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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Legal Internship Opportunity with the National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Chapter

The NLG, Massachusetts Chapter is looking for a law student to work as an intern on public interest litigation, pursuing cases involving police surveillance, civil rights, and prisoners' rights.

Legal interns are required to work with NLG for a period of at least 12 weeks (shorter terms considered under special circumstances). The Guild is committed to working with interns who are pursuing academic credit and encourage interns to seek outside funding as no stipend is provided. Interns will work alongside the Chapter's executive director and other staff to assist in all aspects of the Chapter's litigation. Work will include:
  • Review of current law, as well as pending legislative reform;
  • Drafting of complaints, motions, briefs, and related court documents;
  • Legal research and analysis;
  • Participation in all aspects of discovery review, including initial fact gathering.
Experience and qualifications:
  • Display a strong commitment to public interest, civil rights, and civil liberties;
  • Have excellent research, writing, and communication skills;
  • Have the ability to analyze complex legal issues and to think strategically and creatively about the use of litigation to achieve policy reform
  • Show initiative for identifying areas in need of legal reform and self-motivation sufficient to the completion of cases and projects.
To apply send as one document (1) a cover letter, (2) resume, (3) list of references and (4) a legal writing sample to nlgmass-director@igc.org. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

New England Law has a student group, National Lawyer's Guild (NLG) NESL Branch, that is on both TWEN and Facebook. For more information on NLG, Massachusetts chapter please visit its website.

General Recruitment Meeting for the CORI Project

The general recruitment meeting for the CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) project is today, August 31st, at 5:45 p.m. in room 303. The CORI Project is an ongoing partnership between law students and pro bono attorneys to assist employment seekers with charges that are eligible to be sealed on their CORI report. Biweekly in-takes are held the first Wednesday of every month between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and the third Wednesday of every month between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at JobNet, 210 South St. Boston.

Training will be provided by experts in CORI law between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on September 14th, the location TBD.

Volunteer Opportunity with Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC)

HAWC, one of the oldest and most comprehensive domestic violence agencies on the North Shore, has a volunteer opportunity to work with its two staff attorneys and learn about legal advocacy in the domestic violence context. Below is the volunteer description and contact information:

EMPLOYER NAME & ADDRESS: HAWC | Healing Abuse Working For Change 27 Congress St., Ste. 201 Salem, MA 01970 (http://www.hawcdv.org/)

EMPLOYER CONTACT & TITLE: Jennifer Hatch, Family Law Staff Attorney

EMAIL ADDRESS: jenniferh@hawcdv.org

PHONE NUMBER: 978-744-2299 ext. 20

FAX NUMBER: 978-745-6886

NUMBER OF ATTORNEYS: 2

EMPLOYER INFO & PRIMARY AREA OF PRACTICE: HAWC (Healing Abuse Working for Change, formerly known as Help for Abused Women and their Children) is the oldest agency to provide comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence on the Massachusetts' North Shore. It's services include a 24 hour hotline; domestic violence shelter; support groups; therapeutic counseling for children and parents experiencing domestic abuse; immigration, family law, & restraining order advocacy; community education; etc. Moreover, HAWC has satellite offices in Gloucester, Lynn and Beverly, and on-site advocates in the district and probate courts, as well as Salem Hospital and Union Hospital.

JOB DESCRIPTION & ANTICIPATED STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES: Students will assist HAWC's Family Law Staff Attorney on divorce, custody, visitation, etc. cases in the Family & Probate Court, as well as assist the Immigration Law Staff Attorney on preparing UVisa and VAWA Petitions. The students' responsibilities will include, but may not be limited to assisting in drafting court documents, meeting with clients, conducting legal research, and appearing in court on restraining orders or other matters. Students will gain insight into how the law and legal system can be used to both protect victims of domestic abuse and place them in physical danger. They will learn how to articulate the client's experience of abuse for the court through affidavits, witness testimony, or other evidence. Students will also learn how to develop an attorney/client relationship with someone who has or is experiencing trauma from domestic abuse.

This would be an unpaid internship. Downtown Salem is accessible by commuter train from Boston. It is preferable that students be 3:03 certified by the time they start the internship.


Public Service Internship in the Family Court with Senior Partners for Justice

Senior Partners for Justice, a pro bono initiative at the Volunteer Lawyers Project, is offering an internship program for law students interested in providing critical assistance to low-income clients while gaining hands-on experience in the family court.

The internship program will place interns in Suffolk, Middlesex, and Norfolk Probate and Family courts where they will work directly alongside courthouse staff. The position is unpaid however it provides invaluable experience and a flexible schedule. Senior Partners hopes to accommodate all students at one of the following locations:

  • At Suffolk (located near North Station and Government Center), interns staff the very busy Register’s office and have the chance to help the Lawyer for the Day and observe court proceedings.
  • At Middlesex (located in East Cambridge, at the Lechmere stop of the Green Line), interns rotate between different departments, gaining broad exposure to areas including Divorce and Paternity.
  • At Norfolk (located in Canton, accessible only by car), interns work directly with the court staff members who assist unrepresented litigants, and they have a chance for more one-on-one interaction at a less busy court.
To sign up please contact Russell Rennie at 617-423-0648, extension 129 or email at rrennie@vlpnet.org indicating which days you are available and which court you prefer. You may also sign up online. The internship will run from September 12th to December 2nd.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Opportunity for all class years to volunteer with Shelter Legal Services.

Shelter Legal Services ("SLS") invites all law schools, class years, and divisions to attend its required orientation Monday September 26th from 6 - 8 p.m. at Boston University School of Law, Room 1420. SLS works directly with low-income clients on a variety of issues including consumer debt, housing, family law, veterans' benefits, and Social Security. For more information on SLS please visit its website.

Space is limited so please RSVP by 5 p.m. on Thursday September 22nd to info@shelterlegalservices.org. If you have already attended a training and haven't yet volunteered email info@shelterlegalservices.org with your clinic preferences, available to view on its website.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Important Equal Justice Works Program Information and Deadlines for Students


Public Defender Corps applications open Monday, August 15
Equal Justice Works and the Southern Public Defender Training Center are pleased to announce that the application for the 2012 Public Defender Corps program opens Monday, August 15. Applications must be completed online and submitted along with a résumé and two letters of recommendation by 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 16, 2011. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Approximately 14 fellowships will be available in 2012 and we anticipate the competition will be fierce. Exact host site locations for the 2012 Public Defender Corps Fellowships will be posted on the
Equal Justice Works website on a rolling basis. Applicants who advance to the final round of review will be able to rank their host site preferences.

Application instructions, frequently asked questions and general information about Public Defender Corps are available on the
Equal Justice Works and the Southern Public Defender Training Center websites.

Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program Update

The 2012 Equal Justice Works Fellowships competition is underway and the online application is available from our website. Preferred funding locations and issue areas have been updated, but note that the list is not exhaustive. Some of our funding partners do not express specific preferences and we welcome all project proposals. The deadline for submission is 5pm EDT on Wednesday, September 14, 2011. Fellows selected this fall will begin their terms in September 2012. Questions should be directed to fellowships@equaljusticeworks.org or (202) 466-3686, ext. 202.

Conference and Career Fair registration opens Tuesday, August 16

Equal Justice Works is gearing up for our 2011 Conference and Career Fair, which will be in Washington, D.C. October 21 and 22. Dozens of public interest employers have already signed up and several workshops are being developed to bring your students the latest and greatest from the public interest law community.

Student registration opens Tuesday, August 16, 2011 on our website. If you have any questions, please contact careerfair@equaljusticeworks.org.