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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.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Exciting Announcement from Equal Justice Works

Below is an announcement from Equal Justice Works about Public Service Loan Forgiveness:

We are pleased to announce that the Department of Education has released an Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness form to assist borrowers in tracking their qualifying employment and qualifying payments as they work toward earning loan forgiveness.

After borrowers submit the form, they will be notified whether their employment qualifies, the total number of qualifying payments they have made and how many payments still need to be made before they qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This will be a tremendous help for borrowers in documenting the 120 qualifying monthly payments (at least 10 years worth) they need to earn forgiveness. It also will provide them with some certainty that their employment qualifies.

Go here to find out more about Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the certification process set up by the Department of Education, and to download a copy of the form, instructions and a “dear borrower” letter.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Speaker Event at Harvard Book Store

Joshua Rubenstein, the Northeast Regional Director of Amnesty International USA, will interview Ambassador David Scheffer about his new book, All the Missing Souls, at the Harvard Book Store on Thursday evening, January 26th, at 7 p.m. Click here for more information on the book.

The program is free and open to the public.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Institute for Justice Law Student Conference

Greetings from the Institute for Justice! Founded in 1991, the Institute for Justice engages in cutting-edge litigation and advocacy both in the court of law and in the court of public opinion on behalf of individuals whose most basic rights are denied by the government-like the right to earn and honest living, private property rights, the right to free speech and educational choice.

The Institute for Justice is now accepting applications for 2012 Law Student Conference. IJ's annual law student conference is open to first and second year law students will be held Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24, 2012 at the George Washington University in downtown Washington, DC.

Law students interested in applying for the annual law student conference can find the online application at www.ij.org/students. The application deadline is Thursday, March 1, 2012.
For more information on the Institute for Justice visit www.ij.org/students.

2012 RebLaw Conference

Registration is OPEN for the 2012 RebLaw ("Rebellious Lawyering") Conference! RebLaw 2012 will be held at Yale Law School on the weekend of February 17-18.

You can register here.

This year's keynote speaker will be Gerald Lopez, UCLA law professor and author of "Rebellious Lawyering: One Chicano's Vision of Progressive Law Practice."

Our keynote panel on "The Criminalization of Poverty" will feature Andrea Ritchie, co-author of "Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States" and coordinator of Streetwise and Safe; Andrew Friedman, co-founding director of Make the Road New York; and Lisa Daugaard, supervisor of the Seattle Defender Association's Racial Disparity Project.

We will have nearly two dozen panels and workshops, including: *Enforcing Labor Rights in a Transnational World * Mobilizing for Sexual and Reproductive Justice * Strategic Lawyering for Collective Entities: Models, Methods and Movement Building * Fighting the Monopoly on Medicine * Fallout from the Wal-Mart Decision * Crime, But Not Punishment: Restorative Justice As An Alternative to Criminal Prosecution in Domestic & International Contexts * The Work JDs Do in Education Reform * Race and Voting * Prison Re-Entry * Sovereignty, Identity, and Genocide: U.S. Law and Native Bodies * Transnational LGBT Advocacy * Confronting Big Food * Juvenile Justice * Rethinking the Public Interest Law Market * Union organizing * Environmental Justice * and more!

You can find more details on the conference at www.yale.edu/reblaw.

Annual Health Lawyer Career Event

Annual Health Lawyer Career Event- Boston Bar Association
Tuesday Jan 24; 4:00 to 6:00

Annual Health Lawyer Career Event, with a twist – hear from young and experienced lawyers who entered their legal careers in a less traditional way and have established exciting, diverse careers. The panel is joined by Patricia Hennessy who will discuss interview skills, networking opportunities and offer advice to new graduates, soon to be graduates and those who may be interested in changing the focus of their careers. Moderated by Kevin Outterson from Boston University, this evening will be a great opportunity to learn from experience and meet the best and the brightest.

Moderator: Kevin Outterson, Northwestern University;Associate Professor, Boston University.
Career Coach: Patricia Hennessy, Harvard Law School;Hennessy Consulting Group, Career Management Consultant.

Health Lawyers:
Alicia Christensen, New England School of Law (2009); Conflict of Interest Specialist, Office of General Counsel,Children's Hospital Boston.

