{"id":25,"date":"2015-06-05T20:19:55","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T20:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/?page_id=25"},"modified":"2025-09-08T13:20:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T13:20:31","slug":"join-defenders","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/for-students\/join-defenders\/","title":{"rendered":"Join Defenders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvard Defenders is the only legal service organization in Massachusetts that represents low-income defendants for free in criminal show-cause hearings. Each year, we represent clients accused of a wide variety of crimes, including assault and battery, larceny, shoplifting, assault with a dangerous weapon, criminal harassment, and identity fraud. In addition, Defenders works to seal clients\u2019 CORIs (criminal record), which helps people regain access to social services, jobs, and housing. For those with legal issues not related to show-cause hearings, Defenders\u2019 full-time telephone referral service helps callers understand their legal needs and directs them to other legal service agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2025 Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for your interest in Harvard Defenders! Please submit your Application<\/a> by Thursday, September 18th <\/strong>at 11:59pm EST at the latest. Please consider submitting before the deadline if you are able; interviews begin on Monday, September 15th<\/strong>. If you have any questions, please email hdefenderspresident@gmail.com<\/a>, using the subject line “Defenders Application Question” – we look forward to reviewing your application!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note<\/strong>: Our application is only open to 1Ls, 2Ls, and LLM students. If you have\/will have any involvement in the Prosecution or Attorney General Clinics, this is considered a conflict of interest, and unfortunately, we cannot accept your application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Working with Harvard Defenders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Harvard Defenders provides first, second, and third year Harvard Law students with an invaluable opportunity to engage in direct, hands-on legal advocacy. Working in small groups, students participate in all stages of case development including case intake, interviewing clients, witnesses, police officers, and victims, conducting legal research, visiting the scene of the incident, and participating at the final hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to representing clients, students gain experience running a non-profit organization \u2014 a unique feature of student practice organizations. Defenders gives students the opportunity to become involved in all aspects of daily administrative and managerial operations, including conducting annual recruiting initiatives, overseeing the intake and management of cases, developing trainings, and actively participating in a wide range of community outreach projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvard Defenders accepts a varying number of new members each fall through an interview process. All 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls and LLMs are welcome to interview. Throughout the year, students work with an assigned team of approximately ten students who meet once a week with Defenders\u2019 clinical instructor, John Salsberg, to discuss cases. In addition, students must complete one hour of intake each week. This involves answering phone calls from potential clients and directing callers with legal issues outside the scope of show-cause hearings to other legal service agencies. Members are also expected to attend periodic training sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about Defenders, please email us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harvard Defenders is the only legal service organization in Massachusetts that represents low-income defendants for free in criminal show-cause hearings. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":0,"parent":24,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/defenders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}