Public Works

Presidential Management Fellows Program - Deadlines September 23 (Law School) and 25 (PMF Application)

Quick Overview

As many of you know, the Presidential Management Fellows Program (“PMF”) is an excellent way to enter federal government service after graduation.  The Office of Personnel Management runs the PMF program, which was created by Executive Order in 1977 to attract the most talented graduate students from all disciplines to become future federal government leaders.  PMF Finalists apply for fellowships (2-year jobs) with the approximately 80 federal agencies that participate in the program.

Last year, roughly 9100 graduate students from across the country competed to be finalists and about 850 obtained them.  Virginia Law had 4 PMF finalists.  Our alumni PMF Fellows work in agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Space and Missile Systems Center.  Read more general information about the PMF program here.

Selection Process for Finalists

PMF Finalists are selected through the following structured process:

(1)    applying on-line for the PMF program;

(2)    getting nominated by their school;

(3)    taking an on-line assessment that measures leadership skills and judgment; and

(4)    if chosen as a semi-finalist, completing an in-person interview that also measures leadership skills and judgment.  Read here for more information about the selection process.

For the first time in program history, the 4^th phase (in-person assessment) will no longer involve  oral presentations and group interactions at an assessment center.  Instead, trained staff will conduct 2-member panel interviews with semi-finalists that will last approximatley 45 minutes to an hour.  Interviews will focus on behavioral questions. 

Fellowship Placement with Agencies 

Once chosen as finalists, students begin the placement phase. This starts with attending a PMF career fair in the spring at which many finalists find jobs with particular agencies.  For those that don’t, they have 1 year from the the date they are announced as finalists to find an agency match.  It’s important to remember that PMF Fellows are not guaranteed jobs.  Also, jobs for PMF Fellows are typically for non-legal positions, although it’s possible to obtain a legal job. 

PMF appointments last 2 years. Fellows who succesfully complete their appointments are guaranteed continued federal employment.  Read here for more information.

Timelines

Come to our Public Service Center panel on the Presidential Management Fellows Program on September 9^th at 12 p.m.  in WB 105 to ask your questions about the selection and job placement processes.  We’ll have Susan Beall ’11, currently at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to talk about her experiences, as well as our staff.

Read the PMF website timelines and site in full, as there are many details you’ll need to keep in mind. Here are the timelines (student deadlines in orange): Download PMF Timeline

Questions?

Email us at publicservicelaw@virginia.edu and attend our September 9^th panel at 12 p.m.  in WB 105. 

Good luck!  We hope you’ll think about applying.

 

Skadden Fellowship's Susan Butler Plum with Chinh Q. Le '00

By YARED GETACHEW

Please join the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center and Professor Anne Coughlin for a presentation on the Skadden Fellowship on Thursday, March 24, at 2:00pm, in Caplin Pavilion.

The event will feature the fellowship's founding director Susan Butler Plum.  Also joining her will be former Skadden Fellow and one of the most respected civil rights leaders of his generation, Chinh Q. Le '00.  Mr. Le is currently Director of the New Jersey Civil Rights Division and will be addressing Professor Coughlin's Law & Public Service class immediately before this event.

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.

Over the last 20 years, the Skadden Fellowship program has funded more than 600 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 December, 3L Jeree Harris's profound public interest and academic accomplishments were recognized with the award of a Skadden Fellowship, and numerous Virginia Law alumni have participated in the program.  (For additional information on a few of our current and former fellows, please follow the following links: Amy Saltzman, Rebecca Vallas, Matt Van Wormer, Dania Davy, Michael Hollander.

All classes are invited to the presentation. However, 2Ls and 3Ls (who will be clerking for judges next year) and considering applying for project-based fellowships are highly encouraged to attend.

2011 Presidential Management Fellows Presentation

By Yared Getachew '98

Reminder: today, at noon, in WB101, the Public Service Center will give a presentation on the nuts and bolts of the PMF Program application process.  Smitha Dante ’10, Program Analyst with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, will offer a frank assessment of the application and appointment process. Also joining us will be Lauren Roscoe '10, Presidential Management Fellow with the United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, and Alice Beauheim '09, PMF finalist.

Photo credit: OTS

Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program: 2011-2012

By Yared Getachew

3Ls: The PSC does not formally counsel students interested in pursuing opportunities in human rights and international law - the Human Rights Program at Virginia is an excellent resource for those who seek internship and permanent opportunities in those fields.  However, every now then, given my personal interest in the area, I will highlight opportunities that could be of interest to our students and graduates.

The fellowship opportunity with the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program was posted on Symplicity yesterday.  The application deadline for the 2011-12 fellowship year is October 15, 2010.

2011 Presidential Management Fellows Program for 3Ls

By Yared Getachew

PLEASE NOTE: The posting below on the PMF nomination process is tailored specifically to Virginia Law students.  The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center will only nominate students of the Law School.

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program is a prestigious federal government fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel  Management (OPM) for graduate students from various academic disciplines, including law, who expect to graduate during in the 2010-2011 academic year, and who seek a two-year paid fellowship with one or more federal government agencies. The application period will open on October 1 and ends on October 15, 2010.  Students who apply to this program should read this posting in its entirety after the jump to learn about the Law School's nomination process.  I also encourage potential applicants to read program details and overview of the application process on the PMF site here.

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.

Education Pioneers Summer Fellowship: July 29 event in D.C.

by YARED GETACHEW

Education Pioneers aims to address challenges that confront schools in our nation's cities.  Each year, Pioneers recruits summer fellows from business, law, policy, education, and other disciplines to work on complex issues involving urban education (a summary of the program is available on an earlier posting). In past years, Virginia Law students have spent challenging and fulfilling summers in various cities.  (Please write me if you wish to contact them).

Second- and third-year students in the D.C. area interested in learning about education initiatives led by current (2010) fellows may consider attending a gathering on July 29, 2010 at the law firm of Jones Day, LLP. 

Joanne Weiss, Chief of Staff to United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, is the keynoter.  The event takes place 6-8PM.  RSVP here by July 22, 2010.

For our alums: The 2010 Excellence in Government Fellows Program

by YARED GETACHEW

The Partnership for Public Service's Excellence in Government Fellows program is a one-year educational program that seeks to strengthen the leadership skills of current federal employees through a combination of  coursework, best practices benchmarking, projects, executive coaching, and networking. The program is in its first full year under the Partnership for Public Service, after the Council for Excellence in Government, which had operated for 25 years, was absorbed by the Partnership last year. During the year-long program Fellows will remain at their full-time jobs, and will meet every six weeks and spend approximately 20 days in sessions.

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.

Monroe Leigh Fellowship in International Law

by YARED GETACHEW

The Monroe Leigh Fellowship in International Law was established by Monroe Leigh's family and friends and the University of Virginia School of Law to honor Professor Leigh's commitment to the development of international law and to encourage students to gain valuable international law experience. The fellowship is available to the students of the School of Law for the summer following the first or second year, during the fall and/or spring of the third academic year, or for a postgraduate internship following graduation. The fellow will work with a sponsoring organization.

Past recipients have worked with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (Tanzania), Special Court for Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone), UN World Food Programme (Rome), UNESCO (Iran), RFK Center for Human Rights (Washington D.C.), Asylum Access (Ecuador), Justicia - Fores (Argentina), and Migrant coffee workers on the risk & impact of HIV/AIDS (Guatemala).