Welcome to the CLSR Weblog.
Please browse around, catch up on our latest public interest law projects, peruse our links (including the one to our home site, New England Law | Boston), and add your comments. Before you start, we encourage you to become familiar with our Terms of Use.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Public Interest Event- Please RSVP
Sponsored by:
Public Interest Law Association, Career Services Office & Center for Law and Social Responsibility
When: Thursday, November 10th from 6:30 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m.
Where: Cherry Room, New England Law Library
What: Students will be able to meet attorneys working in many areas of public interest law including, but not limited to, environmental, employment, elder law, criminal justice, and education. The first portion of the evening will be a speed-networking format. Students will rotate from table to table to and speak with attorneys about their work and possible opportunities for law students in their practice area. Following this portion, refreshments will be provided by Viga and students will have the opportunity to speak more at length with attorneys in fields that interest them.
Space is limited so please RSVP!
To RSVP: Please email the Career Services Office at CSO@nesl.edu
New England Law Boston VITA Program
Interested in working with local attorneys and getting some hands on experience in the Boston community without working 20 hours a week to do it? Come learn about the VITA program this Thursday at 4:30 in room 305. Everyone, including 1L's, are encouraged to come and listen to what we are offering. If you are interested in the Business or Tax track or just want to meet a local Boston attorney who you might be able to work with this summer, grab a friend and stop in.
For more information on VITA please visit the ABA VITA page.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Staff Attorney Position: Alaska Immigration Justice Project
Requirements : J.D. degree, license to practice law in Alaska (may hire contingent upon passing the next Alaska bar exam after date of hire), excellent written and oral communication skills, and work experience with culturally diverse clients. Strong preference for bilingual applicants: Tagalog or Russian speakers are encouraged to apply.
Salary: DOE.
Submit resume, transcript, and writing sample to Jason Baumetz, Alaska Immigration Justice Project, 431 W. 7th Ave., Suite 208 Anchorage, Alaska 99501, or e-mail to jason.baumetz@akimmigrationjustice.org. Open until filled.
Job Opportunity: Anti-Trafficking Attorney
NLG/ ACLU BRIC Panel Discussion
Where:Cherry Room
About the Event: New England Law| Boston's NLG and ACLU student groups are hosting a Panel discussion with attorney and activists involved in a case against Boston Regional Intelligence Center.
In a move to compel disclosure of information that has been withheld from the public about the Boston Police Department's expanded surveillance operations, including the scope of its monitoring of political activities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the National Lawyers Guild of Massachusetts have filed suit on behalf of eight Boston-area political groups and four individual activists, seeking public disclosure of records detailing the BPD's practice of monitoring political organizations and activists.
The suit, filed under the Massachusetts Public Records law, seeks disclosure of BPD records regarding the Department's surveillance and recording of protest activities and assemblies, the monitoring of political groups and activists, as well as records relating to the collection and sharing of information with the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies.
For more information please visit this ACLU site.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Fellowship Opportunity - International Law
Funded in part by contributions from ASIL members and private foundations, Helton Fellowships provide financial assistance in the form of “micro-grants” for law students and young professionals to pursue field work and research on significant issues involving international law, human rights, humanitarian affairs, and related areas.
Helton Fellowship micro-grants are intended to ensure that these individuals have access to modest amounts of funding that can often stand between them and their first professional opportunities to become effective practitioners, experts, and scholars of international law.
Helton Fellowship micro-grants are intended to contribute to paying for logistics, housing and living expenses, and other costs related to the Fellow’s international law fieldwork and research in affiliation with the sponsoring organization.
To apply please visit the CSO Simplicity site, job ID 6988.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
International Opportunity for Law Students
Suffolk University Law School
Office of Graduate and International Programs
120 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02108
Faculty Dining Room – 4th Floor
The Office of Graduate and International Programs at Suffolk University Law School is hosting an information session next Wednesday for our Global Internship programs.The programs are open to both Suffolk and non-Suffolk students.
Through this internship programs, students are able to secure international placement in both the private and public sphere. They take students’ areas of interests and desired destinations, and with the help of a third party partner in Austria, pair students with international firms and organizations. The goal is to facilitate the process of obtaining international legal experience, so students can focus on the experience itself.
Students who have any questions or are interested in this program should RSVP to Dana Warshauer, Program Coordinator, Graduate and International Programs at Suffolk University Law School at dwarshauer@suffolk.edu.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tenants Rights Street Law Clinic
What:
Tenants Rights Street Law Clinic
When:
Thursday, November 3 at 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Location: Room 507
About the Clinic:
Volunteering to conduct Street Law Clinic workshops is a great way to start using your legal skills and, with only a few hours per month, assist communities in need. This work also counts towards the Public Service Transcript Notation. After receiving the training in the Street Law Clinic you can go out and teach others.
