Public Works

Current issues in indigent defense and prison systems

by YARED GETACHEW

This is for those of you interviewing with indigent defense, civil legal services, and law enforcement organizations. Last year, I referred to a television report in NYC discussing how state budget cuts and rising caseloads have affected the work of public defenders.  The Constitution Project's recent interview with Steve Hanlon below picks up on two aspects of our criminal justice system - the dramatic increase in the number of people entering our prisons and the impact of this spike on school systems.  Being conversant on these issues would go a long way toward showing employers your awareness of important issues regarding our criminal justice system and your commitment to public service. Hanlon is a partner at Holland & Knight and chairs the Constitution Project's Board of Directors.

Rebellious Lawyering Conference: February 18-20, 2011

I took a couple of days off last week (Happy New Year everyone) and upon my return to work this morning found an e-mail from our friends at Yale Law School alerting us to the upcoming Rebellious Lawyering Conference (Reblaw) in New Haven. Reblaw is one of the better conferences for public interest-minded law students - the event offers a terrific array of panels, keynote speakers, and opportunities to network.

Last year's conference featured panels and workshops on domestic and international advocacy in juvenile justice, human rights, custody, forensic science, FOIA, advocacy skills, conducting client interviews, domestic violence, and others.  This year's schedule will be posted soon on the conference blog.

Registration (see also here) costs $30.  The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center will pay the registration fee for students on a FCFS basis.  (Contact me with questions).  The conference offers travel and lodging assistance (free housing but check important sign-up dates).

Please direct questions about the conference to the conference organizers here:

rebellious.law.questions@gmail.com.

2010 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

By Yared Getachew

The EJW Conference and Career Fair, the largest annual gathering of public interest and government employers in the nation, will be held this year Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23, in Bethesda, Maryland. More than 150 public service/interest employers will be available to conduct prescheduled interviews for hundreds of internship and permanent positions throughout the country. 

The conference sessions will provide a venue where participants can learn about various careers in the public interest.  Table Talk sessions provide an informal opportunity for law students to introduce themselves to participating employers and possibly to conduct impromptu interviews. For additional information about the conference and career fair, please see the 2009 program book and the list of employers who participated here.

After the jump: (1) information for Virginia Law students on how to participate in the Conference and Career Fair; (2) information on how 1Ls (Class of 2013) may participate in this event.

Ciolfi!

By Yared Getachew

News that Angela Ciolfi is the featured orientation speaker on August 16 was met with ebullience unseen all summer at the PSC.  This is as good as it gets: Angela Ciolfi '03 is Director of the JustChildren Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, former Powell Fellow (a post-graduate fellowship at the Law School given to one graduate each year), recipient of the Virginia State Bar Oliver White Law Student Pro Bono Award, recent recipient of the American Bar Association's National Child Advocacy Award, and Adjunct Professor of the Child Advocacy Clinic at Virginia Law.  Dean Mahoney has chosen well and this is one orientation speech I won't miss.

Photo insert: Angela Ciolfi (podium) took part in an education reform panel that we co-hosted with the Student Bar Association.

Get your Third Year Practice Certificate

By Yared Getachew

A Third Year Practice Certificate allows students to appear in court (and before  administrative tribunals) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in other jurisdictions.  The certificate allows 3Ls to engage in substantial legal work while in law school (clinics and pro bono) - a must if you're considering entry-level opportunities in the

public interest.

To be eligible, in addition to being a 3L (you must have completed at least four semesters in law school and passed Civil Procedure and Criminal Law), you only need to have completed two electives: Evidence and Professional Responsibility.  I'm available to answer questions about the certificate but to apply, contact the Virginia Law Student Records Office.

FYI - the VA Supreme Court Student Practice Rule is available here.

Indigent Defense in Kathmandu

I confess that Adam Heyman '03, public defender at Brooklyn Legal Aid Society (Criminal Practice), is one of my favorite public speakers.  His presentations at the Law School on the work of indigent defenders are highly informative and inspiring.  He has never turned down an invitation from the Public Service Center and in the last few years, has traveled to Charlottesville to speak, recruit, and conduct mock interviews at the Law School.  He has also helped students and graduates find internship, permanent, and winter pro bono opportunities at the Legal Aid Society.  Our Law School would not be the extraordinary institution it is without its amazing alumni such as Adam. 

