Legal Director, Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice (5258C), Berkeley Law #86589

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic, and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our,, and.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

The UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, housed at Berkeley Law, works to establish equity and fairness in the marketplace. Through research, advocacy, policy, and teaching, the Center strives to apply robust consumer protection laws in places, and among people, where those laws haven't been used before, and to create a society in which economic, racial and social justice are available to all. The Center believes that building economic justice means developing and enforcing laws that fight fraud and deception, that protect low-income communities and communities of color, and that promote financial security and empowerment. Our activities always highlight the interests and experiences of vulnerable consumers, including immigrants, survivors of domestic violence & elder abuse, people impacted by the criminal legal system, and others.

Contributing to policy making by federal and state legislatures and regulatory agencies has long been a priority for the Center's work. In recent years the Center and our affiliates have supported a range legislation in California and elsewhere promoting economic justice, including:

• Expanding the rights of student loan borrowers, survivors of domestic violence and elder financial abuse, low-income homeowners seeking clean energy improvements, and tenants;
• Protecting consumers in debt collection and foreclosure proceedings by curbing the ability of creditors to garnish wages, issue bank levies, or seek foreclosure;
• Removing the effect of eviction proceedings and medical debt on credit reports;
• Safeguarding personal data and consumer privacy from third-party data brokers and credit reporting agencies;
• Eliminating opaque and hidden "junk fees" in most consumer products and services, including residential rentals and state-chartered banks;
• Creating California's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation; and
• Expanding access to the court system for low-income consumers, including by overhauling the system for assuring effective service of process.

Position Summary

The Legal Director will be responsible for drafting amicus briefs, working with counsel, writing regulatory comments, supervising law students, and generally advancing the cause of economic justice in the courts and agencies of every level of government throughout the U.S., including especially California.

The Legal Director will also help to coordinate the CLASS (Consumer Law Advocates, Scholars, & Students) Network, a nationwide consortium dedicated to promoting consumer rights and economic justice programs in law schools around the United States and beyond. The CLASS Network has helped build and support programs at dozens of law schools, including assisting in the creation of first-ever courses in Consumer Protection Law offered at numerous schools, developing and fostering new clinics and student organizations, and providing the chance for law students to work on shared research projects requested by nonprofit, legal aid, and governmental agencies around the country.

The Legal Director will also be involved with the full range of the Center's activities, from arranging conferences to delivering presentations and testimony to spurring the development of consumer protection law across the country and the world.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is June 23, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Responsibilities

In collaboration with the Executive Director and the Center team, the Legal Director has the following responsibilities:

Legal and Policy Analysis

• Leads the research, analysis, and drafting of amicus briefs in appellate courts across California and the United States, addressing complex issues in consumer protection and economic justice.
• Develops and submits regulatory comments in federal and state rulemaking proceedings, translating legal research into policy-relevant recommendations.
• Identifies emerging legal and policy trends; formulates strategic responses to influence the development of consumer law.

Operational and Program Management

• Oversees the legal and programmatic operations of the Center's initiatives, including amicus briefing, regulatory advocacy, and national network activities.
• Manages multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines, ensuring timely and high-quality outcomes.
• Develops and implements processes to support coordination, collaboration, and program effectiveness across initiatives.

Student Mentorship and Research Leadership

• Works closely with students, including law student fellows who formally report to the Executive Director, by providing mentorship, guidance, and support in connection with Center initiatives and programs, such as the Consumer Protection Public Policy Order (C3PO).
• Oversees student-led research projects conducted in partnership with external organizations, ensuring high-quality legal analysis and deliverables.
• May supervise student assistants.

Network Coordination and Engagement

• Coordinates the Consumer Law Advocates, Scholars & Students (CLASS) Network, a nationwide consortium of law schools, faculty, students, and practitioners.
• Serves as a primary liaison to external stakeholders, including non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), legal aid organizations, and regulatory agencies, ensuring effective coordination across geographically dispersed partners.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Works closely with faculty, students, nonprofit leaders, and government attorneys to advance programmatic and policy goals.
• Represents the Center in public forums, including conferences, presentations, and legislative or regulatory testimony.
• Communicates complex legal and policy concepts clearly to diverse audiences, including academic, professional, and public stakeholders.

Program Leadership and Strategy

• Provides strategic direction for legal advocacy initiatives, including long-term planning for impact litigation and regulatory engagement aimed at shaping the evolution of consumer protection law.
• Designs and implements innovative programs to expand consumer law education and advocacy, including launching new academic offerings and clinics at law schools nationwide.
• Addresses complex, non-routine challenges requiring creative problem-solving, including building support for new legal programs in institutions without existing consumer law infrastructure.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of consumer protection law or related field(s), administrative law, and experience with the regulatory process at state and/or federal levels.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all levels of staff, students, and external partners, both verbally and in writing.
• Exceptional legal research, analytical, and persuasive writing skills, particularly in drafting appellate briefs and regulatory comments.
• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Strong project and program management skills, including the ability to lead complex, multi-institutional initiatives with competing deadlines.
• Thorough knowledge of and/or ability to learn organizational or initiative processes, protocols and procedures.
• Strategic planning skills, including the ability to help design long-term initiatives that influence legal and policy outcomes.
• Advanced problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop creative and strategic solutions to novel legal and programmatic challenges.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of autonomy while managing multiple high-impact projects.
• Ability to form and maintain strong working relationships across a broad spectrum of people and organizations.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and adapt to evolving legal, policy, and organizational priorities.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and work effectively with individuals and groups from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• Demonstrated commitment and/or ability to demonstrate how to foster an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes collaboration and mutual respect among all members of the UC Berkeley community and its stakeholders.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage with and understand individuals from varied academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to supervise, train, and evaluate student work to ensure high-quality legal analysis and deliverables.
• Demonstrated experience researching and drafting amicus and/or appellate briefs.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing consumer rights, economic justice, and public interest law.
• Experience in and/or knowledge of Consumer Protection Law or related field(s).

Education / Training

• Advanced degree in Law, such as a Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M), and/or equivalent experience/training.

Licenses / Certifications

• Admission to at least one state bar.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience preparing and submitting regulatory comments in state and/or federal rulemaking proceedings.
• Admission to the State Bar of California.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the