Summer Opportunities Abroad in Mexico and Kenya

International internships are a unique opportunity for law students to acquire practical experience "in the field," a key prerequisite to working abroad or in international human rights law. Professor Dina Francesca Haynes is currently seeking applications from students who have an interest in working abroad during the summer of 2010. Successful candidates will be nominated for consideration for one of two prestigious internships in either Mexico or Kenya. The Center for Law and Social Responsibility will be providing a small stipend for students accepted to a program to offset some of the costs of travel and accommodation.

Candidates must have an interest and background in international, human rights, immigration and/or refugee law and the ability to spend at least six (6) weeks of the summer abroad. Interested applicants will need to submit the following materials:

• Cover letter detailing all experience abroad (in particular third world countries), all languages spoken, and any prior human rights experience;
• Resume;
• Official transcript; and
• List of three (3) references.

Applications should be made to the attention of Adonia Simpson, Fellow for the Center of Law and Social Responsibility and dropped off on the 4th Floor of Stuart Street by 5:00 PM on November 10, 2009. Interviews of qualified candidates will be conducted in the following weeks and the successful applicant's materials forwarded to the organizations in question.

Professor Haynes will be speaking briefly about these opportunities at the International Law Society Meeting on Monday, October 19 at 5:00 PM in room 305. If you are unable to attend the meeting, and have any questions about the application process or programs, please do not hesitate to email Adonia Simpson at adonia.r.simpson@nesl.edu.

Smart Grid and the Future of the Energy Industry

A LawMatters Event, sponsored by the CLSR Environmental Advocacy Project. Please join Dan Delurey, Executive Director of the Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition, for a discussion of his efforts to promote "smart" energy technologies. Mr. Delurey will talk about life in the regulatory and legislative arenas, the future of the energy industry, and ramifications for emerging lawyers.

WHEN: Friday, October 16, 11:30-12:45 PM

WHERE: Cherry Room

A light catered lunch will be served.

For further information, please contact Professor Peter Manus, pmanus@nesl.edu.

CleanSweep with the Environmental Law Society

New England's Environmental Law Society will be assisting with COASTSWEEP 2009 from 2 to 4 pm on Friday, October 9 on the Esplanade. Those interested will be meeting in front of the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. Click here to learn more about COASTSWEEP.


If you need any additional information, please contact Susan Anamier at susan.anamier@gmail.com.

Student Opportunities at the Maryland Department of the Environment

Roberta R. James, Assistant Attorney General of the Maryland Department of the Environment, and New England alumna of the Class of '95, has shared the following information about appling for their Summer Law Clerk Program as well as their Spring and Fall Internship Program:

STATE OF MARYLAND

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRNMENT

POSITION DESCRIPTION - LAW CLERK/LEGAL INTERN

Program Overview:

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) at the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) provides complete legal support for all aspects of the MDE’s work, including pollution control in the areas of air, water, waste, sediment and storm water control. Work in the OAG includes initiating enforcement actions and other litigation, providing advice and counsel, drafting legislation, and reviewing new and revised regulations. Law clerks/interns engage in legal and policy research, litigation and pre-litigation support, developing case strategies, and other projects. Law clerks/interns may attend meetings with state and federal agencies, legislators and citizen groups and are encouraged to assume a significant level of responsibility commensurate with their interests and abilities. Law clerks are also invited to attend OAG in-house work practice group meetings and other educational seminars held throughout the year. Summer law clerks enjoy a series of special tours and programs.

Summer Law Clerk Program:
The OAG's summer law clerk program runs from 8 – 12 weeks, depending on student schedules, with a minimum hourly requirement of 40 hours per week. Summer law clerks receive an hourly wage, which is set each year according to available funding through MDE.

Spring and Fall Legal Internship Program:
The OAG's spring and fall legal internship program runs for 10 - 16 weeks, in accordance with individual school curriculum. The hourly requirement for the internship is 20 hours per week, with limited flexibility. Spring and/or fall legal interns do not receive monetary compensation, but may receive law school credit in accordance with the requirements of individual schools.

