Ohio Innocence Project Fellow, College of Law

Current UC employees must apply internally via SuccessFactors

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Job Overview

The Ohio Innocence Project at the College of Law, founded in 2003, harnesses the energy and intellect of law students to identify inmates in Ohio prisons who are innocent of the crimes they were convicted of. Under the guidance and supervision of clinical professors, they work on cases where individuals are claiming innocence of the crimes for which they were convicted. This is a 24-month position with the potential for extension subject to funding and needs of the Ohio Innocence Project.

Essential Functions

• Manage a caseload of up to several dozen files and work on all aspects of them from initial intake, investigation, and identification of cases appropriate for litigation.
• Draft post-conviction documents and appear in court for hearings and arguments.
• Supervise law student fellows.
• May provide direct and/or indirect supervision to exempt and non-exempt staff (i.e., hiring/firing, performance evaluations, disciplinary action, approve time off, etc.).
• Perform related duties based on departmental need. This job description can be changed at any time.

Required Education

• Professional Degree
• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or J.D. expected by June prior to start of fellowship.

Required Trainings/Certifications

Admission to the Ohio Bar or eligible to sit for the examination in July following start of fellowship.

Additional Qualifications Considered

• Experience with or coursework in innocence or post-conviction law.
• Prior experience working with an innocence organization, prosecutor, or criminal defense attorney.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Sitting - Often
• Walking - Often
• Talking - Often
• Repetitive hand motion (such as typing) - Often
• Hearing, listening - Often
• Standing - Often
• Stooping - Often
• Climbing stairs/ladders - Often
• Bending - Often
• Lifting - up to 20 pounds - Often
• Reaching overhead - Often
• Crouching - Seldom
• Kneeling, squatting - Seldom
• Lifting - up to 50 pounds - Seldom
• Pulling, pushing - Seldom

Compensation and Benefits

UC offers an exceptional benefits package designed to support your well-being, financial security, and work-life balance. (UC Benefits Link) Highlights include:

Comprehensive Tuition Remission

UC provides tuition remission for you and your eligible dependents, covering tuition costs for nearly all undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the university.

Robust Retirement Plans

As a UC employee, you won’t contribute to Social Security (except Medicare). Instead, you’ll choose between state pension plans (OPERS, STRS) or an Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP), with UC contributing 14–18% of your salary based on position.

Real Work-Life Balance

UC prioritizes work-life balance with a generous time-off policy, including:

Vacation and sick time

11 paid holidays and additional end-of-year paid time off (Winter Season Days)

6 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents

Additional Benefits Include:

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription)
• Flexible spending accounts & wellness programs
• Professional development & mentorship opportunities

To learn more about why UC is a great place to work, please visit our careers page at

UC is an E-Verify employer. If hired into this position, you will be required to provide satisfactory proof of employment eligibility by providing acceptable, original forms of identification for employment verification via the Federal I-9 employment verification process. A list of acceptable documents can be seen here:

Important : To apply you must create a profile and submit a complete job application through the UC applicant portal. We are unable to consider “easy apply” applications submitted via other websites. For questions about the UC recruiting process or to request accommodations with the application, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] .

Equal Opportunity Employer. Building a workplace where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, including Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans.

REQ: 100594

SF:OMJ SF:RM SF:HEJ, SF:INS SF:HERC SF:DIV SF:LJN SF:IHE