Summer Clerkships - Farmworker Program

The Farmworker Program of Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) seeks clerks and/or externs for Summer 2026.

Background
LASO is a non-profit organization that represents low-income clients in civil cases. LASO’s eight regional offices serve the general low-income population throughout the state and two specialized statewide programs provide services to farmworkers and representation on Native American issues. LASO is an effective, high-quality legal services program that is committed to advocacy strategies having the broadest possible impact on client community problems. LASO is actively working to build an inclusive organizational culture that centers on racial equity. LASO is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a welcoming and culturally responsive environment for our staff and clients.

Positions
LASO is seeking law clerks for summer 2026. Farmworker Program clerkships are available in Salem and Hillsboro. LASO also offers clerkship opportunities in other programs and offices. For an up-to-date list of positions, please visit LASO’s employment page: https://lasoregon.org/employment/.

The typical work schedule is based on a 35-hour work week, Monday through Friday 9:00-5:00 with a one-hour lunch break. Work location can be in-office or could be partially remote. Extended remote and flexible work schedules may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Type of Legal Work
LASO’s Farmworker Program represents agricultural workers in cases that involve employment, housing, unemployment, and civil rights issues. Law clerks will work on many aspects of client services including outreach to labor camps and community organizations, legal research and writing, conducting client interviews, and drafting administrative complaints and pleadings.

Qualifications
Class standing of 1L or above at time of application. Proven interest in and commitment to advocacy for the legal rights of low-income and other vulnerable populations. Enthusiasm, creativity, good judgment, initiative, and willingness to work collaboratively. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to anti-bias principles, cultural competency and addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression. LASO has a hiring preference for bilingual candidates who speak English and Spanish or another language. For Farmworker Program positions, Spanish language proficiency is highly preferred.

Funding
The LASO Farmworker Program has secured funding for two fellowship positions through the Equal Justice Works Rural Summer Legal Corps. Fellows will receive $7,000 for 300 hours that can be completed between May-August 2025. Fellows also receive the opportunity to attend a two-day kick-off training in May in Washington D.C. before beginning their fellowships. More information about this program can be found here: https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/opportunities/rural-summer-legal-corps.

2026 RSLC Fellowship Project: Migrant and Seasonal Worker Anti-Retaliation Project

Fellows will help migrant and seasonal agricultural workers and workers living in labor camps in rural counties of Oregon access their legal rights and protections against retaliation. Agricultural workers face dangerous and unhealthy workplaces and housing, wage theft, and discrimination. While there are many legal protections in place to help combat these issues, migrant and seasonal workers often face the additional barrier of retaliation for exercising these rights. In recent years there have been several strengthened statutory anti-retaliation protections under Oregon law and under the federal H-2A Program, but many workers will lack access to these protections without additional support needed to meaningfully educate them about these new and existing rights and to help them exercise their rights. Fellows will help us gather information about workers’ experiences to create accessible educational materials about their rights, conduct intakes of impacted workers, assist in direct legal representation to help workers protect their rights, respond to retaliation, and educate migrant workers in rural areas on best practices to protect their workplace rights.

Closing Date
Positions open until filled. Review of resumes to begin January 5, 2026, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. LASO will also be collecting resumes at the Northwest Public Service Career Fair. To apply there, see instructions here: https://law.lclark.edu/nwconsortium/nw-public-service-career-fair/. Registration closes January 14, 2026, and materials are due there by January 20, 2026.

Application
To apply, submit a resume and cover letter, which includes your response to the supplemental question below. Please also note if you are bilingual in Spanish and/or another language and describe your level of competency.

Please send your application materials to:

[email protected], Attn: Paloma Dale, Supervising Attorney

If you require reasonable accommodation for a disability during the application/hiring process, please contact Trisha Baier: [email protected]

Supplemental question
Please provide a written response to the following question and submit it as part of your application materials. Limit response to 500 words.

LASO is committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon. Our client communities include people of color, farmworkers, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. It is essential to our mission that we also work to create an inclusive and respectful workplace environment in which differences are acknowledged and valued. How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to: (1) serve our diverse client communities effectively, (2) work effectively with colleagues from backgrounds different than your own, (3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients face, and (4) contribute to our efforts to achieve racial justice? Feel free to provide examples and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences in your response.

We celebrate diversity
LASO is committed to being an organization that reflects the communities we serve and is diverse in race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities, work background, experience and education. We believe that the outcome of such diversity is our greatest strength and a matter of basic human fairness. It is to this end that we strongly encourage applications from people of color and people from any other underrepresented and historically marginalized group to apply for this position.