QUALIFICATIONS AND HOW TO APPLY:

The OAG at MDE generally hires two law clerks for the summer program and up to two legal internships are available during the fall and spring semesters. Effective legal research and writing is a fundamental aspect of the summer law clerk and semester internship positions offered by the OAG. Preference is given to students who have successfully completed either an environmental law or administrative law course. Students in good standing who are completing their second year, or students who are completing their first year and who have capable legal research and writing skills as demonstrated by the student’s legal research and writing grade, references, or legal writing sample, are eligible to apply for positions at the OAG. All students applying for these positions should send the below documentation to: Roberta James, Office of the Attorney General, Maryland Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 6048, Baltimore, MD 21230 or rjames@mde.state.md.us.

· Resume and cover letter
· References
· Unofficial law school transcript
· Short writing sample

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Legal Research and Advice
Through one of the attorneys within the OAG, the law clerk/intern will be required to apply their research and analytical skills to provide timely advice on matters related to State and federal environmental laws and policies and other areas of the law about which the client agency routinely seeks advice, including administrative, personnel and procurement law.

Litigation
The law clerk/intern will assist attorneys within the OAG to prepare and litigate civil and administrative cases on behalf of MDE to enforce State environmental laws and regulations and to defend the State and the State’s interests in State and federal courts and administrative tribunals. Litigation may include preparation of witnesses and other evidence, conducting and responding to discovery, hearings, motions practice, negotiation, participation in the trial or other adjudicatory proceeding, post trial procedures and appeals.

Business Transactions
The law clerk/intern may assist attorneys within the OAG in representing client agency in commercial or regulatory transactions to insure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The law clerk/intern may also be required to draft, review and/or revise appropriate documentation.

Communications/Client Relations
The law clerk/intern will communicate daily with attorneys within the OAG and, as appropriate, the client agency and other branches and units of government in a way that ensures the timely, thorough, and accurate flow of information and responses to inquiries, using procedures that comply with the law and policies of the client and the Attorney General.

Writing
Under the supervision of an attorney at the OAG, the law clerk/intern will write letters, memoranda, pleadings and other legal documents, to the client, courts, the Office of Administrative Hearings, and others within OAG to inform or advise others of policies and positions in a format appropriate to the task.

Postconviction Access to DNA Testing

On June 18, 2009, the United States Supreme Court decided District Attorney’s Office for the Third Judicial District v. Osborne and held there is no due process violation in denying a convicted defendant's postconviction request for DNA testing when he claims it will exonerate him. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, "To suddenly constitutionalize this area would short-circuit what looks to be a prompt and considered legislative response." Continuing, he stated that "[t]he dilemma [of] how to harness DNA’s power to prove innocence without unnecessarily overthrowing the established system of criminal justice" is a task relegated to the states to decide.

Massachusetts is one of only four states in the nation that has yet to enact a statute addressing postconviction access to forensic and scientific analysis of biological evidence. A bill, co-drafted by New England Law’s own, Professor David Siegel, and introduced to the Massachusetts’ House and Senate in January 2009 hopes to change this. The bill outlines the procedures and requirements of not only accessing postconviction DNA evidence, but also guidelines for the preservation biological material and evidence after conviction. Stay tuned to track the progress of this bill.

Excited to launch CLSR Fellowship

My name is Adonia Simpson and I'm the 2009-2010 CLSR Fellow at New England Law Boston. As Fellow, I'lll be assisting all Center Professors with their respective projects (criminal, environmental, immigration, women and children, tobacco policy, and general public interest).



We'll all keep this blog current with pro bono opportunities and other developments in our respective areas, and also with upcoming LawMatters events, which are open to the entire law school community and often the public as well.



My main solo project is my work at Greater Boston Legal Services in the area of Special Immigrant Juveniles. Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) can be granted to undocumented minors who have been declared dependents of U.S. juvenile court or a state agency or department due to abuse, abandonment or neglect. It promises to be a very intense and rewarding experience.



Please feel free to respond to this or any post, or to contact me for additional information at adonia.r.simpson@nesl.edu.

2009-2010 Fellow Selected

The CLSR has hired New England Law | Boston alumna Adonia Simpson as the 2009-2010 CLSR Fellow. Ms. Simpson will assist the Center in all of its areas of public interest law, and will make her primary focus immigration law. A 2009 graduate, Ms. Simpson has just finished her term as managing business editor for the New England Journal for Civil and Criminal Confinement and was active in the Immigration Law Association and Women's Law Caucus, among other activities.

Please see the CLSR News & Events page for additional information about our activities.