WSJ's Law Blog reports that while the price of private loans is likely to increase, government-backed loans are safe.
On Monday, in a move that left colleges scrambling, Wachovia said it was limiting the access of nearly 1,000 colleges to $9.3 billion the bank has held for them in a short-term investment fund. So what’s next for loan-seeking law students? (continue reading).
Interested in pursuing summer clerkship or permanent opportunities with prosecutor and/or public defender offices? Make sure to check PSLawNet's Prosecutor/Public Defender Resource Page.
In a recent piece in The American Lawyer, Nate Raymond explores whether the recent downturn in the economy will adversely affect the legal profession's commitment to pro bono:
R. Bruce McLean still shakes his head when he thinks about how his firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, derailed its pro bono program in 2000. Firms across the country had increased associate salaries to $125,000. Akin Gump had generally allowed associates to mix pro bono with the minimum 2,000 billable hours needed to be eligible for a bonus. But after the raises, it stopped counting pro bono work -- all 2,000 hours would have to be billable. (Continue reading).
The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center extends its deepest gratitude to all students who performed pro bono work during the 2007-2008 academic year. 245 students logged over 11,500 pro bono hours and 60 3Ls received graduation recognition for their contribution to the Pro Bono Program during their three years of Law School.
Please join us in congratulating the following individuals who deserve special recognition for meeting the requirements of the Pro Bono Challenge:
Class of 2008: Download 3l_certificate_flyer_2008.pdf
Class of 2009: Download 2l_certificate_flyer_2008.pdf
Class of 2010: Download 1l_certificate_flyer_2008.pdf
Final Statistics for the 2007-2008 Academic Year
Total Number of Students who Logged Hours: 245
Hours Logged by Class of 2008: 4,184
Hours Logged by Class of 2009: 3,138
Hours Logged by Class of 2010: 4,268
Total Number of Hours Logged: 11,590
Number of 3Ls who logged 75+ hours during their three years: 60
Number of 2Ls who logged 50+ hours during their first two years:49
Number of 1Ls who logged 25+ hours during their first year: 89
Creative Commons photo of Lady Justice courtesy of flickr user Cam B.
Our friends at Equal Justice Works alerted us to Steven Luther's video. Luther, a law student, won the Access Group's $10,000 "One Les Worry Contest." His video raises the dilemma that thousands of law students have each year: whether to work at a law firm earning a huge salary or to spend an entire summer with a public interest organization to work on an issue/s they care deeply about. Five finalists were also awarded honorable mention prizes in the amount of $1500.
PILA's website has a terrific overview on the organization's summer fellowships. Other sources of funding available at the law school are listed here (including the Virginia Loan Forgiveness Program).
The PMF Program is a federal government fellowship sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
for graduate students from various academic disciplines (law, master's, or doctoral-level degree) who expect to graduate during the 2008-2009 academic year, and who seek a two-year paid fellowship with a federal government agency. Essentially, this means 3Ls, LLMs, and SJD candidates (please note US citizenship requirements). The application for the 2009 program is expected to will begin on Wednesday, October 1, and will end on Wednesday, October 15, 2008.* [THE APPLICATION IS NOW OPEN -- OCTOBER 1].
Traditionally, agencies that have hired PMFs have included the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Library of Congress, NASA and USAID. Following the conclusion of the two year fellowship, PMFs usually have the opportunity to convert their fellowship into a full-time permanent position.
Fellows are hired by the federal agencies and are given exposure to domestic and international issues in such areas as public administration, technology, science, criminal justice, health and financial management, to name a few.
How to Apply to the Program
OPM expects that the application period will begin on October 1, 2008 (please note that in recent years, the application has been delayed).
Application begins with an online application using PMF's Application page or via USAJOBS. Applicants should also simultaneously e-mail the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center (here) to formally request to be nominated to the program. All you need is to submit your updated resume along with a Nomination Form that will be available once the application goes live.
We will then contact you to set up a brief meeting between October 16 and 30. The deadline to request to be nominated for the program is October 15, 2008, at 5:00PM. Please note that the designated official for Virginia Law is Dean Mahoney; however, initial approvals will be made by the Public Service Center.
Additional information on the application process is available on the PMF Program website -- follow links to the How to Apply page. There, you will find a very helpful FAQ page, the application, a guide on how to prepare for the assessment.
Key Dates*
October 1, 2008: Online application opened opens (this is the latest information)
October 15: Deadline to submit online applications
October 31: UVA Law submits your nomination
January 2009: Nominees complete assessments
Late-Feb. to mid-March, 2009: Nominees notifies of their selection as finalists
Spring 2009: Job Fair; agencies hire finalists
* These dates are subject to change. We will do our best to update the above information as soon as we hear from the program. If you have questions about the application process, feel free to contact us or the PMF Program in DC at (202) 606-1040, or pmf@opm.gov.
Please join the Human Rights Program, ACLU-UVaLaw, PILA, and the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center for a presentation by Hina Shamsi, Esq., staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project, who will discuss opportunities in national security and human rights.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
3:15-4:15 p.m.
WB103
As a staff attorney for the ACLU, Shamsi’s focus includes the freedoms of speech and association, torture, detention, and fair trial practices. She co-teaches a seminar on international human rights advocacy at Columbia Law School. Before joining the staff of the ACLU, Shamsi was Deputy Director and Senior Counsel of Human Rights First’s Law & Security Program.
Hira Shamsi’s presentation follows a larger panel discussion of the impact of the decision in Boumediene v. Bush at 11:45 a.m. in the Caplin Pavilion. The event, sponsored by the Human Rights Program and the JAG Legal Center and School, will feature Shamsi, Col. Bruce Pagel, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Office of Military Commissions of the U.S. Army, and David Martin, Warner-Booker Distinguished Professor of International Law at the University of Virginia School of Law.