Dianne Pledgie, Northeastern School of Law (2005);Compliance Officer and Manager of Government Grants, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Monica ValdesLupi. Boston University, MPH (1998); Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law (1997); Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Health.

Josh Greenberg, Northeastern School of Law (1993);Vice President, Government Relations, Children's Hospital Boston

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Cover Retreat- Stipend Application Extension

CLSR invites applications for stipends to attend the 25th Annual Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat, which will be held March 2-4, 2012 in Peterborough, New Hampshire(http://www.law.yale.edu/news/coverretreat12.htm). The Retreat brings together public interest law students and practitioners for an engaging weekend of learning, networking, and fun. New England Law | Boston students have attended for the past two years and found the experience stimulating and thought-provoking, as well as a great chance to develop opportunities for summer and post-graduate work.

Stipend applications are due to the CSLR Fellow Sarah Herbert, sarah.m.herbert@nesl.edu, January 20th, 2012, and must include a current official transcript, resume, and one page letter detailing experience, commitment and sources of interest. Interviews will be held the week of January 16. 1L students are welcome to apply and CLSR will request a transcript at a later date for those 1Ls that we interview.

Immigrant's Rights Summer Fellowship

Micahel Maggio Immigrants’ Rights Fellowship

AILA is one of three organizations that funds the Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Fellowship, a summer Fellowship that awards $4,000 to a law student to work on an immigration related student-initiated project. The Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Summer Fellowship was established jointly in 2009 by the America Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL), and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP/NLG), to commemorate the life and legal contributions of Michael Maggio. Interested students must submit a project proposal with an organization willing to host the student for 10 weeks and provide a $1,500 stipend. The $1,500 amount may be paid by the host organization or may be provided by the law student through other means, e.g., law school public interest funding, independent fundraising, etc. The Maggio Immigrants' Rights Fellowship will provide an additional $2,500 stipend for a total award of $4,000. Applications will be accepted through February 1, 2012 and the Fellow will be notified by March 1, 2012. To learn more about the Fellowship visit www.maggiofellowship.org.

Visit CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID 7122

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Staff Attorney Position- Catholic Social Service, VAWA and Asylum Program

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

The above statement reflects the general duties considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified, and shall not be considered a detailed description of all work requirements that may be inherent in the job.


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Hold an active membership in any state or federal bar or standing as a Board of Immigration Appeals Accredited Representative
• Strong organizational, oral, and written skills
• Strong skills in legal research, analysis, and writing
• Ability to interact professionally and negotiate effectively with opposing counsel
• Professional demeanor
• Proficiency in MS-Excel, MS-Word, Immigration Pro, and Lexis Nexis.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) both written and verbal
• One year supervisory experience
• One year experience in immigration law
• Fingerprint Clearance
• Maintain valid AZ Driver license and insurance

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
• Additional years of VAWA and U Visa immigration law experience

To Apply: Visit CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID 7111

Summer Internship with Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

About MA Appleseed:
The Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice seeks a law student intern for the Summer of 2012. We welcome applications from law students with creativity and personal initiative who are interested in developing systemic responses to pressing issues in Massachusetts. The position will involve legal and factual research and writing. The summer intern will be supervised directly by the Executive Director. The summer intern will work closely with the Center’s staff, board members, volunteer lawyers and other activists. The internship runs for ten (10) weeks. A selected student will be supported by a stipend from the Elisabeth M. Todaro Fund.

