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PSLawNet continues to be a valuable source of information for law students and graduates who are looking for employment in the Public Service sector.
The appended document contains a list of 36 current entry-level attorney openings throughout the country available on PSLawNet: Current PSLawNet Postings
This is an update for third-year students whose start dates have been deferred. As of today, 333 opportunities have been posted on PSLawNet. These include internships with the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Blue Ridge Legal Services, ACLU, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, New York City Law Department, National Employment Law Project, National Juvenile Defender Service, Vera Institute of Justice, The Innocence Project, and Lambda Legal.
In addition, we have received a few similar opportunities from some nonprofits which we (together with the Office of Career Services) will continue to post on Symplicity. However, we reiterate that PSLawNet is the clearinghouse for internship positions for deferred associates.
Fran Cannon Slayton ('94), former prosecutor in the Commonwealth of Virginia and author of young adult novel When the Whistle Blows and Kevin Flynn ('82), Assistant United States Attorney (Washington, D.C.) and author of the best-selling, real-life, legal thriller Relentless Pursuit will be visiting the law school for a brown bag presentation on Tuesday, April 21 at 12:00 pm in WB 121. Slayton and Flynn will discuss their books, the writing and publishing process, and how their legal background allowed them to become effective writers.
Light lunch will be provided.
When the Whistle Blows (both books are available at online bookstores) is Fran Slayton's debut novel and tells a coming of age story about a boy growing up in a railroad town in West Virginia during the 1940s when small railroad towns are dying. Slayton tells a heart warming and realistic story about how a young boy comes to terms with his changing world. Slayton has received critical acclaim for her book but one review caught our eye: according to Diane Chen,
[When the Whistle Blows] is fresh, smart, witty, warm, well-written, funny -- all those great adjectives you want to see and that help tip you over the purchasing edge. But it is also SO BOY. I love that. It is something to embrace and to not be ashamed. There is drama and there is football. It is a celebration of living with each new "birth"day chapter, but it is also a recognition of the part of death in our lives. Death is a mystery, a crossing point, a cry, a laugh, a letting-go, a grieving, and a ritual part of living. Sometimes you don't realize how much a book impacts you until someone else asks you what you thought of it. So is the case of When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down. I thought about it and thought about how to review it, but kept putting it off to think. Then, another librarian asked me if it was any good.
What? Any good? This is an amazing novel. You won't get to see it until June, 2009, but you will want to go ahead and pre-order it. To the Teachers at my school who read over my shoulder, I am sorry but you cannot have my advanced reading copy. I like it so much that I actually wrote in it, dog-eared pages, and flagged some of my favorite scenes. Do I want you showing students that sometimes these sacred library books become more than clean pages to glance over and preserve? Do I want you showing students that fictional novels can become an important part of determining who you are? Do I want students to know that books are worthy of study, thinking, and re-reading? Well, maybe I'll let you borrow it but only until I can get the final hardcover.
Read Chen's review in its entirety here.
Relentless Pursuit
is an intense reconstruction of the brutal double murder of Diane
Hawkins and her 13-year-old daughter Katrina. Kevin Flynn tells a gripping account
about the murder, arrest, trial, and verdict, as well as a
behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of a dedicated federal homicide
prosecutor and Virginia Law alum. Publisher's Weekly offers an excellent synopsis of the book:
In this true crime narrative, prosecutor Flynn presents a "story of extremes ... humanity at its most brutal and noble," and if one can withstand the bleak proceedings—including detailed descriptions of the horrific double murder of a mother and daughter—this title has much to offer. In 1993, Flynn was a 36-year-old U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., when he was assigned to a case involving the murders of Diane Hawkins and her 13-year-old daughter, Katrina Harris. All signs point to Norman Harrell, Hawkins' former boyfriend and the father of one of her sons; the murders occurred just days before Hawkins was to meet Harrell in court over a child support dispute. As Flynn works through the tumultuous early days of the trial, he's surprised by the affection and faith of the "populous Hawkins clan," and prodded on by thoughts of his own wife and child. Against a backdrop of everyday life and domestic complications—including his father's diagnosis with lung cancer—the prosecutor chronicles the case in meticulous detail, taking readers step by step through the unfolding courtroom drama. The portrait of Harrell that emerges is chilling; remarking on their similarities (both prosecutor and defendant have "loner's souls"), Flynn surmises that something "had been horribly miswired in him. And the sad thing was, I don't think he ever knew it." Flynn's is a fascinating, rewarding story of one attorney's dogged determination to exact justice.
All students are encouraged to attend this event to hear how two alums sucessfully attained their dreams of becoming published authors. Students interested in writing as well as those considering careers in criminal law are especially encouraged to attend.
The Legal Aid Justice Center seeks to host attorneys on public interest furlough or deferral to work in one of our four offices in Virginia. The positions are dependent upon your ability to secure and obtain third-party funding. Depending on individual interest and location preference, the attorney may work on one or several of various poverty law issues such as public benefits, affordable housing, employment, special education, or juvenile justice. The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit civil legal assistance program with offices in Charlottesville, Falls Church (Metro D.C.), Petersburg and Richmond. Our dynamic staff of more than two dozen attorneys pursue systemic legal advocacy for all low-income Virginians using a wide array of strategies. Through legal representation, community education and statewide advocacy, the Legal Aid Justice Center works both to eliminate the immediate symptoms and to address the underlying causes of poverty in Virginia. Individuals interested in working with any of our targeted programs are encouraged to apply.
Information on how to apply for the internship positions is available here: Download Public Interest Fellows edited.
The Virginia Law Pro Bono Project challenges every law student to contribute at least 25 hours per year of pro bono service. Students who complete their required hours (25 hours for 1Ls and 50 for 2Ls) will receive a certificate of recognition at the end of their first and second years. Graduating students who have logged at least 75 hours will be recognized in the commencement brochure.
