Public Works

European Summer Institute 2009

Prague's Centre for Public Policy is pleased to announce the forthcoming European Summer Institute 2009 on the Future of Europe: Lobbying in Brussels.  The European Summer Institute 2009 is a seven-day academic program designed to bring together 30 undergraduate and graduate students of various nationalities and academic backgrounds in an unique academic and cultural environment.

The program provides students with an exciting opportunity to deepen their knowledge of current EU politics through the exchange of ideas with academics, policy practitioners and fellow students from different cultures. The European Summer Institute combines intensive academic courses with cultural, social and recreational opportunities.

The program will take place in Prague from July 4-11, 2009.  The early-bird application deadline is April 30, 2009.  Please see the Program's website for more information and to complete an online application.

How to Be a Public Interest Attorney at a Private Law Firm

Interested in doing public service while working at a private law firm? Attorneys from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP will be on hand to speak about their own experience of serving the public interest while working in the private sector. They will also cover why private law firms care about pro bono work and how to evaluate a law firm's commitment to pro bono. Tracy Elizabeth Clay, General Counsel for Teach for America, will also be on hand to discuss the need for collaboration between public interest organizations and law firms and why these relationships are beneficial to both parties.

Thursday, April 2
12:00pm
Purcell Reading Room

Panelists:

Tracy Elizabeth Clay-General Counsel, Teach for America
Beth Dyer, Associate, Dewey LeBoeuf
Julia Richardson, Associate, Dewey LeBoeuf

Moderators:

Scot. H. Fishman, Esq., Dewey & LeBoeuf Director of Pro Bono
Kimberly Emery, UVA School of Law Assistant Dean for Pro Bono

Light lunch will be served.

Prosecuting Hate: Developing an Effective and Fair Approach to Hate Crimes

Please join the Center for the Study of Race and Law, Asian Pacific American Law Students  Association, Black Law Students Association, Islamic Legal Exchange, and the Public Service Center for a presentation by Mark Kappelhoff, Chief of the Criminal Section of Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 in the Class of 1950 Dining Room (next to Scott Commons), at 4:00pm. A reception will follow.

Mr. Kappelhoff will discuss the state of hate crimes prosecutions, whether federal anti-hate crimes laws have been successful and whether proposals for reform, such as the controversial Matthew Shepard Act, are justified and fair. A light reception will follow Mr. Kappelhoff’s talk.  Students interested in civil rights work are encouraged to meet Mr. Kappelhoff during the reception.

Mr. Kappelhoff’s biography:

Mark Kappelhoff currently serves as the Chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.  In that position, he supervises and manages DOJ attorneys involved in the investigation and prosecution of federal criminal civil rights violations, including bias-motivated crimes, human trafficking and law enforcement misconduct.

Prior to serving as Chief, Mr. Kappelhoff was Deputy Chief and Trial Attorney in the Section.  He has investigated and prosecuted several high profile civil rights cases.  In a racial violence case, he convicted three white defendants who burned a seven-foot tall cross in the front yard of an African-American family’s home in Kansas.  He also supervised and assisted in the prosecution of United States v. Kil Soo Lee, et al., the largest human trafficking case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.  Mr. Kappelhoff and the entire trial team were awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the second highest award in the Department.  He also led an extensive investigation into allegations of widespread corruption involving police officers in the Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. For his efforts, he received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance.

Mr. Kappelhoff has taught seminar courses as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, the American University, Washington College of Law and the University of Maryland Law School.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota and earned his law degree from American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, DC.

Blog post by Shaunik Pensee ('09)

Law Firm Deferrals: How to find public service/interest internships/fellowships

Third year students whose start date at various law firms was recently postponed can search for organizations that offer volunteer internship positions on PSLawNet. 

A leading public interest law job database, PSLawNet has created a special category of job postings for deferred associates under the job type "law firm associate host."  By searching jobs in this category, you will find a variety of opportunities created specifically for deferred associates. Registration for PSLawNet is free for Virginia Law students and alumni.

"Java for Justice" at Legal Aid Justice Center

The Legal Aid Justice Center will once again host its annual Java for Justice Series. Java for Justice is a series of casual gatherings where members of the community can learn about the Center's work with children, families, seniors, immigrants and others. These gatherings are accompanied by a light lunch and coffee.

The sessions are held April 13 - 17 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Attendance is free, but students should RSVP, if possible. To RSVP, please contact Susan Kruse at susan@justice4all.org or by calling 434-977-0553, ext. 101. All events will take place at the Legal Aid Justice Center, 1000 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA  22903.

The following is a list of the sessions offered in April:

Monday, April 13: Andy Block, Angela Ciolfi, Emily Dreyfus, Kate Duvall, and Katie Ryan of JustChildren explain how they fight for the rights of Virginia's most vulnerable children in education and juvenile justice matters.

Tuesday, April 14: John Conover, Brenda Castaneda, Alex Gulotta, Carolyn Kalantari, Liz Moore, Dan Nagin, Carolyn Pointer, and Catherine Rotolo from the Civil Advocacy Program talk about ensuring access to justice for low-income Virginians in the areas of employment, housing, public benefits and consumer fraud.

Wednesday, April 15:  Attorneys Kathleen Caldwell and Claire Curry of the Elder Law Initiative discuss their work protecting the rights of low-income seniors and the Community Partnership for Improved Long-Term Care.