Current Projects:
The MA Appleseed’s current projects and priorities include: Education and School Discipline Our signature project is entitled “Keep Kids In Class,” whereby we examine the intersection of school discipline, zero tolerance and youth entering the juvenile justice system. The goal is to mitigate the effects of school discipline proceedings on drop-out rates and its connection with juvenile delinquency. We will be publishing a report within the next few weeks entitled, “Keep Kids In Class: New Approaches to School Discipline,” in conjunction with a conference. We are actively developing new projects to build on the conclusions and recommendations that grow out of this important work. Education of Homeless Children The federal McKinney-Vento Act entitles children who are homeless to a free, appropriate public education. The Act requires that schools remove any barriers to their enrollment, attendance, and success in school. Specifically, school districts are mandated to waive residency requirements, to eliminate requirements to produce medical records, such as immunizations, or academic records prior to enrollment, and to pay for transportation costs. MA Appleseed is developing a new project involving Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. Unaccompanied homeless youth are adolescents who are homeless for the purposes of McKinney-Vento and not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. This includes, but is not limited to, children and youth who are living in runaway shelters; living in abandoned buildings, on the streets or in other inadequate accommodations; staying on the couches of friends or relatives; or denied housing by their parents. While the number of homeless youth is growing, unaccompanied homeless youth are often under-counted and under-reported. MA Appleseed co-authored legislation intended to raise awareness of this problem and create a forum within which to develop strategies to assist this group of youth. The legislation is focused on housing stability, educational stability and developing best practices. MA Appleseed is one of seventeen public interest law centers nationwide in the Appleseed pro bono justice center network. MA Appleseed promotes equal rights and opportunities for Massachusetts residents by developing and advocating for systemic solutions to social justice issues. MA Appleseed does not provide direct legal representation to individuals. Applications. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We will conduct interviews during the first half of February 2012.


To apply please visit the CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID 7107

Rappaport Deadline Quickly Approaching

The Rappaport Center's deadline for Fellowship Applications is Thursday January 19th 2012. For more information on this fellowship and how to apply please visit rapportcenter.org/fellows.

About the Fellowship:The Rappaport Fellows Program in Law and Public Policy brings together gifted students from each of the six Boston-area law schools (Boston College Law School, Boston University School of Law, Harvard Law School, New England Law|Boston, Northeastern University School of Law, and Suffolk University Law School) to work with top public policymakers in a ten-week paid summer internship on issues that affect residents of Greater Boston and Massachusetts.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Reminder: Apply for Cover Public Interest Retreat Stipends!

CLSR invites applications for stipends to attend the 25th Annual Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat, which will be held March 2-4, 2012 in Peterborough, New Hampshire(http://www.law.yale.edu/news/coverretreat12.htm). The Retreat brings together public interest law students and practitioners for an engaging weekend of learning, networking, and fun. New England Law | Boston students have attended for the past two years and found the experience stimulating and thought-provoking, as well as a great chance to develop opportunities for summer and post-graduate work.

Stipend applications are due to the CSLR Fellow Sarah Herbert, sarah.m.herbert@nesl.edu, January 13, 2012, and must include a current official transcript, resume, and one page letter detailing experience, commitment and sources of interest. Interviews will be held the week of January 16. 1L students are welcome to apply and CLSR will request a transcript at a later date for those 1Ls that we interview.

Legal Aid Society of Cleveland 2012 Summer Associate Program

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (Legal Aid) is looking for 12 - 15 dedicated, hard-working, and public interest minded students to work in Legal Aid’s four Northeast Ohio offices for our 2012 summer associate program. Legal Aid summer associates commit to working at least 11 weeks. Legal Aid is a non-profit law firm focused on areas of consumer rights, disability, domestic violence, education, employment, family law, foreclosure, health, housing, immigration, public benefits, and tax.

Summer associates work in different areas of the law but all receive the opportunity to learn how to be excellent poverty lawyers. Generally, summer associates will interview clients, draft court pleadings, research relevant legal issues, attend and assist with court hearings and trials, and gather and analyze evidence. In addition, Legal Aid summer associates will participate in weekly trainings on substantive areas of poverty law and observe oral arguments in the 8th District Court of Appeals, meeting afterward with the judges involved. Brown bag lunches with current Legal Aid lawyers and community members including judges, politicians, and leaders of local non-profit agencies are also held on a weekly basis. Student Qualifications: Legal Aid summer associate applicants should have completed their first or second year of law school prior to the summer of 2012. Special consideration is given to students with a demonstrated commitment to serving disadvantaged people and communities. If your resume does not reflect a commitment to public service due to personal financial constraints, please provide an explanation in
your cover letter. Law students who speak Spanish are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information on how to apply please visit the CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID 7076

Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. Temporary Attorney Position

The Temporary Program Attorney coordinates and monitors volunteer faculty in planning, preparing, presenting and evaluating continuing legal education seminars for attorneys. The Program Attorney reports to the Director of Programs.