To make sure that your hours are included in the challenge and that you receive proper recognition of all your hard work, we ask that you do the following by Friday April 24:
If you would like to check your pro bono hours that you have already logged, please refer to the following document:
How to Check Your Total Pro Bono Hours
Due to the change in Pro Bono Work Log systems during the 2007-2008 academic year, 3Ls will also need to check the old work log system. The following document demonstrates how to do this:
How to Check Your Total Pro Bono Hours (Prior to 2007-2008)
If you are a 3L who is close to 75 hours and would like to reach the 75 hour requirement, please contact Dean Emery at lawprobono@virginia.edu.
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The Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) and Independence Resource Center (IRC) will sponsor a short clinic on fair housing for people with disabilities. The event will take place on April 21, 2009, between noon and 2:00pm, at the Independence Resource Center in Charlottesville, VA. Center is located at 815 Cherry Avenue.
The clinic is designed to give people with disabilities and their advocates information and individualized assistance on their fair housing rights. Below are a few highlights of what the clinic offers:
This event is free and open to the public but registration is required by April 20. Lunch will be available for all registered attendees. For more information and to reserve your seat, contact: Tryshan Ravenell at Piedmont Housing Alliance at 817-2436 ext. 113.
PSLawNet -- the online resource for public service careers and employers -- has created a page for students whose start dates have been deferred by law firms. Registration for Virginia Law students and graduates is free.
PSLawNet is serving as a clearinghouse for public interest organizations to post notices
about their willingness to place law firm associates. Accordingly, PSLawNet has, as of today, listed more than 150 internship and pro bono opportunities in several states across the nation. A few of these organizations include the New York City Law Department, The Constitution Project (Washington, D.C.), National Security Archive (D.C.), Texas Appleseed, Advocates for Human Rights (Minneapolis), ACLU (San Diego, Seattle), Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (San Francisco), Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (Newark), National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children (Charlotte and Los Angeles), National Juvenile Defender Center (Las Vegas, New Orleans, Houston), etc.
The law firm page provides links to several helpful resources including to the Association of Pro Bono Counsel's Considerations for the Placement of Law Firm Attorneys into Public Interest Organizations, a list of pro bono clearinghouses in several states, to the Pro Bono Institute, the American Bar Association, and to relevant news items.
Previous postings for deferred third years are available here (New Jersey Job Fair -- April 8, 2009), here (NYT), and here (PSLawNet). The Public Service Center remains available to assist students with their individual search for public interest and pro bono opportunities.
Erin Crowgey and Crystal Shin are the recipients of this year's Claire Corcoran Award. The Corcoran Award is presented to one or two second-year students who
have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to public service. The award was established in 1990 through the creation of a memorial fund established in memory of Claire M. Corcoran, a graduate of the Law School's Class of 1989 who passed away suddenly on December 20, 1989.
Crystal Shin has dedicated her career to serve the public interest. After she completed her undergraduate
studies at the University of Virginia, as a Teach for America (TFA) Corp Member, Crystal taught Fourth
Grade Social Studies and Science at Pinkston Street Elementary School in Henderson, North Carolina for three years. Immediately before she began her legal studies, she worked as a Lead Corps Member Advisor for TFA. After her first year studies at Virginia Law, Crystal interned at the Legal Aid Justice Center with the JustChildren Program. At the Law School, she has has served on the Student Bar Association, Women of Color, Teach for America and PILA boards and has volunteered for the McGuire Woods Child Advocacy Project. In the summer, she will be working for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia in the Civil Legal Services Division on issues involving special education.
Erin Crowgey's advocacy on behalf of indigent clients began even before she embarked on her legal studies. As part of a domestic abuse response team at an organization that advocates on behalf of battered women in Poughkeepsie, NY, Erin worked with law enforcement agencies to coordinate the community's response to domestic violence. At Virginia Law, during the 2007 winter recess, she volunteered at the Legal Aid Justice Center JustChildren Program and subsequently returned to the organization as a summer intern. As a pro bono volunteer, she has worked with the Hunton & Williams Pro Bono Partnership in Family Law and with Action for a Better Living, a student-run service organization at UVA that provides student volunteers opportunities to help disadvantaged children in Charlottesville. She has also volunteered with Shelter for Help in Emergency. Next summer, Erin will be working at the Colorado State Public Defender.
Please join us in congratulating Erin (epc4j) and Crystal (css6a).
The Public Service Center and PILA will host an information session on post-graduate public service legal fellowships. The talk will cover the basics of the fellowship application process, i.e. what kinds of projects qualify, how to apply, and what the interview process is like.
Monday, April 13, 2009
12:00pm-1:00pm
SL294
Three current fellows will be on hand to offer a first-hand account of their post-graduate fellowship application experience:
Cary Brege ('08) is the most recent Virginia Law graduate to receive an Equal Justice Works Fellowship. She is currently working for Advocates for Children’s Services, a state-wide program of Legal Aid of North Carolina in . Her project involves ensuring that students receive a sound basic
education by protecting and enforcing their rights in school discipline
proceedings. Story here.
Rebecca Vallas ('09) received a Skadden Fellowship this year. She will work with Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, PA. Her project will provide direct representation to elderly and disabled Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. Story here.
Amy Woolard ('08) is the 2008 recipient of the Powell Fellowship in Legal Services. She is currently working for the Legal Aid Justice Center, JustChildren Program in Richmond, VA. Her project involves advocating on behalf of youths in the educational, foster care, and juvenile justice systems. Story here.
The Kaiser Family Foundation operates a database that lists numerous health law opportunities for law students and recent law graduates. To view these opportunities, visit the database here.
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