Public Works

PILA Raises $50K

Virginia Law's student-run Public Interest Law Association has raised $50,000 this month.  The vast majority of the funds were raised at the annual PILA auction, held this year on November 14, 2009, and hosted by Professors Karen Moran and George Geis.  Additional information on the auction is available on the Law School's web page here.

PILA donates all benefit proceeds to support first and second year students who take public service positions during the summer. PILA's fundraising efforts are matched dollar for dollar by the Law School Foundation. Congratulations to the PILA Board for a job well done.

November 30, 2009: Strategies for Landing a Federal Government Job in the Current Economy

by YARED GETACHEW

All civilian positions in the federal government that are not specifically excepted from civil service laws are filled through a competitive process.  Some agencies are permitted to hire personnel outside the traditional competitive process either because there is a specialized need to fill a position or because the background and qualifications required for the jobs are not easily measured through competitive service criteria.  As a result, entry-level and lateral attorneys are often hired through excepted service positions as are certain post-graduate fellows and interns (see, e.g., Presidential Management Fellows Program - PMF; Federal Career Intern Program - FCIP).  (A list of excepted service agencies is available in our guide here).

Financing your Public Interest Summer Internship

by YARED GETACHEW

The primary source of funding for students who accept low-paying or unpaid public service internships during the summer are PILA grants.  The fellowships are funded by voluntary contributions to PILA and matched by a grant from the Law School Foundation.  PILA funds as many applicants as possible each year; however, the percentage of applicants receiving grants changes each year due to fluctuations in funds and number of applicants.  Any first- or second-year student who will work in volunteer or low-paying public interest positions this summer AND who has satisfied the public service requirement is eligible to apply.  Second-year and transfer students  may apply during the fall or spring application periods; first-year students can only apply during the spring semester. 

Other sources of funding that first and second year students have commonly secured for summer work with a public service employer include:

(1) Claire Corcoran Award  ($1500 or $750): presented to one or two 2Ls who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to public interest work (through faculty nominations);

International Criminal Tribunal Opportunities for Virginia Law Students

by YARED GETACHEW

Students with a strong interest in human rights and international humanitarian law are invited to apply for summer internship positions with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Human Rights Program will facilitate Virginia Law student applications to both programs.

By way of brief background to the events that led to the creation of the international tribunals, between April and July of 1994, over 750,000 Rwandan Tutsi and Hutu political moderates were systematically killed by Hutu militias associated with two political parties - the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi. In November 1994, the United Nations Security Council established the ICTR to determine those responsible for the genocide.

The ICTY was established in 1993 by the United Nations in response to mass atrocities then taking place in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The key objective of the ICTY is to try those individuals most responsible for appalling acts such as murder, torture, rape, enslavement, destruction of property and other crimes listed in the Tribunal's Statute.

Application forms are included in our e-mail. Please note the internal deadline for Virginia Law students: Wednesday, December 9, at noon.

Images courtesy 1 | 2

U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division: November 16, 2009

by YARED GETACHEW

The Criminal Division (CRM) enforces federal criminal laws except those specifically assigned to other divisions.  The division and the 93 United States Attorneys oversee criminal matters under more than 900 statutes. There are numerous sections, offices, and units in the division.

On November 16, 2009, at 11:15AM, in WB152, Jonathan Rusch ('80), Deputy Chief for Strategy and Policy (Fraud Section) and Julie Zebrak, Acting Deputy Executive Officer (CRM - Human Resources) will give a presentation to 1Ls and 2Ls on summer internship opportunities with the division.

At 1:30, in WB 152, Mr. Rusch and Ms. Zebrak will discuss non-Honors points of entry into the Department of Justice. Interested 3Ls are encouraged to attend.

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division: November 13

The United States Department of Justice will offer two presentations on the agency's volunteer legal intern recruitment. On Friday, November 13, at noon, in WB152, Jennifer Rivera '88, Director of Federal Programs, will discuss hiring in the Civil Division.  Next week, November 16, at 2:00pm, in WB152, Criminal Division's Jonathan Rusch ('80), Deputy Chief for Strategy and Policy, Fraud Section, and Julie Zebrack, Acting Deputy Executive Office of Human Resources, will discuss the division's work and expected hiring for next summer.

Free Speech or Disruption: Balancing the Rights to Speak and to Hear

During the July 4, 2008 naturalization ceremony at Monticello, protesters disrupted President George W. Bush’s address to the crowd of brand new U.S. citizens, guests, and visitors.  During President Obama’s September 9, 2009 address to a joint session of Congress, U.S. Representative Joe Wilson yelled “You lie” in response to one of the President’s comments.  In late summer 2009, town hall meetings across the country organized by elected representatives to discuss health care reform reportedly became shouting matches between those holding different views.

Raven Fellowships

The Raven Society funds several fellowship awards of up to $2500 each every year for undergraduate and graduate research projects at the University of Virginia. Last year, the Raven Society funded a diverse set of projects that studied Native American sovereignty in Montana, monastic rituals in India, Rajasthani painting in India, children's perspectives in design in Denmark, and genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.