Qualifications
• Law school graduate with solid academic record
• Experience in law practice (preferably in business and commercial law, employment law and/or real estate law)
• Excellent interpersonal skills, a public spirit, friendly demeanor, and sense of humor
• Excellent speaking and writing skills
• Demonstrated administrative, organizational and management skills with attention to details
• Experience working under and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment; strong work ethic; independence; ability to juggle multiple priorities
• Creativity, energy, resourcefulness as a legal curriculum planner with the ability to capture the imagination and energies of faculty and staff
• The position requires covering numerous seminar planning meetings, occasionally including evenings, and requires occasional in-state car travel, including early mornings and evenings
• The position requires the ability to deal directly and frequently with lawyers and judges and the ability to motivate, persuade and dissuade them diplomatically, and the willingness to foster and maintain constructive long-term relationships
• The position requires sensitivity to organizational and interpersonal dynamics and entails intensive, day-to-day communication and cooperation with an experienced staff of non-lawyer specialists



Job Responsibilities
1. Is responsible for developing content, selecting teaching methodology, recruiting volunteer faculty and compiling written materials for assigned seminars; approximately 25-30 programs per 3-month term
2. Drafts correspondence, seminar brochures and other materials necessary to plan, promote, present, and evaluate seminars
3. # Leads faculty meetings/conference calls to communicate program logistics and help structure program schedule, content, and organization
4. Works with faculty to ensure appropriate program materials are assembled in a timely manner
5. Administers seminars held on-site, as assigned
6. Occasionally travels throughout Massachusetts to supervise the administration of off-site seminars
7. Fosters cooperative working relationship with support and professional staff
8. Attends monthly staff meetings
9. Works with Marketing Manager to review and edit select Marketing e-mails and brochures
10. Responds to faculty and registrant inquiries concerning MCLE services and products
11. Represents the interests of MCLE and explains its policies and practices
12. Assumes additional administrative duties as assigned
13. Oversees program assistant’s tasks to ensure appropriate progress and accurate, timely completion of responsibilities
14. Actively communicates and reports status of tasks to Director of Programs weekly
15. Prepares detailed update report of status of responsibilities at the conclusion of the temporary 3.5-month period for both the Director of Programs and the Program Attorney returning to the position

To apply please visit the CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID #7102

Senior Partners for Justice Internship

The Pro Bono Internship for the spring semester at the Suffolk, Norfolk, and Middlesex County Probate and Family Courts is about to begin. The internship places law students in the area with courtroom staff as they assist petitioners and clients process and files their claims and petitions. The internship is an excellent opportunity for a student with an interest in guardianship or family law to understand legal procedure, interact with clients, and get a feel for how the legal system plays out in the courthouse. All participants in the internship program will receive support from the Senior Partners staff and invitations to trainings, luncheons, and other events through Senior Partners and VLP.

For information on how to apply please visit the CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID #7094

For more information on Senior Partners for Justice, please visit its website.

National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Opportunities

Please visit the PSLawNet for more information on how to apply for these two fellowships and paid summer internship!

1. The 2012-13 PSLawNet Fellowship;
2. The 2012-14 NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program Fellowship;
3. The Summer 2012 PSLawNet Publications Coordinator.

FREE Webinar for the Summer Public Interest Job Search

This two-part webinar series, cosponsored by NALP and Equal Justice Works, will provide law students with insight on the key elements of the summer public-interest job application process. Attorneys with years of application review experience will highlight do’s and don’ts; explain how and why public interest application materials may substantively differ from law firm materials; and explore the dynamics of personal interactions in interviews and networking situations.

  1. Steve Grumm, Director of Public Service Initiatives, NALP
  2. Stuart Smith, Director of Legal Recruitment, New York City Law Department
  3. Nicole Vikan, Assistant Director for Public Interest & Government Careers, Georgetown University Law Center
  1. Nita Mazumder, Program Manager for Law School Relations, Equal Justice Works
  2. Nicole Simmons, Career Counselor, The University of Texas School of Law
  3. David Zisser, Associate Counsel, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law