Thursday, April 16:  Edgar Aranda-Yanoc, Pamela Banner, Arnoldo Borja, Dan Choi, Tim Freilich, Claudia Henriquez and Erin Trodden of the Immigrant Advocacy Program explain how they help low-wage workers find fair treatment. Doug Ford of the Pro-Bono Immigration Project addresses issues related to immigration status.

Friday, April 17: Helen Trainor will explain how the Virginia Institutionalized Persons Project works to improve health services, including mental health care in prisons and other institutions and ensures that residents' civil rights are protected.

The Impact of American Lawyer on Law Firm Pro Bono

Aric Press, Esq., Editor and Chief for American Lawyer, will speak at the Law School on Thursday, March 26, 2009, in Caplin Pavilion, between 8:30 and 10:00am. Mr. Press will speak about the impact of American Lawyer on law firm pro bono programs over the past ten years.

Light breakfast will be served.

Mr. Press's biography:

Aric Press became the editor in chief of The American Lawyer in February 1998. He joined the magazine after working as a writer and an editor at Newsweek for almost 19 years.

During his tenure at The American Lawyer, the magazine has expanded its reach, shortened its stories, and put a renewed emphasis on public service by lawyers and law firms. The magazine has won a series of national journalism and design awards and is generally recognized as the leading publication covering law firms and their business. Press also serves as the editorial director of  Incisive Media’s national magazine group. In that capacity he oversees Corporate Counsel, IP Law & Business, Law Technology News, Focus Europe, the Minority Law Journal, and the editorial group at Law.com.

Press is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University Law School. He lives with his wife and three children in Brooklyn, N.Y.

A Conversation with Writer and Lawyer Peter Orner

Telling compelling stories for court and for publication: a conversation with writer and lawyer Peter Orner as he shares some insights on telling the stories of undocumented immigrants.

Monday, March 23,11:45am, SL121

Peter Orner, Editor of Underground America and Associate Professor of Creative Writing at San Francisco State University. Lunch provided to the first 25 to sign-up. Please RSVP to Cindy Derrick at cal7y@virginia.edu

Sponsored by the Immigration Program. For more info contact:  Doug Ford at doug@justice4all.org

Advice for attorneys seeking to volunteer at public interest organizations

An article in The New York Times --"Even Pro Bono Work Requires Doing Your Homework First" -- provides valuable advice to attorneys who seek to volunteer in the public interest.  Here's an excerpt:

One common piece of advice given to the newly laid off is to seek volunteer work until a paid job comes along. At a minimum, volunteer work will get you out of bed in the morning. And in the best case, it can both do some good and lead to future employment.

The trouble is that finding the right volunteer job can sometimes seem as difficult as obtaining a salaried position — and with only psychic, rather than financial, rewards.

Read the full article here.

Law Firms Facing Economic Realities Redirect Lawyers to the Public Interest

CNN.com just posted an online article "For Jobless Lawyers, Plan B Includes Good Works." Here's an excerpt:

"In the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legal industry is taking an unprecedented beating from the sputtering economy and housing meltdown. Dineen, 37, lost his job as layoffs and salary freezes have spiked at law firms across the country during the past three months. 

Rather than just hand out a severance package with the pink slip, Foley Hoag gave Dineen an option. He could work for Greater Boston Legal Services, a legal aid group serving people living in poverty. The firm agreed to pay Dineen about a quarter of his former salary for a year. Dineen, who needed to support his wife and a newborn daughter, accepted.

"This gave me a chance to do something different with my legal career, and help out people who generally don't have access to public service," said Dineen, who now works on foreclosure cases helping victims of predatory lending."

Foley Hoag is among many megafirms across the country using the economic slump as an ideal time to lend a hand to cash-strapped public interest and legal aid firms. The massive corporate layoffs and program cuts could redirect thousands of young graduates and experienced attorneys from corporate firms into the public sector, legal experts say."

Information Session on Skadden Public Service Fellowship

Described as "a legal Peace Corps" by the Los Angeles Times, the Skadden Fellowship program was established by the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flom in 1988 in recognition of the need for greater funding for graduating law students who wish to devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the poor (including the working poor), the elderly, the homeless and the disabled, as well as those deprived of their civil or human rights. The aim of the foundation is to give Fellows the freedom to pursue public interest work; thus, the Fellows create their own projects at public interest organizations with at least two lawyers on staff.

Susan Butler Plum, the administrator of the program, will be on grounds next week to give a presentation on the two-year fellowship.

Tuesday, March 24
12:00pm
SL298

Over the last 20 years, the Skadden Fellowship program has funded more than 500 academically outstanding law school graduates and judicial clerks to work full-time for legal and advocacy organizations. Since the program’s inception, almost 90 percent of the Fellows have remained in public interest or public sector work after finishing their fellowships.

Skadden Fellowships are awarded for two years. Skadden provides each Fellow with a salary and pays all fringe benefits to which an employee of the sponsoring organization would be entitled. For those Fellows not covered by a law school low income protection plan, the firm will pay a Fellow's law school debt service for the tuition part of the loan for the duration of the fellowship.

The Skadden Fellowship Program is one of the most competitive and prestigious public interest fellowship programs in the country. In Janurary, 3L Rebecca Vallas's profound public interest and academic accomplishments were recognized with the award of a Skadden Fellowship, and numerous UVA Law alumni have participated in the program.

All classes are invited to the presentation. However, second years considering applying for this prestigious fellowship are highly encouraged to attend.