Public Works

Student Advisory Board

Now that the dog days of summer, August OGI, and clerkship applications are out of the way, consider taking on one more activity this year--the Public Service Center Student Advisory Board. 

The WHAT: We want a diverse group of about 10 students from the 1L, 2L and 3L classes to help advise us on our services and programs.  We're interested in getting advice on how to push out information quickly and effectively to you.  We know you're overloaded.

WHO: Both students committed to public service and those who aren't.  We want a mix of ideas and viewpoints.

TIME COMMITMENT: 1-2 meetings per semester, catered, and an occasional email if we need your thoughts on something.

WHEN and HOW: Apply by Monday, October 3rd by emailing me (Annie Kim) at ak5m@virginia.edu.  Tell us your class year and why you're interested in joining in 2-3 sentences.

Look forward to getting your emails!

Congratulations to the Class of 2011

By Yared Getachew '98

It was wonderful to see our friends in the Class of 2011 receive their degree yesterday.  The commencement exercises went without a hitch; the weather held up (the clouds gave way to blue Virginia skies a few minutes into the exercises), and both Chris Martin's and the AG's addresses were pretty good.  We will miss all of you, especially those of you who took advantage of the PSC's services. Your class had one of highest recorded pro bono hours in the history of the program - you volunteered 13,200 hours (and this is a conservative number - it only reflects those hours you reported - many of you do pro bono work but don't tell us).

It was a pleasure and honor to serve you during your time at Virginia.  Make sure to stay in touch and never hesitate to let us know if we can be of any assistance.  For all questions and counseling appointments, please use the PSC's e-mail address (publicservicelaw).

Again, congratulations.  Good luck in all your future endeavors. 

PSLawNet's advice for 1Ls and 2Ls: Cover Letters

PSLawNet, the online resource for law students and practitioners considering careers in the public interest just posted advice on its blog for first- and second-year law students applying for summer internship positions.  The piece offers five basic tips when writing public interest cover letters. I suspect my friend Steven Grumm, Director of Public Service Initiatives, penned this post (the reflexive pronoun suggests it) and it's excellent:

Before we get to our tips list, the first, most important, universal tip is that law students should immediately schedule an appointment in their career services or public interest advising office.  Your author, about 10 years ago, fancied himself a sort of rogue public-interest student who didn’t need the help of his public interest career advisor.  This was really, really dumb.  Only after I sent the job applications out did I see the typos (amazing how they jump out at you once the original letter has already been sent), the formatting inconsistencies, etc.  These are things that a trained eye would have caught in no time.  Read more.

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

By YARED GETACHEW

The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center honors today the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968).  His work to secure civil and human rights for all Americans is an inspiration to all of us especially to those who dedicate their lives to public service.  Meredith Jung-En Woon, Dean of Arts & Science at UVa, has written an excellent piece on her blog today to honor King's work:

On the occasion marking the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., we might pause to reflect on the early days of integration at the University of Virginia, going back now six decades. It was in 1950 that Gregory Swanson, a black attorney from Danville, successfully sued to gain admission to the Law School. For years, African-American scholars had been seeking admission to the graduate program, going all the way back to 1935, when Alice Jackson of Richmond applied to the graduate school in French. Read more (The Desegregated Heart).

Apartment exchange - summer 2011

By YARED GETACHEW

For students seeking housing for the upcoming summer: we just received notice from NALP announcing its 2011 free online apartment exchange for law students who seek summer housing.  The service will be available January 15 to May 15, 2011.  A link to the exchange is available here and on the left-hand column of this blog, under Summer Housing.

Philadelphia District Attorney: September 27, 2010

By YARED GETACHEW

Please join us for a brown bag presentation with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office on September 27, 2010, at noon, in a room to be soon announced.  Our guest is Kelley B. Hodge, Chief of the DA Office's Municipal Court Division.  Ms. Hodge will discuss her career path and offer advice on what it takes to become a prosecutor in large urban DA offices. Following a Q & A session, I will follow with brief remarks and advice to upper-class students interested in pursuing careers in prosecution and law enforcement.

The Philly DA's Office is one of the largest prosecutor offices in the nation.  Organized into 5 divisions - Trials, Investigations, Juvenile, Law, and Narcotics, the office has a staff of more than 600 who prosecute more than 75,000 cases each year.

This session is open to ALL students. 

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.

Public interest calendar

By Yared Getachew

In the last several weeks, the Public Service Center has compiled a list of application timelines/deadlines for numerous opportunities in the public sector.  We hope our new public interest calendar will offer a bird's-eye view of the diverse opportunities for which 2Ls and 3Ls may apply over the course of the academic year. 

A first draft of the interactive calendar (interactive because hyperlinks to the websites of the featured opportunities will be embedded) will be in PDF but we will offer a Google Calendar version next week.  Please expect it in your Inbox this week.

Consider applying to the U.S. Department of Justice's Attorney General's 2011 Honors Program

by YARED GETACHEW

The DOJ AG's has announced the submission window for the 2010-1011 AG's Honors Program: July 26 - September 7, 2010.  Eligible students are incoming 3Ls (Class of 2011), current judicial law clerks, and fellows - see more on eligibility below.

My previous postings offer more information about this terrific opportunity.  Briefly, the AG's program is the only means by which the DOJ hires entry-level attorneys. Eligibility is limited to graduating law students and graduates who complete judicial clerkships, graduate law programs, and qualifying fellowships within nine months of law school graduation. The Honors webpage (see above) offers helpful information on  participating components, projected hires for each component, FAQs, and an application checklist.

My colleagues and I at the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center are on standby to assist you with your application. Do not hesitate to contact us here.

 

National Black Prosecutors Association Annual Job Fair, July 20, 2010

by YARED GETACHEW

The National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA) will hold its Annual Job Fair on Tuesday,  July 20, 2010, in San Fransisco, CA, as part of this year's annual conference. Established in 1983, NBPA is a professional member organization comprised of over 800 prosecutors. The organization's mission is to recruit, train, and advance the careers of minority attorneys as prosecutors at all levels of government. The annual convention serves, not only as a job fair forum, but as a comprehensive legal training program for prosecutors.

This year's conference will focus on the topic Beyond Tough on Crime: Bold Innovations for Safer Communities, and marks the 27th year of the conference. NBPA has made a list of attending employers available here.

Registration is available online for both the job fair and conference.  The event is open to all students.