All classes are welcome. Questions about this presentation should be directed to Professor Deena Hurwitz or Whitney Price (wp8c) at the Public Service Center.
Professor Deena Hurwitz urgently needs a student(s) that have either experience and/or a level of comfort with checking international law cites, to assist on a project she is working on with the Center for Reproductive Rights. 
Project: Cite-check an amicus brief for the Kenyan High Court with regards to Kenya female genital mutilation.
Background: The Center has drafted and will submit an amicus brief to a Kenyan court to support an ongoing litigation. This case was identified during the fact-finding process that led to the publication of ‘Failure to Deliver’, a report about violation of women’s rights in Kenyan health facilities. The two main legal issues that are addressed in the amicus brief are:
(a) state responsibility for the wrongful acts of private actors,
(b) states’ obligation to provide the right to effective remedy and reparation.
Deadline: This project must be completed by Friday morning, October 3, at the latest.
Students interested in volunteering for this project should send an e-mail to lawprobono@virginia.edu stating their interest and their resume.
This project satisfies the 75-hour Pro Bono Challenge.
The University of Virginia Art Museum is seeking a research assistant to support the museum attorney reviewing museum collection policies and procedures. This is an ideal project for a student interested in transactional law.
Est. number of hours: 5-10 per week
School year of student requested: 2L or 3L
The supervisor states a preference for a student with course work in nonprofit law.
If you are interested in volunteering for this project, please send a resume to lawprobono@virginia.edu.
While we highly encourage students to volunteer, please note that hours for this project will not qualify for the purposes of the 75 hour Pro Bono Challenge.
Washington, D.C. presents an astounding array of opportunities for law students and law graduates who wish to join the ranks of those working on Capitol Hill. Lawyers serve in some of the most important positions and at some of the highest levels in Congress. Often, the most difficult task in obtaining one of these highly coveted positions is simply knowing where to begin.
This post attempts to provide a brief summary of resources and information that will help Virginia Law students and graduates find summer internship and permanent employment opportunities in the legislative branch of the federal government. As noted in our previous posting, the quickest way to obtain a legal position in Congress is through personal contacts. When such contacts are not available, however, there are other points of entry into the legislative realm for those determined to obtain positions on the Hill.
A Few Quick Notes
(1) Students who have decided to pursue summer internship opportunities and do not have prior Hill experience or personal contacts should immediately review Internships for Law Students, an online resource available on the Public Service Center homepage (Employment Resources - Law Web log-in required, password to database provided). Once you sign-in, scroll down to the Congressional Internships 2007-2009 database. This highly invaluable resource provides hiring information for more than 250 members of Congress in 43 states. The database includes information on the type of work available, stipend availability, application procedures, deadlines, and more. Internships for Law Students is a great place to start for law students who seek summer internships; however, students should not rely solely on this resource.
(2) Please take a moment to read our recent interviews with 2Ls Susan Edwards and Gretchen Adelson. Edwards and Adelson graciously agreed to answer a few questions about their recent experience working on the Hill and provided interesting insight and remarks on 
navigating the application process.
(3) Congress is currently considering legislation that would create a total of twelve new clerkships for law graduates in the Senate and House of Representatives. The clerks would serve one-year terms and be compensated at the same rate as judicial law clerks employed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Earlier this month, the House passed the bill, and it is now being considered in the Senate. So do keep your eye on H.R. 6475 over the next few months.
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3Ls and graduates often start their careers on the Hill by applying directly to Members’ personal offices. Applications for internships and clerkships with Members of Congress or Committees, including the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, are considered through Members' personal offices. Prior experience on Capitol Hill is often critical to obtaining these highly competitive positions, and those without prior Hill experience frequently obtain such experience while in law school or immediately following graduation.
The Senate
To start your search, consult the Senate Placement Office's website and fill out a Senate Employment 
Application Form. The Placement Office maintains a resume bank of individuals seeking Senate employment, referring the resumes of suitable candidates when a Senate office requests assistance filling a position. To complete the Senate employment registration process, candidates are also encouraged to undertake informational interviews. Informational interviews are conducted on a walk-in basis between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is important to note that an applicant must be available for employment within two weeks of the time of his or her informational interview.
The Senate Placement Office also releases a weekly Employment Bulletin as a resource for Senate offices wishing to advertise staff vacancies. Updated copies are posted online on Friday evenings, and applicants are encouraged to respond directly to vacancy announcements. You may also wish to contact individual Senate offices directly to set up informational interviews, especially with the offices of Senators from your home state and those sitting on committees of interest.
The House of Representatives
Although there is not an exact counterpart to the Senate Placement Office on the House side, when applying to House positions, the same rules generally apply. Contact Members of Congress in your home state and check for Members who sit on committees of interest to you. The American Bar Association released a short step-by-step guide for contacting individual offices (entitled How to Find a Job on the Hill). The posting also includes great follow-up and interviewing tips.
The House Employment Opportunities website also suggests contacting the House job line at (202) 226-4504 for further information on congressional openings.
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The Library of Congress presents a wonderful point of entry into the legislative realm for those interested in building the relationships and developing the issue expertise that are so integral to securing a top-notch position on the Hill. For an overview of the various departments, visit the LOC website. In addition, current vacancies at the LOC are updated daily and ranked by application deadline.
Do not be deterred from applying to these positions if you do not have prior Hill experience. Every person who works on the Hill started somewhere, and getting your foot in the door with a lower-level position can eventually lead to more coveted, higher-responsibility positions in the legislative branch or in other federal government agencies. Graduate degrees and particular areas of expertise are highly valued, and applicants may find that sparse Hill experience does not present a marked shortfall. The University of California-Berkeley has a short rundown of a few positions commonly listed in House and Senate vacancy announcements, as well as some other ideas for getting your foot in the door.
Here in Charlottesville, the Miller Center of Public Affairs, presents an interesting networking opportunity for students. Each year, some of the most influential officials from all branches of the federal government are invited to participate in the Center's diverse academic, public, and policy programs. Students may volunteer at the Center to assist with its programmatic and operational needs and work directly with its scholars and staff. Virginia Law students who have interned at the Center have succeeded in making important contacts in Washington, including with Congressional leaders.
As mentioned above, valuable experience is critical to building a Capitol-Hill-ready resume. Thus, obtaining employment in the executive branch may be one alternative avenue to explore before making the move to Capitol Hill. For advice on pursuing this career path, see our recent blog on lawyers in the executive branch. Executive branch work not only provides tremendous legal and policymaking experience, but also begins to populate that network of contacts so critical to advancement in Washington. As the largest employer in the federal government, the executive branch provides a diverse array of opportunities for those just starting out in the nation's capital. Many DCites move back and forth from one branch to the other during their careers in Washington.
It should also be noted that law graduates often develop valuable expertise by working for a law firm after graduation. Although graduates who join the private sector have to work that much harder than executive branch or other federal employees to build a network of Capitol Hill contacts, law firm jobs have proven successful entry points for many law graduates looking to transition into the public sector. For additional information on starting out in the private sector, visit the Career Services homepage.
Finally, consider volunteering for a candidate running for public office. Working on a campaign, especially during an election year, will help you establish valuable contacts within the party and the state, as well as provide interesting, worthwhile experience that may help catch that wandering staffer’s eye. Volunteering a few hours of your time over the next few months could certainly lead to more exciting opportunities down the road.
We hope the above gives you a good starting point. As always, we are available to meet with you if you would like to explore opportunities on the Hill. We're available at publicservicelaw@virginia.edu.
Creative Commons photo of Capitol Hill courtesy of flickr user vgm8383.
Photograph of Senator John Warner, R-VA (UVA Law 1953).
Photograph of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee , D-TX (UVA Law 1975).
What position(s) have you held in the legislative branch?
Legislative Aide, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Legislative Correspondent, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
What were your primary responsibilities?
Research policy ideas; draft legislation in conjunction with the Senate's Legislative Counsel; write letters in response to constituents; write persuasive letters to executive branch agencies; attend and staff the Senator at Finance Committee hearings; assist the writing and editing of press releases and press event talking points; answer constituent phone inquiries; meet with advocacy, lobbying, and constituent groups concerning health, education, welfare and Rules Committee issues; intern coordinator.
Why did you choose to take a position in the legislative branch?
Capitol Hill seemed like the "center" of politics and policymaking in Washington, D.C., and I hoped to learn and understand the political and legislative processes. Also, the Hill is fast-paced and highly interactive, and that appealed to me and seemed to suit my personality well.
What was your career path prior to obtaining your position?
I graduated from undergrad in 2004, and for about 14 months after graduation, I worked at a health policy non-profit/research organization called AcademyHealth. I was a research assistant there, working primarily with health economists. I learned a great deal about the intricacies of health policy, namely Medicare and Medicaid, while working as a research assistant at AcademyHealth, but I found the job to be rather solitary, and hoped to find a job that was more interactive. When I expressed this to my boss/mentor at Academy Health, she suggested I look for a job on Capitol Hill and helped me set up a few informational interviews in order for me to get my foot in the door. I also worked as an intern for two years for the C. Everett Koop Institute, founded by the former Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, while at Dartmouth as an undergrad.
Are there skills or knowledge that you found particularly valuable in your position?
It was helpful that I had a little substantive background in health policy; that background helped me better understand the legislative and regulatory issues our office confronted. Good writing skills were important in the office, and being able to distill a complex issue into a paragraph was also incredibly helpful in order to explain issues to the Senator in either a memo or in person. Most importantly, however, was the ability to perform well under pressure, and to efficiently multi-task. The Senate office where I worked was incredibly fast-paced, and staff members were expected to turn around tasks very quickly, even while working on other projects/tasks.
Can you give a brief overview of the process you went through to secure your job?
While looking for a job on Capitol Hill, I set up a number of informational interviews with various House and Senate offices and also submitted my resume to the Senate Placement Office. In addition, the Senate Placement Office releases an employment bulletin once a week with jobs available in various Senate offices. I would occasionally apply to jobs listed on this bulletin that appealed to me. However, it is important to emphasize the value of informational interviews and the informal process; it seemed to me that most Capitol Hill staffers are hired not through a formal process, but very informally, based on connections. For me, Senator Schumer's office interview process consisted of two interviews, one with the Legislative Director and a Legislative Assistant, and one with the Chief of Staff. The Senator occasionally interviews staffers himself in a third interview. I also completed a "writing test."
Do you have any advice on navigating the job application process?
Be persistent, and don't be discouraged if it takes time to find a job to your liking. Also, if you're looking for a job on Capitol Hill, it is important that you are in D.C. pounding the pavement. Sometimes you will interview with an office and the office will request you start working the next week or month. It can be a very fast process.
Are there positions that you noticed in the legislative branch that had a particularly legal bent?
The Legislative Counsel for both the House and the Senate actually draft bills for House and Senate Members. These positions require legal training. Staff members for the Judiciary Committee face many legal issues, and most are attorneys, except for the junior staffers. A number of Senator Schumer's legislative staff members had law degrees, but it wasn't a requirement. Many of the committee staff members had legal degrees.
Did the majority of your colleagues complete post-graduate work?
Yes, about half had completed post-graduate work in the law.
Is there a hierarchy of positions based on your level of experience on the Hill?
Yes, most certainly. Most personal offices have a Chief of Staff and Legislative Director who "run" the office; then legislative staff and press staff usually have two tiers of staffers, the more senior and the more junior.
Is Hill experience or professional experience more valued by Congressional offices and committees?
In my opinion, Hill experience is more highly valued. However, that is not to deter someone who has never worked on the Hill from doing so; there were a few attorneys in my old office who had only worked in the private sector or non-profits.
