Full Job Posting: https://law.alaska.gov/department/jobs/fellow.html
The Andrew J. Kleinfeld Fellowship honors Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld, who served as a magistrate, District Court, and Ninth Circuit Judge from Fairbanks, Alaska. Judge Kleinfeld left a distinct imprint on the law and on those who clerked for him.
This position has a preferred placement in our Anchorage office, but other locations will be considered. The fellowship will last 24 months, with a mix of criminal and civil appellate practice. Fellows will work under the supervision of the Solicitor General.
Responsibilities
Kleinfeld Fellows will work directly under the State Solicitor General, assisting in appellate advocacy before appellate courts inside Alaska and outside the State. They will handle cases touching on statutory and constitutional interpretation, federalism, separation of powers, criminal law, and the State’s sovereign interests. The office will make all efforts to provide opportunities for oral argument, depending on case volume and availability.
The fellowship will be hands-on from day one. Fellows will brief real cases, contribute to oral argument preparation (with a chance to argue in appropriate cases), and receive close mentorship from the Solicitor General, the civil and criminal Deputy Solicitors, and other senior appellate attorneys. Like Judge Kleinfeld, they’ll learn to write cleanly, think precisely, and argue only what the text can bear.
Qualifications
Applicants should be finishing or recently completing an appellate clerkship—ideally from the Alaska Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, or another federal appellate court—and should bring a genuine interest in practicing in Alaska and a strong commitment to public service. In the spirit of Judge Kleinfeld’s own approach to hiring clerks, the Department seeks lawyers of high intelligence and broad education—well-rounded in history, economics, political science, literature, and the sciences. The fellowship is open to graduates of every law school; strong ability, not pedigree, matters most. Fellows should write and speak clearly about complex issues, approach the law with intellectual honesty, and bring the kind of good nature that makes teamwork enjoyable. Fellows must be licensed or willing to become licensed in Alaska.
Application Process
Please email application materials in PDF format to Kleinfeld.Fellowship@alaska.gov. Applicants should include:
- a resume;
- law school transcript;
- two letters of recommendation—preferably including one from a judge—or two letters of recommendation and an additional reference from a judge;
- one unedited writing sample; and
- a short letter describing their interest in Alaska and to the principles embodied by Judge Kleinfeld—clean and articulate advocacy and arguments grounded in statutes and the Constitution.
