Registering for the Clinic and Learning from an Expert
The Attorney General Clinic is available during the Fall, Winter, and Spring semesters. Detailed information about the clinical course requirements, credits, and registration can be found in the course catalog and related links. The Spring 2025 Early Drop Deadline is September 6, 2024.
The clinic is directed by Jim Tierney, a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Mr. Tierney brings extensive experience to the program, having taught courses on the role of state attorneys general since 2010 and directed this clinic. His background includes directing the National State Attorney General Program at Columbia Law School and serving as the Attorney General of Maine for a decade. He currently directs StateAG.org, a key educational resource on the office of state attorney general. Mr. Tierney’s deep involvement with the National Association of Attorneys General and his consultancy work for numerous Attorney General offices nationwide underscore his expertise in this field. His guidance offers students unparalleled insights into the realities of working as a government lawyer.
Conclusion: Launching Your Career as a Government Lawyer
The Government Lawyer: Attorney General Clinic at Harvard Law School provides a unique and impactful opportunity for students to explore a career as a government lawyer. By offering practical experience across diverse legal domains within Attorney General Offices, the clinic not only enhances students’ legal skills in research and writing but also provides a crucial understanding of public service law. Under the expert direction of Jim Tierney, participants gain invaluable insights and professional connections, setting a strong foundation for a successful and meaningful career as a government lawyer.