Are there any certain courses or legal experience that you think would be helpful to a legislative branch applicant?
Prior work experience or legal experience working for the legislative branch; if you are interested in a Committee position, perhaps courses relevant to the Committee's work would be helpful, or would at least provide you with demonstrated interest in the subject matter.
How important are Hill contacts to the process? Do you have any advice on how to expand one's network of contacts?
Very important. However, most Capitol Hill staffers are very willing to meet with individuals who reach out to them to request an informational interview. Often that can lead to more informational interviews, etc.
Do you have any advice on next steps for those who don't secure a position, at least initially, with a member of Congress or a Committee?
If you remain interested, be persistent; consider working for a non-profit and executive branch agency. People lateral over to Capitol Hill all the time, and from a wide variety of previous positions; Senator Schumer's Chief Counsel worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the SDNY, for example.
Interviewed by student assistant Whitney Price, 2L. Photograph by Whitney Price.
What position(s) have you held in the legislative branch?
Legislative Assistant on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. I worked under Ranking Member Sarbanes from July 2005 through December 2006 and for Chairman Dodd from January 2007 until June 2007.
What was your career path prior to obtaining your position?
I worked on the Kerry campaign for a few months, and I spent a few months working for a political consultant. I enjoyed both but I wanted to do something more substantive.
Why did you choose to take a position in the legislative branch?
I wanted to do something substantive and policy-related, and I wanted to work for a Member who focused on issues of economic justice.
What were your primary responsibilities?
Supporting senior staff through research on committee portfolio. This included banking and consumer credit law, privacy, data breach, private student lending, monetary policy, international finance, money laundering, and terrorism finance.
Are there skills or knowledge that you found particularly valuable in your position?
To do well on the Hill, you need an ability to juggle various assignments at once and know how to best prioritize those assignments. In my case, I was working for various senior staff. I also think that for my position – which involved editing memos, floor statements, legislation, etc. – an attention to detail is crucial.
Can you give a brief overview of the process you went through to secure your job?
It was a pretty extensive interviewing process. I heard about the position through a friend who used to work on the Hill – she thought it would be a good fit for me. When the position opened up, I sent my materials to the legislative assistant who I ultimately succeeded.
Do you have any advice on navigating the job application process?
I think prior Hill experience helps a lot. Fortunately for me, I had interned on the Hill during college in two capacities (as an intern for Senator Stabenow in her D.C. office and for Senator Boxer in her San Francisco office). I think setting up informational interviews can help (e.g., through friends of friends), because that person will have you in mind should he/she spot an opening. As with any position, it is good to have some point of contact.
It is important to keep an open mind, but, nonetheless, to make sure you are true to your ideological posture. When you work on the Hill, you are inevitably going to be working for a political figure, and I think it is a much more satisfying experience if that political figure shares a similar ideology as you. At the same time, it is important to keep an open mind in other areas. For example, you might want to work for a more senior member of the Senate, but if you are working for a more junior member of the House, you may be afforded more responsibility early on, and that is much more important than obtaining a senior position in a senior body.
As far as mechanics, first, you have to figure out what position you want – do you want to work in the press shop? On legislative issues? Then, you can look in the Senate Bulletin (posted online), and the House has one available as well. Oftentimes these postings won’t identify who the member is. They usually indicate what region the Member represents – a lot of times it helps if you are from that region. Members are generally more inclined to hire people from their own districts and/or own states. Finally, when you apply to jobs on the Hill, you may have to apply for a lot of jobs – there is a high demand for Hill jobs – at all levels.
Are there positions that you noticed in the legislative branch that had a particularly legal bent?
Most clearly, counsel for a Committee or a personal office. Counsels on my Committee had non-legal duties as well (e.g. drafting hearing statements, floor statements, meeting with various interest groups, the administration, advocacy groups). The legal aspects of a counsel’s position include drafting legislation and drafting amendments.
Did the majority of your colleagues complete post-graduate work?
There are a lot of law graduates on the Hill. Most of the senior staff on my Committee were attorneys. Almost everyone on my staff had some kind of graduate degree.
Is there a hierarchy of positions based on your level of experience on the Hill?
Post-graduate degrees will get you through the door. Once you’re on the Hill, moving up will depend on timing, and how well you do on the Hill. A lot of times, vertical moves within an office are based on political swings, whether it be retirement of members or changeover of who has the majority. So, some of it is out of your control. Let’s say there’s a legislative assistant who covers health care and staffs her Member on the HELP Committee; say that Member moves up to be Chairman of the HELP Committee due to retirement of members and changeover of the majority – that legislative assistant might very well become the staff director of the HELP Committee.
Is Hill experience or professional experience more valued by Congressional offices and committees?
Both are important. Also issue area experience is valued. If you are looking for a position on the Finance Committee, and you worked for a tax or trade think tank or NGO, that is obviously going to help you, because that Committee’s jurisdiction focuses on tax and trade. Hill experience, educational background, professional experience, and regional ties are the four factors that will probably help you the most in securing a Hill job. It’s also a lot about luck. Making a connection with who interviews you (i.e., maybe you went to the same undergraduate university), as with any position, helps tremendously.
Are there any certain courses or legal experience that you think would be helpful to a legislative branch applicant?
To be honest, I don’t know if employers on the Hill look at course selection, but I would imagine a legislative drafting course, a statutory interpretation class (e.g. Legislation) or a statutory-based course that centers on an area of expertise that the Committee/Member has in its/her portfolio (e.g., take Immigration if you are seeking a position on the Judiciary Committee).
Is there something law students and graduates could be doing in their current careers (or with their summers) to help secure one of these positions, especially if they do not have experience on Capitol Hill?
Intern on the Hill. If you are out of law school, working in the public sector may help, because a Hill employer might want to make sure that a candidate is financially ready to work in the public sector. Also, volunteering for a Member’s campaign would be helpful, because it would allow you to meet people who work in that Member’s office or are affiliated with the candidate.
