The Refugee and Human Rights Clinic at U.C. Hastings Fellowship

The Refugee and Human Rights Clinic (RHRC), in collaboration with the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), at U.C. Hastings is seeking applications for a two-year teaching fellowship (July 2012-June2014). The fellowship provides the opportunity to learn how to teach in a clinical setting. The fellow will work under the supervision of the RHRC Director, and will share in the full-range of responsibilities of teaching the RHRC, including co-teaching the clinic seminar, and supervising the clinical students' work.

Requirements:

• Experience in asylum, immigration, or human rights law
• Excellent academic record
• Two to five years minimum practice experience, including some direct representation
• Admission to a State bar
• Excellent analytical and writing skills
• Aptitude for student supervision
• Prior teaching experience is a plus; and
• bilingual ability in Spanish is desirable

Salary: Fellow will receive $50,000 per year with full benefits, which includes health, dental, and vision care insurance plans.

To Apply: Send resume, law school transcript, a writing sample, and a statement of interest by January 15, 2012. The statement should address: 1) why you are interested in this fellowship; (2) how your experiences make you particularly suitable to contribute to the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic; 3) your specific experience with asylum, or other immigration cases, and/or international human rights litigation or advocacy; 4) your professional goals and how this fellowship is related to your longer-term goals; 5) your understanding of the objectives of clinical teaching.

For more information on how to apply please visit the CSO Simplicity site, Job ID #7052.

International Law Writing Competition

The Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law at the American University Washington College of Law and the American Society of International Law’s (ASIL) Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict are pleased to announce the second annual International Humanitarian Law Student Writing Competition. The Competition seeks submissions of academic papers on the topic of international humanitarian law (IHL) from students currently enrolled in a law degree program in the United States or abroad. The purpose of the Competition is to enhance scholarship and deepen understanding among students in this important area of international law. The winning authors will be flown to Washington, DC to present their papers at a conference at American University Washington College of Law focused on emerging issues in IHL with a panel of expert professors and practitioners. In addition, winners will receive a complimentary registration to the ASIL 2012 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on March 28-31, 2012 and a one-year ASIL student membership. Last year the Competition received nearly 50 submissions from 17 different countries.

To be eligible to make a submission, students must be enrolled in a law degree program at a US or foreign law school. Submissions must be unpublished academic papers on a topic within the scope of international humanitarian law. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm (noon) EST.

The Competition presents an invaluable opportunity for students, and we would appreciate your help in promoting it through a variety of avenues that you deem appropriate. Thank you in advance for your help with this endeavor.

For detailed rules and submission guidelines, please visit http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/student_ihl_writing_competition.cfm.

Boston Human Rights Night

The International Justice Resource Center (IJRC) attended our Public Interest Networking event and sent this invitation along for the New England Law community to attend its event below:

The International Justice Resource Center will be hosting Boston Human Rights Night on December 7, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. There will be an expert panel discussion (including Professor John Cerone), remarks from some of the country's leading human rights defenders, and a showcase of Boston area social justice organizations' work. More information is available at: http://humanrightsnight.eventbrite.com/.

For information on IJRC please visit its website.

Immigration Attorney Job Opening

POSITION Staff Attorney (Active Member of the Bar)
Program Coordinator (Accredited Representative)
AGENCY Catholic Social Service - VAWA and Asylum Program
STATUS Exempt


PRIMARY FUNCTION
Responsible for providing legal representation for immigrant victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in Pima, Pinal, Yuma, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties, who are seeking immigration relief through United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Immigration Court, or the Board of Immigration Appeals. Responsible for managing, coordinating and supervising the work of legal staff, interns, and volunteer attorneys. May perform other duties as assigned.


EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Represent immigrant victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in Pima, Pinal, Yuma, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties in seeking immigration relief through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration Court, and Board of Immigration Appeals.

• Prepare all legal documents for USCIS, including, but not limited to VAWA self-petitions and U Visa petitions and appeals for immigrant victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

• Prepare and submit or coordinate with CSS’ administrative staff and/or the program’s Advisory Board regarding the preparation and submission of grant applications, proposals, progress and other applications/reports necessary to maintain and/or expand the VAWA and U Visa program

• Prepare and submit regular quarterly Legal Assistance for Victims grant reports to the Department of Justice

• Ensure compliance with the terms of the Department of Justice’s Legal Assistance for Victims grant

• Supervise staff including, but not limited to, the paralegals, volunteer attorneys, and legal interns

• Identify and pursue training needs for legal staff

• Coordinate and manage caseload of all VAWA and U Visa clients in Pima, Pinal, Yuma, Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties.

• Identify and pursue training needs for staff, and remain current on all immigration law matters relating to caseload

• Maintain collaborative relationships with Southern Arizona Legal Aid (“SALA”)

• Maintain collaborative relationships with Southern Arizona Battered Immigrant Women Project (“BIWP”) partners and others as appropriate, in Pima, Pinal, Yuma, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties

• Develop and oversee all office procedures relating to the management of legal cases

• Evaluate claims of potential applicants for asylum and assist in referral of such cases to pro bono lawyers

• Maintain professional contacts in local and national immigration community

For more information and to apply online please visit www.ccs-soaz.org.

