Legal Fellow

Summary

Join the Wikimedia Foundation's legal fellowship program for an immersive in-house experience focusing on internet law and free knowledge. Fellows will work on challenging projects, ranging from legal research to drafting agreements and developing policies, under the supervision of a Legal Department attorney. The program offers individualized projects, opportunities for academic credit, and a collaborative work environment. The ideal candidate possesses strong research skills, excellent writing abilities, and a passion for free knowledge and open source issues. Successful applicants will have completed coursework in relevant areas of law, though it is not strictly required.

Requirements

• Demonstrate high energy for and commitment to the Wikimedia Foundation's free knowledge mission, including an interest in free culture issues, digital rights, open source software, Creative Commons licensing, etc
• Possess a good sense of humor and the ability to excel in a fast-paced, multitasking environment that demands fast turn-arounds
• Exhibit intellectual curiosity and flexibility to enjoy tackling difficult and ambiguous problems in creative ways
• Have the ability to flourish in a highly transparent and collaborative environment and work on a team with diverse demographic and cultural characteristics
• Possess excellent writing skills adaptable to communicate complex legal concepts to a large audience with varying (or no) backgrounds in law

Responsibilities

• Research various legal questions
• Draft licensing agreements
• Develop internal and external policies
• Spearhead individualized projects under the supervision of an attorney
• Attend and participate in internal and external meetings
• Collaborate on projects with supervising attorney
• Receive feedback and support from supervising attorney
• Learn about the practical dimensions of practicing law in-house at a web-based company

Preferred Qualifications

• Have a strong research background
• Have experience working with large online user communities (or at least the desire to)
• Have experience with wikis or Wikimedia projects
• Be multilingual
• Have experience and/or coursework in drafting agreements and/or policies
• Have completed coursework in internet law, freedom of expression (domestic and international), intellectual property, contract drafting, international law, privacy, data security, and/or licensing

Benefits

• The Legal Department will work with a fellow's university to facilitate earning academic credits and/or receiving funding for the fellow's time at the Wikimedia Foundation
• Competitive salary (US$34/hour to US$53/hour for US-based applicants, adjusted for other countries)