How important are Hill contacts to the process? Do you have any advice on how to expand one's network of contacts?
This is especially important on the Hill, because if you have a contact, you might be the first to hear about a position. You might end up getting an explicit or implicit endorsement of that staff member. The Hill is driven by people. You have people (i.e., staffers) working for people (i.e., Members) who are working for people (i.e., constituents). So, having your resume passed on by someone may be even more helpful than having spectacular grades or the ideal work experience.
In terms of making contacts, it really helps to live in D.C., simply because you meet Hill staffers all the time (through work, socially). But you have to be careful when making new contacts: you don’t want to give them the impression that you are only interested in them because they work on the Hill. I have definitely gotten that impression.
Do you have any advice on next steps for those who don’t secure a position, at least initially, with a member of Congress or a Committee?
Just keep trying. A lot of this has to do with timing, luck, who happens to see your resume, and who you happen to interview with. A lot of times it takes people a year to find a Hill job, and sometimes it takes people a week. If you are not getting a lot of bites, try sending your resume to contacts on the Hill to see if there is anything you can include or exclude – Hill staffers generally have a good idea about what stands out on resumes.
Interviewed by Whitney Price, 2L. Photograph by Whitney Price.
The VCRRC is currently working on creating a comprehensive database of all past and present capital cases in Virginia. In order to complete this project in a timely manner, as to distribute it to all of the regional Capital Defender Offices in Virginia, we need volunteers to assist in gathering the data from case files. The objective for each student would be to complete at least one case file while working with the VCRRC.
Required Completion Date: Spring 2009
Est. Number of Hours per week: 2-5
Number of Students Requested: 6-10
If you are interested in participating in this project, please send a resume to lawprobono@virginia.edu.
The International Human Rights Law Institute is looking for student volunteers to assist with two projects; the Iraq History Project, and the Current Violations in Iraq Project.
For more information on the IHRLI and either of the projects, please see the following attached description: Download ihrli_project_description.doc
Interested students should contact the Pro Bono Program at lawprobono@virginia.edu with any questions or to sign up.
This project has currently received enough volunteers. If we require more in the future, another announcement will be sent out.
Please join us for a presentation with Ryan Coonerty, Mayor of Santa Cruz, California and Virginia Law Alum ('01) on Thursday, September 25 at 12:30 pm, in WB121.
Ryan Coonerty (UVa Law, '01) is the Mayor of Santa Cruz, California (link to YouTube). In his term, he has successfully brought together labor union members, social service providers, environmentalists, and local businesspeople to promote innovative strategies to improve the quality of life in Santa Cruz. Some of his efforts have received national attention, including creating an Ayuda Linea (Help Line) for day laborers to report incidents of abuse and investing the City's reserve funds locally to spur the local economy. Recently, he completely a successful legal settlement with the University of California Santa Cruz that will result in tens of million of dollars in infrastructure improvements and authored the Clean Oceans, Rivers and Beaches ballot measure.
Prior to returning to California, he served as Legislative Counsel to two national commissions, including Presidents Carter and Ford's National Commission on Federal Election Reform and Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age.
Currently, he teaches law at UC Santa Cruz and is co-founder of NextSpace Coworking and Innovation. He is also the author of a book from National Geographic, entitled Etched in Stone -- Enduring Words from Our National Monuments.
Coonerty will discuss his succesful run for office and the importance of serving the public interest.
The Honorable Edward Hogshire and Jeff Gould with the Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Court are seeking one or two students to assist them with research.
The Charlottesville/Albemarle Adult Drug Court began operations in July 1997. During this time they have not had the staff to do a comprehensive study of their 190 graduates. The student volunteer would collect and enter data regarding these graduates, do research on outcomes of other drug courts, prepare spread sheets of the results, and work closely with an independent research firm. He or she would work closely with the Administrator to accomplish these tasks and also have the opportunity to interact with various other area professionals such as Circuit Court judges, commonwealth attorneys, prosecutors, defense attorneys and public defenders.
Required Completion Date: Open
Estimated Number of Hours Per Week: 5+
Number of Students Needed: 1 or 2
School Year of Student Requested: 1L, 2L or 3L
Deadline for Applying: Monday, Oct. 6 by 5:00pm
Students will need a car for this assignment.
If you are interested in applying for this pro bono project, please send an e-mail to lawprobono@virginia.edu stating your interest and with a resume attached. This project meets the requirements of the Virginia Law Pro Bono Challenge.
The Thomas Jefferson Inn of Court is an affiliate of the American Inns of Court and is dedicated to the
promotion of professionalism, education, collegiality and fellowship among attorneys, professors and law students who have an interest in litigation and judges who hear cases in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
Meetings of the Inn are held on the second Thursday of each month except June, July, August and December, and begin at 6:00 pm with refreshments and dinner followed by an educational program. The meetings are held in the offices of the Legal Aid Justice Center, 1000 Preston Avenue.
If you are a 3L who will remain in the Charlottesville area following graduation, we welcome you join us. To attend an upcoming meeting, please RSVP to Will Tanner here (e-mail link).
Please find below CAIR Coalition's most up-to-date jail visit schedule for October and November.
CAIR Coalition takes volunteers on a first come, first served basis, so in order to be sure that you will be able to choose the date you want, you should get back to them as soon as you can. Volunteers are mostly needed for visits to Hampton Roads and Piedmont because they hold the largest number of detainees. If you are a member of the Immigrant Jail Outreach Project, have already been trained, and are interested in attending one of these jail visits, please e-mail Brooke Denmark to let her know which jail visit(s) you would like to attend. When you contact Brooke, please provide her your phone number and your language skills. Please copy the Pro Bono Program in your communications to keep us apprised of the attendance levels.