Tenant/Landlord Disputes
State and local laws designed to protect tenants are often ignored or deliberately violated by landlords. Tenants frequently do not know how to assert their legal rights. Participants in this workshop learn what their rights are with respect to such issues as:
•Evictions
•Rent increases
•Health code violations
•Lead paint
•Discrimination.
Participants also discuss strategies for tenants to organize effectively and to assert their rights.
Sometimes small landlords attend this clinic and learn their obligations as landlords under Massachusetts law.
New Environmental Project at the Center!
The project will focus on river and sediment contamination in a local river near Boston. Students are needed for initial data gathering on contamination and possible sources which will then be used by the students and ACE in development of policy and legal options. This project will include coordination with ACE, local community groups, and other environmental nonprofits. It is a great opportunity to experience the type of work that goes into building an environmental case which typically includes background research, community organization, and strategy development. The hope is to learn how to go about collecting this data in November, and then taking the project full on starting in January.
All students, including 1Ls, are welcomed to come to the informational meeting that will take place Wednesday November 9th, from 4-5 p.m. at the St. James office. At this initial meeting Eugene Benson will discuss the project’s background and participants and the commitment needed from interested students. If you would like to attend this informational meeting please e-mail the CLSR fellow, Sarah Herbert, by November 4th at sarah.m.herbert@nesl.edu.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
October 26th Pro Bono Fair
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
2012 Public Justice Essay Contest
The deadline for Intent to Enter is January 31, 2012 and the Essay Submission Deadline is March 31, 2012.
For more information on contest rules etc. please visit www.publicjustice.net.
Georgetown Fellowship Opportunity
2012-2014 Clinical Teaching Fellowship
Georgetown University's Center for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) announces that it is now accepting applications for its annual fellowship program in clinical legal education. CALS will offer one lawyer a two year teaching fellowship (July 2012 June 2014), providing a unique opportunity to learn how to teach law in a clinical setting.
At CALS, our two fellows and faculty members work as colleagues, sharing responsibilities for designing and teaching classes, supervising law students in their representation of clients, selecting and grading students, administering the clinic, and all other matters. In addition, the fellow will undertake independent legal scholarship, conducting the research and writing to produce a law review article of publishable quality.
This fellowship is particularly suitable for lawyers with some degree of practice experience who now want to embark upon careers in law teaching. Most of our previous fellows are now teaching law or have done so for substantial portions of their careers.
Since 1995, CALS has specialized in immigration law, specifically in asylum practice, and our docket focuses on presenting asylum claims in immigration court. Applicants with experience in U.S. immigration law will therefore be given preference. The fellow must be a member of a bar at the start of the fellowship period.
The fellow will receive full tuition and fees in the LL.M. program at Georgetown University, and a stipend in excess of $53,000 in each of the two years. On successful completion of the requirements, the Fellow will be granted the degree of Master of Laws (Advocacy) with distinction.
For more details and to apply, please visit CSO Simplicity website, job posting #6975. If you have any questions, call CALS at (202) 662-9565 or email to calsclinic@law.georgetown.edu.
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Benefits of Getting Involved
What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental Justice is a buzz word that many might have heard, but know little about. EPA’s website defines Environmental Justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” Essentially, there are communities across the United States that are disproportionately exposed to poor environmental conditions. The exposure can range from poor air quality, to toxic buildings, degraded water quality, and contaminated land. These communities, known as “EJ communities”, exist right here around Boston and all throughout the state of Massachusetts.
How the NEEJF Regional Training Inspired Me
This forum provided an interactive format for attorneys and community organizers to learn from one another and share their experiences. What I walked away with from this training was a better understanding of the attorney’s role in EJ cases and the importance of a strong relationship between the attorney and the community they represent.
During one part of this program participants could hear from attorneys who have experience with EJ cases. This provided an opportunity to hear from attorneys about the obstacles and benefits of working with community groups that they experienced and the tactics used for successful outcomes. One point I took from this is that the attorney has a multifaceted role when working on these cases. While the attorney is critical to formulating legal arguments and assessing opportunities for the community to be part of the legal process, the attorney also needs to recognize and understand the importance of the many venues these campaigns must utilize. EJ communities have a number of forums available to them to raise awareness, which include community sponsored rallies or fairs, cleanup projects, participation at public hearings, advocacy pieces in newspapers and media, and community education. These many components need to be taken into consideration when developing a successful strategy plan.