But this posting is not a paean to my good friend. In April 2010, Adam took a sabbatical from the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society to work in Nepal with the International Legal Foundation (ILF), a New York-based NGO established in 1997 to ensure that reconstruction efforts of post-conflict justice systems includes indigent defense.  In 2009, ILF helped establish a public defender office to provide representation to indigent defendants before all courts in Kathmandu.  A summary of this project is available on ILF's site here.

Loan Forgiveness for Civil Legal Assistance Attorneys

by YARED GETACHEW

A new loan repayment assistance program for civil legal aid attorneys will be available soon.  The Civil Legal  Assistance Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program (CLAAP) will repay a portion of eligible federal student loan debt for civil legal assistance attorneys who are employed full-time. The new program, which began as the "Harkin Bill," has made five million dollars available for distribution to qualified civil legal assistance attorneys with federal student loan debt. Applications are expected to be due by August 16, 2010, but the Department of Education will assign these funds to eligible civil legal assistance attorneys on a first-come, first-serve basis.

My reading of the program reveals that there are various permutations involved for both eligibility and the amount of loan forgiveness disbursed.  To help clarify the program, Equal Justice Works has prepared and posted a comprehensive CLAAP webpage. Heather Jarvis of Equal Justice Works will also host two webinars on the subject, both at noon on June 17 and  July 7, 2010.

2010 Equal Justice Works Americorps Fellowships

The Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Program offers 11-month fellowships that start in August 2010 to graduates and graduating law students who aim to provide direct legal services to low-income clients. During their terms, fellows will also attempt to recruit volunteer law students and lawyers to increasing the impact of their work. Each host organization seeks fellows to fulfill specific roles within the organization, including outreach, counseling, community education, negotiation and litigation. Fellows are eligible to renew for an additional year of services at their host organization provided their performance is satisfactory and availability of funding. Additional information about the fellowship is available in this video.

Who may Apply: applicants must be graduates or graduating students from EJW member law schools (Virginia is a member school).

How to Apply: candidates must apply directly to the host sites once projects are posted here (follow link to the forum; a list of the host sites is available on the EJW-Americorps page. Please note I have also seen Americorps positions listed on PSLawNet - currently two positions are posted there). 

For information and questions about this program, please visit the fellowship forum.

What it takes to be a Public Defender

by YARED GETACHEW

On April 20, 2010, at 2:00PM, in Caplin Pavilion, a panel of representatives from three public defender offices from the Washington metropolitan area - the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, the Alexandria Office of the Public Defender, and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, will describe the offices and hiring practices of each for both internship and entry-level attorney positions. 

The representatives, Melinda Douglas (Public Defender, Alexandria - a small office), Jennifer Thomas (Recruiting Director, DC PDS - medium-sized), and Diana Lach (Recruitment Director, Maryland - large), will offer advice on how to prepare for a career as a public defender, including how to tailor a resume for civil legal service/indigent defender employers, building relevant experience through clinics and  pro bono work, and specific job search tips.  They will also describe a day in the life of interns and beginning attorneys.

This presentation is a must for all students interested in criminal defense (and enforcement) practice. Students who will intern in PD offices this summer will also benefit from this conversation; the representatives will offer advice on how to make the most of a summer internship. 

I am grateful to Melinda Douglas, Jennifer Thomas, and Diana Lach for offering this collective presentation and to Professor Anne Coughlin for moderating it.

Creative commons courtesy of flickr user Rick Waller

Making the Most of your Summer Internship

by YARED GETACHEW

National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), National Association for Law Placement (NALP), and PSLawNet will host a free webinar on April 14, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. titled Top Ten Tips for a Successful Summer Internship in a Public Interest Office and What to Avoid.  Students working with public defender and/or civil legal services organizations this summer are especially encouraged to participate in this session that features Jennifer Thomas, director of legal recruiting for the D.C. Public Defender Service, and Phyllis Holmen, executive director of the Georgia Legal Services Program.

Information on how to register is available here.