For more answers to all of your jail visit questions, please refer to the following documents:
Jail Visit Volunteer FAQ: Download jail_visit_volunteer_faq_2008.doc
Complete Jail Visit Orientation: Download jail_visit_orientation_2008.doc
Please join the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center for a brownbag presentation with Tom Wornom ('83) from the New York County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday, September 23 at 12:30 pm, in SL262.
The New York County District Attorney's Office is one of the premier prosecutors' offices in the United States. The unparalleled opportunities for challenging and sophisticated work have consistently drawn top law students and attorneys to the office over the years.
The office has a well-established Summer Intern Program, which affords first and second year law students the opportunity to see first-hand the responsibilities of an Assistant District Attorney. Depending upon assignment, summer interns help prepare cases for grand jury presentations, hearings, and trials. They also research and write appellate briefs and trial memoranda, and often second-seat an Assistant District Attorney on trial. The Office also conducts a weekly lecture and field trip series to expose law students to various aspects of the criminal justice system. Not only do interns get first-hand exposure to the work of the Office, they are afforded the opportunity to apply early for permanent positions.
The Office is organized in different divisions, including the Trial Division, the Investigation Division, and the Apeals Bureau. Because of the Manhattan location and the large number of appeals, Bureau members play a prominent role in precedent-setting litigation that shapes the body of criminal law in New York.
Tom Wornom, an alum of the law school, is Chief of Special Prosecutions. He will discuss the day-to-day work of Manhattan district attorneys and the important role that prosecutors play in our criminal justice system. All classes are welcome.
Blog post by 2L Audrey Brown ;Image credit.
Please join us for a brownbag presentation with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society on Wednesday, September 24 at 11:30 AM, in WB105.
The Legal Aid Society of New York is the nation's oldest and largest provider of free legal services for low-income families and individuals, and one of the largest, most diverse legal employers of any kind in the New York Metropolitan area. The organization offers a rewarding, stimulating and meaningful career helping New Yorkers who are most in need. The Society is a full service, comprehensive law firm that handles more than 275,000 in New York City's five boroughs, and handles civil and criminal practice. The civil practice handles housing, income support, immigration, family law and general civil matters; the criminal practice serves as the City's principal public defender for criminal prosecutions at the trial and appellate levels, and also in parole revocation proceedings. The office also has a juvenile rights practice where attorneys serve as law guardians for children in child protective and delinquency proceedings in family court.
This event is an excellent opportunity for all students to learn about practicing law in legal aid organizations. All classes are welcome.
Please join us for a brownbag presentation with attorneys from the CIA Office of General Counsel on Friday, September 19 at 12:30 pm, in WB 105.
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) handles legal issues relating to foreign intelligence and counterintelligence activities, international terrorism, international narcotics trafficking, nonproliferation, personnel and security matters, contracting, finance and budget matters, legislation, and both civil and criminal litigation. OGC has approximately 100 attorneys and its legal practice areas include: administrative law and government ethics, intelligence support, litigation, operational law, logistics and procurement law, real estate law, environmental law, legislative affairs, law enforcement assistance, information law, security law, personnel law, appropriations and finance law, legal support to the intelligence analysis process, and legal support to science and technology activities.
The OGC attorneys will discuss the work of the office, its legal honors program (for 3Ls and judicial law clerks) and summer law clerk program (2Ls). All classes are welcome. Dessert will be provided.
Posted by 2L Audrey Brown. Image credit.
The PDS, D.C. attracts the best and the brightest law students and
practitioners from across the country, all applying for the distinction of
working for what is generally considered the most respected public defender office
in the country.
The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center is pleased to host Deputy Director Peter Krauthamer and Jennifer Thomas of the D.C. Public Defender Service -- on Thursday, September 18, at 12:30pm, in SL294.
Thomas and Krauthamer will discuss the important role that public defenders play in our society, as well as the exceptional advocacy of PDS attorneys and the innovations of the program as a whole.
Home to some of the grittiest public defenders in
the country, PDS receives hundreds of applications for a handful of available
attorney positions each year. To many,
PDS has become the national
standard-bearer and the benchmark by which other public defender systems
measure themselves. As advocates for indigent individuals in need of defense, PDS attorneys
handle criminal appeals, almost all parole revocation hearings, most
In addition, PDS provides one of the most comprehensive criminal defense
training programs of its type, training staff, other defense attorneys, and
investigators who represent those who cannot afford an attorney. PDS has also
developed innovative approaches to representation, addressing the problems
clients encounter when returning to the community following incarceration. PDS attorneys are more than advocates; they
are the voice of the everyman, earning the admiration and respect of opponents,
colleagues, judges, and clients alike.
We believe this session is important for all students, particularly those who are interested in public defense or prosecution and right to counsel issues. All classes are welcome. Dessert will be provided.
Creative Commons photo courtesy of flickr user Rick Waller. Blog post by Whitney Price, 2L.
For those who were not able to attend the Pro Bono Orientation Session last Monday, September 8, 2008, we
have included the relevant information below:
Dean Paul Mahoney’s Speech; our PowerPoint presentation: Download ProBonoOrientation08.pp, and information on the Pro Bono Program. Finally, the Pro Bono Logs are available found here.
The Pro Bono Program once again extends its gratitude to John Davidson and Dean Mahoney for offering their time and insight in speaking about the value of pro bono service.
The Center for Children, Families, and the Law at the University of Virginia presents its Ninth Annual
Interdisciplinary Conference:
Law and Emotion: Re-Envisioning Family Law
September 18 & 19, 2008
Caplin Pavilion
Should the law recognize, even accommodate, emotion? Emotion pervades victimization, social response to crime, and legal action. Yet in service of noble goals—fairness, justice, and objectivity—the law strives to elevate reason above passion. An emerging area of scholarship, law and emotion, questions whether it is possible, or desirable, to separate emotion from the law. To date, this new paradigm focuses largely on criminal law, disgust, and whether that emotion biases moral judgment, or perhaps should. Surprisingly untapped is the role of reason and passion in family law, topics ripe for examination given the range of emotions in intimate relationships between partners, parents, and children.