In the afternoon we were also able to break into topic groups and during this portion I sat in on the “air” topic group. I cannot emphasize enough how much I walked away with from sitting at this table. It included community residents, experienced attorneys, law students, and recent graduates. Participants at this table handed out information on their current projects and ways to get involved. We discussed topics ranging from standing in a legal suit, community education on idling of vehicles, to incineration of waste and ways to reduce the amount of waste in Boston. The breadth of topics and the ideas generated during this round-table discussion resulted in alliances from different groups moving forward and a sense of unity among many different air related issues. What we realized is that we are all a resource for one another, even if we may have never worked on the particular air related topic raised.
What amazed me the most was the work of community organizers. Most people can feel powerless when they see their community subject to continuing environmental degradation, whether it is vacant lots turned into dump sites and drug havens, to another industrial facility emitting more toxics into the air. It all starts with community groups recognizing that it is up to them to stand up. From there, it is up to everyone to provide their assistance; whether legal, technical, or organizational in order to develop a successful campaign. Those who choose to get involved need to become familiar with the community, what makes it tick and why this campaign is so important to the overall health of the community. Attorneys discussed attending community meetings even if legal issues were not raised and taking a walks around the area with community members so they could be come just as familiar with the problem as the community members were.
Get Involved
My suggestion to anyone, after attending this event, is to attend similar events in the public interest field you are interested in. Upon leaving this training I had a wealth of information on projects I could get involved in, speaker series I could attend, and renewed energy to continue with this work. As future attorneys you are learning valuable skills that under-served communities are in desperate need of and it is important to remember to use these skills to give back.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Job Opportunity- Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) in Portland, Maine seeks a strategic and inspirational leader who is passionate and highly knowledgeable about immigration, and possesses proven non-profit organizational development and fundraising experience. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) has overall responsibility for implementation of policies, programs and operations of the organization. The ED is responsible for achievement of ILAP’s mission and for providing key leadership in the planning process to build a secure and sustainable infrastructure that supports the current programs and assures organizational growth to meet the expanding needs of the community.
The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) was founded in 1993 and is Maine’s only state-wide nonprofit provider of free and low-fee comprehensive immigration law services to low-income Mainers. ILAP helps low-income immigrants improve their legal status and works for more just and humane laws and policies affecting immigrants. With a staff of eleven, and an annual operating budget of $800,000, ILAP serves about 2,500 people per year.
Bachelors and graduate degrees required; law degree strongly preferred. Must have a documented record of progressively responsible upper-level non-profit management experience, including successful fundraising experience.
To apply please visit the CSO Simplicity site job # 6960.
For a detailed position description, please visit www.ilapmaine.org
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Rappaport Fellows Program Information Session
Rappaport Fellows Program Information Session
October 13th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
St. James Conference Room
The Rappaport Fellows Program in Law and Public Policy is built around a series of experiences and activities that blend the practical and the intellectual elements of public service law and civic leadership. For the selected Rappaport Fellows, there are three major components to the year-long program:
- Working in a paid ten-week summer legal internships with a Boston-area government employer that focuses on urban policy issues;
- Engaging in a weekly seminar series and other activities designed to immerse the fellows in issues of law, public policy, and public service relevant to Greater Boston; an
- Participating in an individually matched mentoring program with seasoned lawyers, government officials, and civic leaders.
Any J.D. candidate who is not in his or her final year of study and is enrolled at one of the six law schools in the Greater Boston region is eligible to apply for a Rappaport Fellowship. Come learn about the Rappaport Fellowship and how you can apply!
More information about the Rappaport Fellows Program is available here: http://www.rappaportcenter.org/fellows/description.cfm
Please RSVP for this program:
2LD/2LE/3LE Students: Students may now RSVP for all CSO programs in Symplicity! Click on the “Events” tab in Symplicity and go to “Workshops”. Click on each program name to RSVP for a program.
1LD Students: Please RSVP for this program by emailing cso@nesl.edu
Monday, October 3, 2011
New England Environmental Justice Forum- Regional Training
This training is FREE and includes lunch and childcare. If you are interested you can register here. The event will take place at SEIU 615, 26 West Street, 2nd Floor, which is near New England Law | Boston's Stuart Street building. For directions please click here.
For more information on Environmental Justice (EJ) the following websites are helpful:
EPA's EJ site
NRDC EJ site
ACE (Boston based)