Public Works

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.

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.

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.

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.

Public Policy Handbook 2010-2011

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law recently published the 2010-11 Public Policy Handbook featuring more than one hundred internship and fellowship programs for law students and recent graduates. 

The handbook includes two tables: one provides a list of agencies, eligibility, application deadlines, and information on funding.  Another directs applicants to specific programs based on subject matter or issue(s) undertaken by the organizations.

The online version of the handbook is available on the Public Service Center's Employment Resources page here (LawWeb sign-in required).

Education Pioneers (Summer) Fellowship Information Session: September 29

Education Pioneers is a national nonprofit that tackles the most critical public education challenges by recruiting business, law, education and policy professionals and matching them with partner organizations.  These partners include, among others, charter schools, research organizations, college preparatory programs, and legal services and advocacy programs.

LexisNexis Associates Serving Public Interests Research (ASPIRE) Program

Through the ASPIRE program, 2009 graduates who are currently working in the public interest can receive free  LexisNexis access for the coming year. Among those eligible are deferred associates pursuing public interest work during their deferrals.  Some important rules include: (1) while work for a nonprofit or charitable organization is eligible, government work is not; (2) access ends September 2010 or when your public service employment ends; (3) you must submit documentation from your employer confirming your eligibility. 

Eligible applicants who are currently working will receive free access to federal and state cases, codes, regulations, and law reviews within two days of submitting documentation.  To apply, please visit Lexis's attorney deferral page here.

Summer Internship Opportunity with AYUDA

FEATURED JOB POSTING: This, and similar public interest career opportunities, are available on Symplicity, the Law School's career services database. Older fellowship opportunities may still be available on CASE, the Law School's previous career services database.

Ayuda is a non-profit, community-based legal and social services agency located in the neighborhood of Adams Morgan.  They serve the low-income, foreign-born community in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and their Legal Division is divided into two main units:  domestic violence/family law and immigration. The Legal Division is seeking full-time bilingual Spanish-English (written and verbal) legal interns for both units for summer 2009, beginning in May.

The deadline for submitting applications will be March 31, 2009.

For more information on the internship opportunity and how to apply, please see the posting on Symplicity.

Opportunities in Cultural Heritage and Environmental Law

There are a number of opportunities available to law students and law graduates who are interested in the field of cultural heritage law.

Cultural heritage law is a growing legal field and encompasses several disparate areas, including the protection of archaeological sites, preservation of historic structures and the built environment, preservation of and respect for both tangible and intangible indigenous cultures, international market in art works and antiquities, and recovery of stolen art works.

The following opportunities are offered through the Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation (LCCHP), a nonprofit organization of lawyers, law students and interested members of the public who have joined together to promote the preservation and protection of cultural heritage resources in the United States and internationally through education and advocacy.

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Student Writing Competition In Cultural Heritage Preservation Law

LCCHP announces its 2009 Annual Student Writing Competition in Cultural Heritage Preservation Law. Due to the generosity of the competition sponsor - the law firm Andrews Kurth LLP - the awards for the 2009 competition are $1000 for first place and $500 for second place. The deadline for submissions is June 12, 2009, but papers may be submitted at any time. Only current law students are eligible to enter the competition. Instructions for submission of papers and of faculty supporting nominations may be found here.

Database Of Student Internship And Externship Opportunities In Cultural Heritage Law

LCCHP is also pleased to announce that its database of internship and externship opportunities in cultural heritage law is now available. The listing is available only to LCCHP members, but an attractive student membership rate is offered.

Students And New Professionals Committee

LCCHP is also creating a special Student and New Professional Committee. This Committee will give students and recent graduates an opportunity to network and share information, while they also participate in several LCCHP activities, such as overseeing a soon-to-be launched blog in cultural heritage law and planning cultural heritage related events on school campuses. For more information, contact Donald Craib at dfcraib@dfcraib.com.

National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition

This year’s National Environmental Law Moot Competition, hosted by Pace Law School, will feature an underwater cultural heritage resource problem developed by LCCHP in conjunction with the Pace faculty. The competition will be held February 19-21 at Pace Law School, White Plains, New York. More information about the competition and the problem may be found on the Pace website.

Public Interest Law Initiative Offers Paid Summer Internships in 2009

FEATURED JOB POSTING: This, and similar public interest career opportunities, are available on CASE, the Law School's career services database.

For thirty years, the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has pursued equal access to justice by creating opportunities for law students and lawyers to provide public interest and pro bono work in Chicago.

Each year, PILI offers over 40 public interest law internships that provide excellent legal training and experience for first or second  year law students.  Interns work at one of PILI's affiliated public interest law agencies in Chicago.  PILI's affiliated agencies are some of the most dynamic and diverse organizations in the country.  Some are involved in advocacy and impact litigation affecting public welfare, while others directly serve low-income clients and families with legal needs. 

PILI raises the money to fund the internships and then issues grants to its eligible host agencies.  The agencies, in turn, pay their Interns directly.  PILI Interns receive $5,000 for 10 full-time weeks of work. 

PILI ensures quality supervision by experienced lawyers at its agencies, provides a lunch-time educational seminar program, and hosts social and networking events throughout the summer.  The Internship program encourages law students to work at -- and learn about -- legal institutions that serve the public interest, and engenders a life-long commitment to public interest law and pro bono work.

The online application period is open from October 15, 2008 through March of 2009, or until every agency has completed its summer hiring. Due to NALP restrictions, first-year students will not be eligible to apply until December 1, 2008. For more information on application procedures, visit PILI. 

Creative commons photo courtesy of flickr.