Staff Attorney Job Opening

Tri-City Community Action Program (“Tri-CAP”) is a multi-service, anti-poverty agency serving Malden, Medford, Everett, and surrounding communities. Founded in 1978, Tri-CAP is organized to prevent the development and continuation of conditions that cause poverty or occur as a result of people living in poverty. Tri-CAP works through three agency divisions—Energy, Children and Family Services, and Advocacy and Community Services—to help low-income people meet their essential needs and take action to improve their lives.

Tri-CAP’s Advocacy and Community Services Division is seeking a Staff Attorney for the Pro Bono Legal Project. The Staff Attorney is responsible for housing law related services, including maintaining a substantial client caseload of landlord/tenant cases; providing community trainings to tenants, landlords, service providers, and volunteer attorneys participating in Tri-CAP’s legal housing initiatives; participating in and making him/herself available for other projects as determined by the Pro Bono Coordinator and funding sources. Responsibilities include maintaining a caseload; providing a variety of legal services to clients including housing law, bankruptcy, family law, and debt management; providing active and comprehensive case management; maintaining excellent records and files; cooperating fully with all funding representatives and consultants; and participating fully in program evaluations and policy development as required. This position is supervised by the Pro Bono Legal Project Coordinator.

For more information on qualifications, salary, and how to apply please visit the CSO Simplicity site, Job ID 7004.

Job Opportunity: Community Legal Aid

TEMPORARY STAFF ATTORNEY

Community Legal Aid (CLA), a non-profit legal services program providing free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income and elderly clients in Central and Western Massachusetts, seeks an attorney to work for a one-year period on foreclosure matters for at-risk homeowners in the four western counties of Massachusetts. The attorney, whose position is funded by a one-year grant, will assess homeowner cases for fair lending violations, file cases for individual homeowners to prevent foreclosure, assist in the loan modification process, and help victims of mortgage rescue scams. In addition, the attorney will engage in intensive community outreach and education on fair lending, mortgage rescue schemes, and foreclosure defense strategies. The attorney will also assist in the preparation of periodic grant reports. It is anticipated that the attorney will be based in CLA’s Springfield office, but will also spend time in the program’s other western Mass. offices as clients’ needs dictate.

QUALIFICATIONS: Admission to Mass. Bar, or eligibility to sit for next Mass. Bar examination, or entitlement to practice under a Mass. practice rule is required. Experience in foreclosure prevention work desirable. Fluency in Spanish desirable. CLA offers a liberal fringe benefits package.

Send resumes to: Sarah Loy, Community Legal Aid, 405 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01608-1735, or e-mail sloy@laccm.org. Equal Opportunity Employer.

Reminder: Immigration Law Job and Internship Opportunities

Summer 2012 Fellow Position

Immigrant Law Group PC is a Portland, Oregon based firm engaged in strategic public interest civil rights litigation on behalf of immigrants, refugees, and their families. Their Summer Legal Intern will work in two different program areas: (1) Immigrant Impact Litigation and (2) Asylum Defense. This position is available to any second year or third year part time law students. For more information on how to apply please visit the CSO Simplicity site, job ID # 7002.

Georgetown Law's Asylum 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 information on how to apply please visit the CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID # 6975.

Public Service Leadership Panel

EVENT DETAILS:
Leadership Is About Service: Public Service Leadership Advice for Law Students
Monday, November 7, 7 pm,
Pound Hall 335, 1563 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Reception to follow

Panelists will talk about the concrete, implementable ways in which they have built the communities and forged the relationships needed to make changes for the public good, whether working for a legal services organization, a political campaign or government initiative, a grassroots community movement, or a private firm pro bono project.

Featuring:
Anna Dodson, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
Sam Levine, HLS ’12, Project No One Leaves and Foreclosure Task Force of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Bob Sable, Former Executive Director, Greater Boston Legal Services
Raquel Webster, Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Boston Law Department

Public Interest Networking Event- Organizations Attending

The Networking Event will take place November 10th in the Cherry Room from 6:30 pm to approximately 9:30 p.m., catering provided by Viga. Do not forget to RSVP to cso@nesl.edu !

Public Interest Law – A Night of Networking
Organizations Attending

Alternatives for Community and the Environment
Grey2k
Medical Legal Partnership
Legal Advocacy and Resource Center
Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association
Victim Rights Law Center
Domestic Violence Institute
Grassroots International
International Justice Resource Center
Massachusetts Appleseed
Community Legal Services and Counseling Center
National Lawyers Guild, MA Chapter
Committee for Public Counsel Services
Suffolk Lawyers for Justice
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Erickson Law
Joseph Sulman
Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy