The Personal Economics of Domestic Violence

Guest Lecturer: Deirdre Hunter M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
WHEN: Friday, October 30, 2009 Noon-1pm
WHERE: Greater Boston Legal Services, 197 Friend Street, Boston, MA

South Gate Conference Room, 2nd Floor

Please join Greater Boston Legal Services' Family Law Unit on October 30, 2009 for a brown bag lunch presentation on the personal economics of domestic violence. Guest lecturer, Deirdre Hunter M.S.W., L.C.S.W, will discuss the economic challenges faced by victims of domestic violence and how these challenges are used by abusive partners to control their victims. Ms. Hunter received her M.S.W. from the University of Connecticut and is currently a Lecturer in Women's and Gender Studies at Brandeis University and the director of programs at Justice Resource Institute. Ms. Hunter has over 20 years of experience working with victims of domestic violence and will be available to take questions during the event. Coffee and sweets will be served.

Please RSVP by emailing Lisa Locher at llocher@gbls.org and indicate if you are a student from New England Law.

October Designated as Pro Bono Month

Governor Patrick has signed a proclamation designating October 2009 as Pro Bono Month at the request of the SJC Standing Committee on Pro Bono Services. Click here to see the proclamation.

Temporary Family Law Position at WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School

January 2010 through June 2010

POSITION SUMMARY:
The WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (“LSC”) is the community law office and largest clinical program of Harvard Law School (HLS), serving over 100 HLS students annually (see below). Among its many clinics, the LSC offers a Domestic Violence/ Family Law Clinic to students each semester. The primary work of the Domestic Violence/ Family Law Clinic is its collaboration with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, called the Passageway Health Law Collaborative (PHLC). Through this innovative health-law collaboration, law students and LSC attorneys provide comprehensive legal services to low- to moderate-income victims of domestic violence. The PHLC, with its multi-disciplinary and holistic service model, is staffed primarily by two LSC staff attorneys, one of whom is going on temporary leave from January 2010 through June 2010. In order to fill this temporary vacancy, the LSC is looking to hire a temporary family law attorney to be responsible for implementing the PHLC and supervising students in the Domestic Violence/ Family Law Clinic, beginning January 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2010.

The temporary family law attorney will provide direct legal assistance to low- to moderate-income victims of domestic violence in the area of family law, and closely supervise and mentor student attorneys in that case work. The attorney’s (and students’) caseload will include family law cases involving issues of domestic violence, paternity, custody, support, visitation, asset division, removal, and restraining orders. The attorney will also conduct client intakes, deliver legal trainings for hospital-based staff and patients, and provide technical assistance and program support to hospital-based social workers. The attorney will work collaboratively in a team setting with hospital-based staff at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and affiliated health canters, as well as with the staff and clinical instructors at LSC.

The WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School has a dual mission of providing high quality legal services to low-to moderate-income residents in the greater Boston area, while offering Harvard Law students hands-on lawyering experience in a heavily supervised setting. Our students work side-by-side with experienced practitioners on their casework. You may learn more about the LSC at http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical/lsc/.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide full representation and limited assistance to low- to moderate-income victims of domestic violence in the area of family law.


• Work closing with, and provide technical assistance to, hospital-based social work staff.


• Conduct legal trainings and presentations for hospital-based staff on various areas of law.


• Directly supervise law students on cases, including reviewing and editing all written work, preparing students for court appearances and meetings, and providing constructive feedback.


• Participate in student trainings on substantive law and practice skills.


• Prepare detailed written evaluations of students’ work, as well as in-person performance evaluations at mid-semester and the end of the semester.


• Attend and participate in weekly clinical class at Harvard Law School.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Law degree and admission to Massachusetts Bar.


• At least three years family/ DV law experience, which may include internship or student clinical experience.


• Experience supervising and/or teaching students in a clinical setting, preferred.


• Strong writing, legal analysis, legal research and oral advocacy skills.


• Litigation experience, including motions practice and trial preparation.


• Experience working with domestic violence survivors, social justice issues, diverse communities, and social change preferred.


• Strong people skills, including ability to communicate and work well with diverse groups and individuals.


• Spanish language skills preferred.

COMPENSATION: $28,000 plus benefits.

JOB STATUS: Full-time, six-month contract to begin January 1, 2010 and end June 30, 2010.

SUPERVISORS:
Director of Family Law Unit, Lecturer on Law, Robert Greenwald, Esq.
Staff Attorney, Clinical Instructor, Nnena E.J. Odim, Esq.

TO APPLY:
Apply online through the Employment @ Harvard Website: http://www.employment.harvard.edu/. (Requisition # 37908)

Community Action Poverty Simulation for Pro Bono Volunteers

Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston invites you to participate in a Community Action Poverty Simulation. The Poverty Simulation is an invaluable experience for volunteers interested in providing pro bono representation to patient-families living in poverty.

The Poverty Simulation is an interactive tool that educates participants about the day-to-day

realities of life with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. The goal of the

simulation is to promote a greater understanding of poverty and of the experiences of many

pro bono clients. Participants will take part in short sessions representing a four-week period in

the life of a low-income family, followed by a facilitated discussion about the experience.

Friday, October 30, 9am - 12 pm

Hosted by and held at:

Ropes & Gray

One International Place

Boston, MA 02110

Please RSVP by October 23, 2009 to Margarita Warren at Margarita.Warren@bmc.org.

Space is limited.

2010 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest

The Public Justice Foundation is sponsoring the 2010 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest. The topic is Can Coal Be Clean? Litigation Remedies for Coal Contamination from Mining to Combustion to Sequestration. The intent-to-enter form submission deadline is January 29, 2010 and the essay submission deadline is March 31, 2010. Below is the link for additional information about the contest.

http://www.publicjustice.net/What-We-Do/Awards/Law-School-Essay-Contest.aspx

Domestic Violence in the Legal Profession, Featuring Diane Patrick

WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
WHERE: Suffolk University Law School, First Floor Function Hall



A Women's Bar Foundation event featuring Diane Patrick, First Lady of Massachusetts and Partner at Ropes & Gray, LLP, as the Keynote Speaker. A panel discussion will follow. Click here for more information about the panelists participating. To RSVP email Kim Votruba at programs@womensbar.org.

Opportunities in Criminal Law

The Suffolk Lawyers for Justice (SLJ) Law School Network partners Boston-area law students with SLJ panel attorneys in semester or year-long mentoring relationships. The program aims to improve the quality of representation available to indigent clients by providing attorneys with assistance from dedicated and motivated law school students. In turn, students benefit from having the opportunity to learn how to prepare a case for trial. Students attend attorney-client meetings, participate in the client interview process, interview witnesses, conduct legal research, draft memos, and prepare cross-examination and jury instructions.

SLJ attorneys who participate in the program do so voluntarily and expect their students to handle cases with a high degree of professionalism. All students who apply to the program should do so with the understanding that if accepted, they will be expected to work in a responsible, energetic and committed manner.

To apply, submit a completed application, a current resume, and a letter of interest to: 101 Tremont Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02108.