This conference is the first broad, systematic effort to examine family law through the lens of law and emotion scholarship. Using emerging findings from psychology and neuroscience, leading academics in law and social science from across the country will offer new visions of the goals, substance, and procedures of family law. Speakers will consider a range of intimate emotions—attachment, anger, love, fear, anxiety, forgiveness—in re-envisioning a role of law in regulating family conflict and promoting and preserving a diverse array of family relationships.
More information:
Conference Brochure: Download law_emotion_brochure_2008.doc
Center for Children, Families, and the Law website: http://www.virginia.edu/ccfl/
Please note: Interested law students do not need register or pay the registration fee, but are encouraged to attend.
Volunteers are needed to assist with tutoring inmates housed at the local jail who need help to pass their GED Exam. Cherry Stewart, Volunteer Coordinator and Instructor for the Adult Learning Center, will be holding an informational session regarding this volunteer opportunity to tutor inmates at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, on:
Monday, September 22, 2008
12:00pm-1:00pm
Room: SL262
All students are welcome but must RSVP to lawprobono@virginia.edu
This informational session will offer details about the volunteer opportunity and about the mandatory upcoming training on September 27, 2008.
While we highly encourage students to volunteer, please note that hours for this project will not qualify for the purposes of the 75 hour Pro Bono Challenge.
More information:
Training Flyer: Download jail_volunteers.doc
Fact Sheet: Download pd10_adult_education_fact_sheet06.doc
Students interested in pursuing fellowship opportunities should be aware of the following deadlines through December 2008. The calendar below is available on PsLawNet. Please note the organization's notice:
PSLawNet encourages students to contact organizations directly to verify the accuracy of the information provided. If you discover inaccuracies in our information, please notify us at pslawnet@nalp.org. Some fellowships in the 'Open Until Filled' category are not being offered during the current calendar year, and no deadline is therefore available. Because employers plan to offer these fellowships in the future, we have included them here for pre-planning purposes only.
October 2008
10/1/08: 2009-10 Fellowship-Drug Law Reform Project - American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)-National Headquarters
10/1/08: 2009-10 Fellowship - Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
10/1/08: 2009-11 Fellowship Sponsor - Children's Legal Services, Inc.
10/1/08: 2009 Honors Attorney Fellowship - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Region IX (CA)
10/1/08: 2009-10 Radcliffe Institute Fellowship - Harvard University-Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
10/1/08: 2009-11 Zubrow Fellowship in Children's Law - Juvenile Law Center (JLC)
10/3/08: 2009-11 Aryeh Neier Fellowship - Human Rights Watch (HRW)
10/3/08: Finberg Fellowship in International Human Rights - Human Rights Watch (HRW)-NY
10/6/08: 2009-10 George J. Mitchell Scholarships - U.S.-Ireland Alliance
10/6/08: 2009-11 Skadden Fellowship Grants - Skadden Fellowship Foundation
10/10/08: 2009-11 Honors Attorney Fellowship - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Region I (MA) - New England
10/10/08: 2009-10 Murnaghan Appellate Advocacy Fellowship - Public Justice Center
10/13/08: 2009-10 Berlin Prize Fellowship - American Academy in Berlin
10/13/08: 2009 Law Fellows - California Rural Legal Assistance
10/15/08: 2009-10 Bristow Fellowship - U.S. Department of Justice-Office of the Solicitor General
10/15/08: 2009-11 YLS Oscar M. Ruebhausen and Irving S. Ribicoff Fellowships - Yale Law School
10/15/08: Fall 2008/Spring/Summer 2009 Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship - Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship
10/17/08: 2008 BPI Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellowship - Business & Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI)
10/17/08: 2009-10 Fellowship Grant - Reprieve
10/18/08: 2009-10 Public Interest Law Fellowship Grant - Independence Foundation
10/20/08: 2009-11 Frederick A.O. Schwarz Legal Fellowship - Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)-New York, NY
10/20/08: 2009-10 Fulbright Grants for Graduate Study Abroad - Institute of International Education (IIE)
10/31/08: 2009-11 Domestic Violence Clinic-Clinical Teaching Fellowship - Georgetown University Law Center
10/31/08: 2009-10 Faculty Fellowships in Ethics - Harvard University-Program in Ethics and the Professions
10/31/08: 2009-10 German Chancellor Scholarship Program - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation-U.S. Liason Office
November 2008
11/1/08: 2009-11 Fellowship - Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP
11/1/08: 2009-10 Karpatkin Fellowship - American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)-National Headquarters
11/1/08: 2009-10 William J. Brennan First Amendment Fellowship - American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)-National Headquarters
11/2/08: 2008-10 E. Barrett Prettyman and Stuart Stiller Fellowship
Program (Criminal Justice Institute) Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Clinics - Georgetown University Law Center
11/2/08: 2009-10 Legal Fellows Program-Albany - New York State Unified Court System-Legal Fellows Program
11/2/08: 2009-10 Legal Fellows Program-Buffalo - New York State Unified Court System-Legal Fellows Program
11/2/08: 2009-10 Legal Fellows Program-NYC - New York State Unified Court System-Legal Fellows Program
11/2/08: 2009-10 Legal Fellows Program-Rochester - New York State Unified Court System-Legal Fellows Program
11/2/08: 2009-10 Legal Fellows Program-Syracuse - New York State Unified Court System-Legal Fellows Program
11/3/08: 2009-10 Everett Community Lawyer Fellowship-ACS - Legal Aid of North Carolina
11/3/08: 2009-10 Everett Community Lawyer Fellowship-FWU - Legal Aid of North Carolina
11/11/08: 2009-10 Supreme Court Fellows Program - Supreme Court Judicial Fellows Program
11/14/08: 2009-10 Dorot Fellowship-Judicial Selection Project - Alliance for Justice
11/15/08: 2009-11 Menapace Fellow - Municipal Art Society of New York
11/15/08: Viscount Bennett Fellowship - Canadian Bar Association
December 2008
12/1/08: 2009-11 Appellate Litigation Clinic-Clinical Teaching Fellowship - Georgetown University Law Center
12/1/08: 2009-11 Center for Applied Legal Studies-Clinical Teaching Fellowship - Georgetown University Law Center
12/1/08: 2009-11 Greenwall Fellowship Program in Bioethics and Health Policy - Johns Hopkins University, Berman Institute of Bioethics
12/1/08: 2009-11 Institute for Public Representation-Clinical Teaching Fellowship in Civil Rights - Georgetown University Law Center
12/1/08: 2009-11 Institute for Public Representation-Clinical Teaching Fellowship in Environmental Law - Georgetown University Law Center
12/1/08: 2009-11 Institute for Public Representation-Clinical Teaching Fellowship in First Amendment and Media Law - Georgetown University Law Center
12/1/08: 2009-11 Law Teaching Fellowship - UCLA School of Law, The Williams Institute
12/1/08: 2009 O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law Fellow - Georgetown University Law Center
12/1/08: 2009-11 Robert M. Cover/Allard K. Lowenstein Fellowship - Yale Law School
12/1/08: 2009 SEIU Law Fellowship - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Headquarters-DC
12/3/08: 2009 Echoing Green Fellowship - Echoing Green Foundation
12/5/08: 2009-10 Fellowship in Nonprofit Law - New York University School of Law-National Center on Philanthropy & the Law (NCPL)
12/5/08: 2009-10 Future Law Professors Fellowship - Georgetown University Law Center
12/5/08: 2009-10 Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship - New York University School of Law-National Center on Philanthropy & the Law (NCPL)
12/12/08: 2009-10 Environmental Law Fellowship - Environmental Law Institute (ELI)
12/12/08: 2009-10 Insight Collaborative Fellowship - Insight Collaborative
12/30/08: 2009-11 Bioethics Fellowship - National Institutes of Health
12/31/08: 2009-10 National Prison Project Litigation Fellowship - American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)-National Prison Project
12/31/08: 2009-10 Clinical Fellow - Harvard Law School-Berkman Center for Internet and Society
The 2008 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair will be held on October 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
Over a hundred public service/interest employers will interview second- and third-year students as well as law school graduates for internship and permanent positions throughout
the country. 
Under the NALP guidelines, first-year law students are not eligible to interview with employers until after December 1. However, 1Ls will be able to attend the EJW conference and informally talk to employers during "Table Talk." Additional information pertaining to 1Ls is available here.
EJW is working on finalizing a schedule for the upcoming career fair and conference. In the meantime, the 2007 Program Book provides a helpful insight into the types of employers that are represented and the subjects covered during the conferences.
The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center will pay the registration fees for all students who sign-up to attend the career fair and conference. Please note the September 26 registration deadline.
Given the large number and diversity of employers represented at the fair, 1Ls interested in pursuing internship opportunities with public service/interest organizations during the summer of 2009 may want to consider attending the conference. In addition to being able to cultivate networking opportunities with various public interest organizations, students may find the various presentations and panel discussions highly educational.
The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center received the following EJW update today. EJW Fellowship applicants should read it carefully. An earlier update is available here.
______________________________________ Thank you for directing your students to complete the Host Organization and subject matter areas of their applications. We were able to finalize the recruitment of our reviewers with the information that was added to their applications over the last week. I am writing to request that you encourage your students to add data to the other areas of their applications. Equal Justice Works no longer has in-house technical support for our online application modules and we began to experience some technical difficulties with character counts this past Friday. If at all possible, I would like to avoid having the system overloaded around the September 16 deadline. From what I can tell, the online application is saving all data. We have had no problems in that area. However, please ask your students to save a Word version of their applications just to be on the safe side. I'm available for any application-related questions. It's taking about two days to respond but I'll get back to you or your students. Thanks again for your help. I truly appreciate it. Imoni M. Washington |Senior Program Manager, Fellowships | 202.466.3686 ext. 110 | 202.429.9766 fax
This is a reminder that the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair will be held on October 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Over a hundred public service/interest employers will be available to interview candidates for internship and permanent positions throughout the country.
The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center will pay the registration fees for all students who sign-up to attend the conference.
Second- and third-year students interested in attending the conference should register by going to the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair website and following the registration instructions.
Two critical dates for your consideration:
September 12: Deadline to apply for interviews with public service/interest employers -- you will request interviews by submitting your resume and cover letters directly to participating employers via Symplicity. Please note that while September 12 is the deadline for applying for interviews, it is recommended that students submit their application materials by September 8. For more information on this process, please see the FAQ page, here.
September 26: Deadline to register to attend the career fair.
Please contact the Public Service Center at publicservicelaw@virginia.edu should you have any questions.
We hope to see you in Washington this fall.
The staff of the Public Service Center and I were deeply grieved to learn about the untimely and shocking death of one of our graduates. Before his passing, Sean May ('98), was Deputy Chief District Attorney in Denver, Colorado. He is survived by his wife, Corin, who is expecting their first child in November, his parents, and his brother.
Sean was admired and loved by his colleagues at the Adams County DA's Office as well as by the public he served. Prior to his recent promotion to the chief deputy position, he worked in the Child Victim Unit where he pursued justice on behalf of physically and/or sexually abused children.
I was privileged to have known Sean at Virginia Law. While I did not spend time with him outside the law school, there was rarely a moment when we would pass each other in the hallways without sharing a quick greeting. He was a humble, kind, and considerate man. Sean's friends are collecting memories of Sean for his family at SeanMayMemorial.com. You may also read about him on RobBlog and the Denver Post h
